DAI seeks an IT Sector Specialist for the 5-year, USAID funded “Economic Resilience Activity” to lead its support for the IT industry in the Donetsk, Luhansk and Azov Sea regions.  

The purpose of the USAID Economic Resilience Activity is to improve the overall economic resilience of eastern Ukraine in response to Russian aggression, which has disrupted critical market linkages, catalyzed the economic decline of previously dominant industries, and caused massive population disruption. Resilience is “the ability of people, households, communities, countries, and systems to mitigate, adapt to, and recover from shocks and stresses in a manner that reduces chronic vulnerability and facilitates inclusive growth.” This activity aims to improve the economic resilience of eastern Ukraine through accomplishing the following objectives:

• INCLUSION: building the capabilities of vulnerable populations to capitalize on entrepreneurial and MSME economic opportunities;

• GROWTH: helping micro, small, and medium business innovate, invest, and expand markets; and
• TRANSFORMATION: working with coalitions and leaders to articulate the vision for the future and put in place a modern, diverse, and SME-friendly economy.

By accomplishing these objectives, the economy of eastern Ukraine will be more diversified, more integrated with the rest of Ukraine, less dependent on Russia, and the region’s residents will be better equipped to compete for the jobs of the future, thereby improving the economic resilience of the region.  The activity will work primarily in the oblasts most affected by Russia’s aggression, Donetsk and Luhansk—together known as the “Donbas” region—but will also be active in the surrounding oblasts and throughout Ukraine as required to achieve the objectives.

role’s Purpose:

The IT Sector Lead will head the project’s efforts to:

• Activate the potential of the IT sector for economic recovery and transformation in eastern Ukraine;
• Accelerate IT sector growth in communities like Kramatorsk and Mariupol that have growing IT clusters;
• Lay the groundwork for the IT sector in communities where the sector is just starting to develop, such as Sievierodonetsk;
• Bring IT education up to date in partnership with regional universities, high schools, and other educational organizations;
• Find and support synergies between IT and the region’s traditional industrial sectors and growing agricultural sector;
• Work with IT businesses on product development and improve their ability to build their businesses and market their products;
• Establish linkages with major IT players in other Ukrainian IT hubs— including but not limited to Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Lviv—to transfer experience and to encourage business contacts and activity between eastern Ukrainian and other Ukrainian IT hubs;
• Encourage cooperation among IT stakeholders in the target region in order to achieve the above goals.

Responsibilities

• Execute the current work plan and develop work plans for Years 3, 4 and 5 to meet the above goals. Execute agreed upon activities and report on the results of those activities;
• Develop and maintain partnerships required for the above activities to succeed. Partners will include IT companies in the target region and in other parts of Ukraine, educational institutions and organizations, business incubators, and consulting firms;
• Identify individuals and firms in other parts of Ukraine that can provide services to support the development of the IT sector in the target region;
• Increase the visibility of the IT industry in Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts by organizing public events, facilitating business-to-business meetings, matching buyers and sellers in the IT sector (based on end-market research), and preparing IT businesses for trade fairs; 
• Work closely with ERA’s Workforce Development Specialists to collect information about what skills prospective IT sector employees need (based on gaps employers have identified) and are missing. Work with partners to conceptualize, design and deliver skills training for new and mid-level workers. Work with local training providers to ensure their curricula cover needed skills, including the latest technologies;
• Develop grant proposals for supporting the IT industry in the target region
• Work closely with ERA’s performance monitoring team to obtain all data needed for reporting against relevant targets.

Qualifications

• At least 10 years’ experience working in the IT sector, with an increasing level of responsibility for time;
• Extensive experience working on issues such as new business development, visibility/promotion and/or worker/employee skill development within the IT sector;
• Prior experience working or collaborating with USAID or other donor agencies, preferred;
• BS/BA in business, economics, IT or a related field, from a recognized national or international university (postgraduate degree preferred);
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English;
• Fluency in Ukrainian, Russian, and English;
• Experience working in eastern Ukraine (preferred);
• Good interpersonal skills and the ability to succeed in a multi-cultural environment.

If you are interested, please send your CV to [email protected]