Chief of Party

The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is a leading international humanitarian organization committed to upholding rights and improving the lives of people affected by displacement worldwide.

Are you a strategic and inspiring leader committed to advancing locally led humanitarian responses?
We’re looking for a dynamic Chief of Party (CoP) with a strong track record in programme oversight and stakeholder engagement. If you excel at managing diverse teams, fostering partnerships, and ensuring donor compliance, this is a unique opportunity to lead impactful, locally driven programming across Ukraine.

Reporting to the Head of Operations and working closely with Consortium partners, the Steering Committee, and the Advisory Board, the CoP will provide overall strategic and technical leadership to the Consortium. The CoP will supervise the project management team, ensure program quality and effective implementation, and serve as the primary liaison with donors, local actors, and other stakeholders.

The ABA (Area-Based Allocation) Consortium functions as an innovative grant-making platform that enables local actors in Ukraine to access high-quality, flexible funding—without the administrative burden typically associated with aid. It manages a full due diligence system, issues calls for proposals, disburses funding, and provides tailored support throughout implementation.

Your main duties and responsibilities will be:

Representation & External Coordination

• Represent the ABA consortium to donors, Steering committee, Advisory board, local authorities, Partners and coordination mechanisms.
• Promote the collective vision and objectives of the consortium with stakeholders.
• Serve as the main liaison for the donor and ensure strong working relationships with counterparts.
• Coordinate and ensure joint visibility and advocacy efforts in line with consortium strategy.

Compliance & Grant Management

• Ensure compliance with donor requirements, including narrative reporting, indicator tracking, and financial forecasting.
• Lead grant opening, review and closure processes in coordination with relevant colleagues and partners.
• Identify potential risks related to compliance, partnerships, or delivery and propose mitigation strategies.

Internal Coordination & Partnership Management

• Facilitate effective collaboration between consortium partners to maximize synergies and collective impact.
• Convene and lead regular consortium governance meetings (Steering Committee, Technical Working Groups, etc.), ensuring decisions are documented and followed up.
• Ensure fluid, open communication between partners at all levels (technical, operational, strategic) and support resolution of disagreements or misalignments in implementation or planning.

Program Oversight & Quality Assurance

• Lead the development and adaptation of consortium tools (reporting templates, SOPs etc).
• Oversee the implementation of the program in coordination with DRC colleagues and Consortium’s partners.
• Ensure harmonization of approaches between the Consortium members.
• Conduct regular field visits to monitor progress, identify challenges, and propose programmatic adjustments.
• Promote adaptive management and use of evidence and learning in strategic decision-making.

About you

To be successful in this role we expect you to have at least 4–5 years of experience in managing humanitarian or early recovery projects, as well as at least 2- 3 years of experience in team management position. Moreover, we also expect the following:

• Proven experience in program coordination, stakeholder engagement, and adaptive management.
• Strong understanding of area-based or integrated programming, ideally in conflict-affected contexts.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and representation skills.

Desirable:

• Previous experience as Consortium Manager or Chief of Party
• Previous experience including hands on support to local partners through capacity development/ mentoring
• Demonstrated experience with donor compliance, particularly ECHO, USAID or UN-led funding.
• Experience working with or coordinating Ukrainian civil society or local actors

In this position, you are expected to demonstrate DRC’s 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 (renewable based on funding and performance)

Band: E – Management

Work location: Kyiv (Non-family Duty Station), with regular travel to field locations

Start date: August /September 2025

Salary and conditions will be in accordance with Danish Refugee Council’s Terms of Employment for DRC Employees 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: 17 July 2025. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and DRC reserves the right to proceed with the recruitment before the deadline if a suitable candidate is identified

For more information about the Danish Refugee Council, please visit our website drc.ngo.