Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is a leading protection agency with a mandate to protect, advocate, and promote durable solutions for displacement-affected populations. 

DRC has been operating in Ukraine since 2014, currently DRC employs over 800 staff in Ukraine and implements emergency response in the Protection, Livelihoods, Shelter/NFIs and Humanitarian Disarmament and Peacebuilding (humanitarian mine action) sectors, using direct interventions, support to duty bearers and civil society organizations (CSOs), and partnerships with CSOs. DRC will continue and adapt its durable solutions portfolio to the evolving context. 

DRC is currently looking for a Chief of Party in Kyiv, Ukraine.

About the job

The Protection Consortium, led by DRC in collaboration with 3 other national and international organizations, aims to deliver a comprehensive, locally led protection response across Ukraine. The project strengthens access to specialised protection services for conflict-affected and marginalised populations while bolstering national systems, service providers, and local organisations.

The Chief of Party (CoP) will provide strategic direction, managerial oversight, and representational leadership for the Protection Consortium. Under the supervision of the Head of Operations and in coordination with consortium partners, the CoP will ensure effective coordination, donor compliance, and delivery of protection outcomes.

Your primary duties and responsibilities will be: 

Representation & External Coordination

• Represent the Protection consortium to donor, Steering committee, local authorities, Partners and coordination mechanisms.
• Promote the Consortium’s collective vision, with a focus on localisation, inclusive protection, and sustainability.
• Coordinate joint advocacy and visibility efforts aligned with strategic protection priorities.

Compliance & Grant Management

• Ensure compliance with donor requirements, including financial forecasting, narrative reporting, indicator tracking, and safeguarding commitments.
• Lead grant cycle management processes (grant opening, review, closure) with internal and external stakeholders.
• Proactively identify and mitigate risks related to compliance, delivery, and partnership management.

Internal Coordination & Partnership Management

• Foster effective collaboration and coordination between consortium members and partners.
• Convene and lead governance structures (Steering Committee, Technical Working Groups as relevant), ensuring inclusive and transparent decision-making.
• Facilitate communication between partners across technical and operational levels, resolving challenges collaboratively.
• Oversee equitable partner engagement, including capacity strengthening and support to sub-grantees.

Program Oversight & Quality Assurance

• Ensure strategic coherence and technical excellence is in place across protection components: GBV, Child Protection, Legal Aid, MHPSS, and Victim Assistance and modalities of implementation
• Promote harmonisation of tools, approaches, and monitoring systems across partners, in line with consortium objectives.
• Conduct regular field visits to review implementation, identify gaps, and support adaptive management.

About you 

To be successful in this role, we expect you to be a strong and strategic leader with a solid background in programme oversight, and stakeholder engagement, ideally in complex humanitarian or early recovery contexts. You have a proven ability to manage diverse teams, foster collaboration among partners, and ensure compliance with donor requirements. You bring a deep commitment to locally led responses and have demonstrated experience in supporting and strengthening the capacity of local actors — through mentoring, technical support, or tailored accompaniment — to enable sustainable and impactful programming.

Moreover, we also expect the following:  

Required:

• Minimum 5 years of experience managing humanitarian or protection programming, preferably in complex/conflict settings.
• At least 2–3 years in a senior coordination or leadership role, preferably within a consortium or multi-stakeholder framework.
• Strong understanding of protection programming, including GBV, legal aid, MHPSS, and inclusive service delivery.
• Demonstrated experience engaging with government actors, donors, and humanitarian coordination systems.
• Excellent communication, representation, and negotiation skills.

Desirable:

• Previous experience as Consortium Manager/ Chief of Party
• Previous experience as program manager or program coordinator
• Familiarity with FCDO compliance requirements.
• Technical background in protection sub-sectors.
• Previous experience working in Ukraine or Eastern Europe.

In this position, you are expected to demonstrate DRC’ five core competencies:   

• Striving for excellence: You focus on reaching results while ensuring an efficient process.   
• Collaborating: You involve relevant parties and encourage feedback.   
• Taking the lead: You take ownership and initiative while aiming for innovation.   
• Communicating: You listen and speak effectively and honestly.   
• Demonstrating integrity: You uphold and promote the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct in relation to our values and Code of Conduct, including safeguarding against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment. 

We offer 

• Contract length: 12 months with the possibility of extension subject to positive perfomance and funding availability
• Band: E2 – Manager
• Designation of Duty Station: Kyiv, non-accompanied position
• Start date: September 2025

Salary and conditions will be in accordance with Danish Refugee Council’s Terms of Employment for employees on national and expatriate contracts; please refer to our website for more details.  

Application process 

All applicants must upload a cover letter and an updated CV (no longer than four pages) in English. 

Applications sent by email will not be considered. 

Closing date for applications: 25 July 2025

We encourage candidates to apply as soon as possible, interviews might be conducted on a rolling basis. DRC reserves the right to select candidate before the vacancy close date once a suitable candidate has been identified.