The EU4Reconstruction is looking for a Project Manager to support the strategic development of the State Agency for Restoration and Development of Infrastructure.
Background
The EU4Reconstruction. The European Union (EU), together with Denmark, Germany, France and Lithuania, launched EU4Reconstruction, a €37 million Team Europe Initiative that unites the strength, experience and solidarity of the EU to support Ukraine’s ongoing recovery and reconstruction.
The initiative aims to strengthen governance, improve public investment management, and enhance coordination across levels of government, with a strong emphasis on EU values. The Team Europe Initiative is divided into two parallel and communicating streams; one stream will be composed of GIZ (Lead Organisation) and Expertise France (Partner Organisation) and the other will gather the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark (Lead Organisation) and CPVA (Partner Organisation).
EU4Reconstruction will reinforce the leadership of the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development, strengthen the State Agency for Reconstruction and Development of Infrastructure (SARDI), empower local governments to manage reconstruction professionally and sustainably, and support civil society and independent media to play an active role in oversight, ensuring public trust and reducing corruption risks
The programme will strengthen the policy dialogue around reconstruction and recovery and will focus in particular on the governance of public investment management, public infrastructure management at national, regional and local levels and how to link this with necessary capacity development to make the system work. Part of this process will ensure that the stakeholders in the programme and their policy and regulatory setup are prepared for EU accession. This will, in particular, ensure resources are allocated effectively, transparently, accountably and with broad inclusion in infrastructure planning and execution, reflecting the subsidiarity principle.
Denmark together with Lithuania implements Stream 2 of the EU4Reconstruction programme aimed at strengthening the capacity of the SARDI and its subordinated entities to act as contracting authority and Project Implementation Unit for major reconstruction projects.
This assignment concerns Output 2 of Stream 2 of the EU4Reconstruction: SARDI has the capacity to operate as a transparent, efficient, and EU-compliant institution, effectively managing sustainable and accountable reconstruction efforts, and more specifically sub-output “Strategy formulated, and support facilitated for reforming SARDI aligned with GoU priorities and revisit the mandate of institutions and the relationship with the CPO, PMG, RORs, NIDI to reflect their role in reconstruction and enhance the effectiveness and accountabilities of the full institution and RORs”.
SARDI and its ecosystem. SARDI was established by the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, dated 13 January 2023. It was created through the renaming of the State Road Agency of Ukraine and the merger with the State Agency for Infrastructure Projects.
SARDI is currently responsible for:
- Prioritisation, planning and implementation of reconstruction projects related to national roads and bridges;
- Procurement and implementation of reconstruction projects delegated by the Cabinet of Ministers, including social housing, energy infrastructure, fortifications, airports, and other non-road sectors.
SARDI is structured around a central authority in Kyiv and a broad network of regional and subordinate entities (SARDI ecosystem):
- 24 Regional Offices for Restoration and Infrastructure Development (RORs)
- State Enterprise “Infrasproject” designed by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine as a centralized procurement organization (CPO) in the field of infrastructure.
- State Enterprize ‘Recovery Project Management Group Recovery” (PMG),
- Joint Stock Company “Automotive Roads of Ukraine” (DAK),
- National Institute for the Development of Infrastructure (NIDI)
- Other state-owned enterprises and institutions.
The expansion of responsibilities — particularly the delegation by the Cabinet of Ministers of new types of projects that had never previously been managed by the SARDI — have placed considerable strain on institutional capacity and stress on employees. SARDI ecosystem is currently undergoing transformation to tackle these challenges.
The position
Title: Project Manager for Strategic Development of the SARDI (Project Manager).
Place of service: The EU4Reconstruction office in Kyiv.
Contract: We offer a contract for a fulltime position with the Danish Embassy.
Conditions: A salary according to qualifications and embassy staff policy and a benefit package for embassy staff, including performance bonus, health insurance and five weeks of paid holidays.
Team: Project Manager will report directly to the Team Leader for the Capacity Development of the SARDI (Team Leader) and will work in close cooperation with other project managers of the EU4Reconstruction Stream 2. Project Manager will lead and coordinate a group of external experts supporting SARDI development.
Key Responsibilities
Project coordination
- Develop and maintain work plans for SARDI-related activities, ensuring alignment with EU4Reconstruction objectives, Public Investment Management (PIM) reform and other donor initiatives.
- Conduct procurements, including designing interventions, drafting ToRs, and initiating procurement under Danish MFA internal systems.
- Coordinate work of external experts engaged in supporting SARDI reform and development.
- Oversee the implementation and ensure the quality of deliverables from experts, consultants, and other service providers engaged in providing technical assistance to SARDI.
- Collect invoices from service providers, verify compliance with contracts, and ensure timely posting of payments.
- Ensure effective cooperation and information flow between the Team Leader, other project managers in Stream 2, SARDI leadership, RORs, CPO, PMG, NIDI.
Support to SARDI strategy, mandate, and institutional development
- Support elaboration and formalisation of SARDI’s strategy, revisiting its mandate, and strategy implementation plan for reform.
- Facilitate meetings with SARDI, donor, government and other stakeholders on the role of SARDI in PIM and revision of mandate.
- Coordinate technical assistance for implementation of SARDI strategy and implementation plan, including relevant legislative amendments.
- Coordinate technical assistance for the design of a monitoring framework for assessing strategy implementation for learning and adaptation as well as accountability.
- Coordinate technical assistance for development and implementation of digital tools for SARDI ecosystem.
- Provide inputs and policy advice to strengthen SARDI’s institutional role in planning, prioritisation, and implementation of infrastructure projects.
- Support the assessment and design of a HR and talent management plan to strengthen staff attraction and retention.
Monitoring and reporting
- Track progress against output indicators and provide regular updates to the Team Leader and EU4Reconstruction management.
- Monitor risks and challenges to SARDI development and propose corrective actions.
- Ensure that all interventions promote transparency, accountability, and MFA-compliant standards in infrastructure recovery management.
The successful candidate has to:
- Be able to work at both strategic and operational levels, defining short- and long-term assistance to SARDI.
- Develop work plans, budgets, and resource allocation for sub-outputs, ensuring alignment with the overall programme document.
- Keep all stakeholders informed about project progress, milestones, and potential challenges, ensuring a cohesive and integrated approach to project activities.
- Ensure the quality of the work and represent sound values in procurement, administrative in compliance with high Danish MFA standards.
- Contribute to analytical and legislative work in the field of public investments, infrastructure, and institutional reform.
- Assist with other duties as agreed with the Team Leader.
Qualifications & Experience
- University degree in Economics, Administration, Management, Law or another relevant field.
- Minimum 3 years of professional experience in project management, institutional development, or capacity building within government, international organisations or donor-funded programmes.
- Proven experience in infrastructure, construction, or public investment management, ideally linked to Ukraine’s reconstruction context will be an advantage.
- Experience in drafting and operationalising strategies, particularly in the context of public administration or infrastructure reform, will be a strong advantage.
- Demonstrated analytical, drafting, and reporting abilities, with attention to evidence-based approaches.
- High standards of integrity, professionalism, and commitment to transparency and accountability.
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with ability to build trust and foster cooperation among diverse stakeholders.
- Proficiency in Ukrainian and English (both written and spoken).
Deadline for applications
Interested candidates should submit their:
1) short motivation letter
2) CV with three reference contacts
to [email protected] and cc [email protected] before close of business on 17 October 2025.
Please write in the email subject “Project Manager for SARDI Development”.