EU Anti-Corruption Initiative is looking for a Head of Integrity Support Office in Mykolaiv City Council

The EU Anti-Corruption Initiative has announced a competition for the position of the head of the Integrity Support Office, which is planned to be established at the Mykolaiv City Council.

EUACI writes about it.

The office is being created on the basis of a memorandum between EUACI and the city council. It will be headed by an advisor to the mayor, and the team will include permanent employees and experts. The key task of the head is to assist the city council in implementing integrity, transparency and accountability tools in managing the recovery process, as well as to participate in joint projects within the partnership between Denmark and Mykolaiv.

«The responsibilities include the introduction of digital solutions for transparency in the recovery process, preparation of municipal policies and internal regulations, and development of corporate governance elements in the critical infrastructure sector. The head of the office will advise the mayor and executive bodies, coordinate EUACI contractors, cooperate with the EU4Reconstruction programme and international partners, including the Danish Embassy», the announcement said.

Separately, the announcement notes that the head of the Integrity Support Office will support and oversee other EUACI activities in Mykolaiv. This includes, in particular, the school canteen project and EUACI's support in media investigations.

The official will also ensure the stable operation of the tools already implemented: the geographic information system, the international assistance monitoring system, updated procurement and technical supervision procedures, the city website and mobile application, and the implementation of the Municipal Integrity Plan.

The contract is for the period from January 2026 to the end of March 2027. The total amount of work is up to 300 working days, i.e. up to 20 days per month, which corresponds to full-time employment. Around 150 days will be spent working in Mykolaiv, with some travelling to other cities in Ukraine.

At the same time, the tender documents do not specify the salary.

The deadline for submitting questions is 18 December 2025. Bids will be accepted until 22 December 2025, 18:00.

As a reminder, in June 2024, a working group was set up in Mykolaiv to develop the «Integrity Plan» of the city council. The plan envisages an assessment of six key areas: procurement, land assets, infrastructure, municipal government, ethics and anti-corruption.

Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych stressed that the fight against corruption requires systemic changes, not just personnel decisions. As reported by NikVesti, the Integrity Plan aims to reduce the risks of favouritism and corruption among deputies and officials, in particular in the management of municipal property.

In 2025, during a hearing of the draft decision at the Legality Commission, the head of the anti-corruption department, Vitalii Yaroshenko, said that the necessary public discussions had already allegedly taken place in May. However, the composition of the group — only 10 city hall officials, without representatives of the public or the media — drew criticism.

According to the recommendations of the EU Anti-Corruption Initiative (EUACI) and UNDP, independent experts, media and civil society organisations should be involved in the development of such documents to ensure transparency and accountability.

The MPs did not agree to adopt the Plan without a real discussion and announced that they were accepting comments and suggestions to the document.

The public expert council of the executive committee of the city council also held an alternative discussion.

The media outlet NikVesti proposed its own amendments to the Plan for 2025-2027. Media director Oleh Dereniuha explained that the editorial board proposed to enshrine two key principles:

1. Transparency of remote meetings — all participants during online or remote meetings of the council, executive committee or advisory bodies should have their cameras turned on to ensure that decisions are made by real people, not «tick» boxes in the list of those present.

2. Physical access of journalists to the city council — provide permanent personalised access cards for representatives of registered media to ensure unimpeded access to government premises and public events, as provided for by the Law «On Information».

Earlier, the European Union Ambassador to Ukraine Katarina Mathernova considered the city of Mykolaiv «to be virtuous» and stressed that the leadership of the region and the city creates favourable conditions for attracting partners.