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 Child Protection Specialist (ABA Consortium) to join our Area-Based Allocation (ABA) team implementing project in Khersonska oblast. The position may be based in either Kyiv or Mykolaiv, depending on where the successful candidate is based.

About the job

Under the supervision of the Protection Technical Lead, and in close coordination with other programme colleagues, the Child Protection Specialist (ABA Consortium) will provide technical leadership, guidance, and oversight for Child Protection programming. The role is responsible for ensuring quality implementation, compliance with minimum standards, and continuous technical monitoring of child protection-focused projects.

The Child Protection Specialist (ABA Consortium) will work closely with CSO partners implementing child protection activities, including child protection case management, establishment and management of Child Friendly Spaces, and provision of psychosocial support to children and their caregivers. The position will also provide technical support and capacity strengthening to partners to ensure alignment with Child Protection Minimum Standards in Humanitarian Action and national legislation.

In addition, the Child Protection Specialist will support the integration of Child Protection Mainstreaming across non-Protection sectors and partners, ensuring that child safeguarding principles, safe identification and referral pathways, and risk mitigation measures are embedded throughout programming.

Your main duties and responsibilities will be:

Grant Management and Technical Compliance

• Participate in the technical review of protection proposals and budgets ensuring that the proposed activities are in line with protection guidance and technical standards.
• Review partner logframes and monitoring tools to ensure that they are in line with relevant protection guidance and technical standards.

Project implementation oversight

• Conduct capacity assessments of protection partners and develop capacity development plans.
• Based on partner’s ongoing and planned programming, and organizational mandates and strategies, outline the key areas where partners require guidance and support to meet national and global standards.
• Provide capacity development, including trainings and mentoring, to Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) implementing child protection activities.
• Ensure that workplans developed by the partners are in line with child protection technical guidance.
• Conduct technical monitoring visits and regular follow up meetings with partners implementing child protection activities.
• Support non-protection partners with child protection mainstreaming.
• Liaise with partners regularly on ongoing challenges, successes, and lessons learned, to provide relevant support with partners for them to success with ongoing.

Representation and External Coordination

• Coordinate with Protection colleagues from other consortium members to ensure alignment of practices and processes.
• Coordinate with other Protection technical colleagues, including Legal Aid, Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Specialists to develop training packages and protection partnerships tools.
• Coordinate with the Child Protection Area of Responsibility (AoR) as needed.

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 of 3 years of experience in child protection programming.
• Bachelor's degree in international relations, social work, law or another relevant field.
• Knowledge and experience implementing protection programming in the area’s child protection, including child protection case management, support to unaccompanied and separated children, child friendly spaces, and mental health and psychosocial support for children and their caregivers.
• Previous proven experience in child protection programmes implemented through local partners or in remote management.
• Experience in Child Protection Information Management System (CPIMS+).
• Proven experience in capacity building and training local partners in child protection.
• Strong computer skills, including Microsoft office.
• Fluent English for professional communication.

Desirable:

• Knowledge and experience in child protection proposal development.
• Knowledge in Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) requirements for Child Protection programming.

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: Three months probationary period, with 11-month extension following successful completion of probationary period.
• Band: G1- non management.
• Designation of Duty Station: Mykolaiv or Kyiv, depending on where the successful candidate is based.
• Start date: ASAP.

Salary and conditions will be in accordance with Danish Refugee Council’s Terms of Employment for employees on national contracts.

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: 12th March 2026.

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.