Advisor on Philanthropy and International Cooperation

Foundations for Ukraine (F4U) is a global network that brings together leading philanthropic organizations, including corporate and family foundations, committed to strengthening Ukrainian civil society. Initiated by the Robert Bosch Foundation (Germany) and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation (USA), the main goal of F4U is to strengthen cooperation, learning, and joint action among philanthropic actors.

GIZ and F4U have established a dedicated partnership to explore how philanthropy and international development cooperation can complement one another. The aim of this collaboration is to identify where the two fields can align, learn from each other, and combine their strengths in support of Ukrainian civil society.

This position is created specifically for this GIZ & F4U cooperation. The advisor will play a key role in shaping this strategic partnership - identify opportunities, build connections, and support the development of practical collaboration between philanthropy (through F4U) and international cooperation (through GIZ) A key focus of the position is to establish and strengthen cooperation with the named two parties and civil society actors in Ukraine.

Key responsibilities:

1. Strategic partnership-building between philanthropy and international cooperation

• Identify areas where philanthropic actors and international development cooperation can work together to support Ukrainian civil society.
• Connect F4U members, GIZ programmes, and other partners to create opportunities for collaboration.
• Follow developments in Ukraine’s recovery and civil society sector and highlight trends or opportunities for joint action.

2. Developing network activities, events, and meaningful exchange formats

• Initiate, conceptualize, plan logistics and implement strategic convenings, dialogues, and learning formats that help philanthropic and development actors identify shared interests.
• Ensure these activities offer real value by supporting experience-sharing, reflection on challenges, and the building of cooperation.

3. Applied research and analytical work

• Identify research opportunities that support philanthropic and development work in Ukraine and can be applied or scaled in other contexts.
• Design, coordinate, or co-author applied research products such as studies, stakeholder mappings, or short briefs.
• Ensure that research results are practical and useful for both F4U members and GIZ programmes and can support strategic development and decision-making.

4. Coordination of external services and experts

• Plan and manage service contracts related to research, mapping, facilitation, or expert support.
• Work closely with external consultants and ensure high-quality results.

5. Advisory support and internal cooperation

• Provide advice to the F4U Secretariat and the GIZ team, drawing on experience with civil society, philanthropy, or recovery contexts.
• Support/ Coordinate monitoring and learning processes by providing relevant information and insights.

Required qualifications, professional experience and personal competences:

• University degree in political science, social sciences, development studies, or a related field.
• Several years of experience in development cooperation, international cooperation, philanthropy, or working with civil society organizations.
• Experience in coordinating complex tasks or projects and in collecting, analysing, and synthesizing information from different sources.
• Good understanding of networks or multi-stakeholder partnerships and experience in partnership development.
• Strong analytical skills; ideally experience with stakeholder mapping or applied research.
• Good knowledge of Ukraine’s recovery context and its civil society landscape.
• Experience in planning and managing service contracts.
• Excellent communication, facilitation, and networking skills, and ability to work diplomatically and collaboratively.
• Fluency in English and Ukrainian; German is an asset.
• Experience in monitoring and evaluation or in advocacy is an advantage.
• Strong motivation to work at the intersection of philanthropy and development cooperation.

We offer:

• Official employment (labour contract).
• Salary fixed in EUR, performance-related bonuses and 13th salary.
• Medical insurance.
• 29 vacation days annually.
• Language classes, hard and soft skills trainings.
• Individual and group psychological support.
• Possible flexible and partially remote work (depending on project’s needs and upon a prior agreement with a line manager - up to 10 days a month within Ukrainian border).
• Meaningful and valuable work, international environment.

Employment conditions

Full-time position with 40-hours working week. The contract duration is until 31 March 2027 with the possibility of prolongation.

GIZ is an equal opportunity employer and offers an attractive and challenging working environment with opportunities for skill enhancement.

Application:

We are looking forward to your application in English, comprising your CV and a Cover letter explaining your motivation to apply for the job to @email until COB 16 December, Tuesday. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for the next stages of the recruitment process.

Candidates are requested to submit their documents with the following title:

• Surname Name_CV
• Surname Name_Cover letter 

By sending the application you give the consent for the personal data processing for recruitment processes solely according to GIZ data privacy regulations. You can familiarize yourself with these regulations by the link Data protection | GIZ