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 Protection Specialist (Gender Based Violence Specialist) to join out team in Kyiv (with regular field visits to areas of intervention across Ukraine).
About the job
As the Gender Based Violence (GBV) Specialist, you will work under the line management of the Protection Technical Lead. You will provide leadership and advice on all aspects related to planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting of DRC’s GBV activities in Ukraine. You will lead on the technical quality of GBV prevention and response activities across Ukraine including case management, psychosocial support, awareness-raising and capacity-building activities.
Your main duties and responsibilities will be:
Ensure DRC GBV programming is aligned with regional and internal strategies:
- Attend relevant coordination meetings at national and area level, including the GBV sub-cluster meetings.
- Develop strong relationships with GBV and related actors, including CSOs, within DRC’s areas of intervention.
- Work with all sectors within DRC especially but not limited to Protection, Multipurpose Cash Assistance (MPCA), Non-food items (NFI), Shelter and Economic Recovery to identify and implement joint activities/strategies and mainstream GBV risk mitigation measures.
- Lead on the development of DRC’s GBV strategy at country-level.
- Develop required tools, guidelines and SOPs for DRC’s protection team.
- Regularly review and share emerging evidence from international standards and tools including GBV Area of Responsibility (AoR) Minimum Standards, Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) GBV Guidelines to ensure guidance and tools developed are in line with best practice.
Provide direct technical supervision to ensure the quality of the GBV programming:
- Support the protection team to ensure all GBV prevention and response programming are underpinned by GBV guiding principles and responsive to women and girls’ needs.
- Provide technical supervision and support to all protection team members involved in GBV prevention and response activities.
- Develop and facilitate training on core gender and GBV concepts, including training of the protection team, governmental partners, CSOs, and other stakeholders.
- Coordinate with relevant stakeholders (including national and international NGOs, CSOs, governmental partners).
- Develop, maintain and share a service mapping.
- Complete donor quarterly reports and draft sections of project proposals related to GBV.
- Support the protection managers in identifying context based information to develop context specific activities, awareness sessions and curricula implemented in the Women and Girls Centers.
- Contribute to the conception, development and production of Information, Education & Communication (IEC) materials.
- Support the Psycho-Social Support (PSS) team in developing gender-sensitive modules and material adapted to women and girls’ needs.
- Contribute to development of tools and indicators for monitoring and evaluation.
- Design assessment tools and coordinate the organization of the collection, compilation, data analysis and dissemination of results.
Administration:
- Fill and submit Purchase Requisitions, Travel Authorizations and any other DRC administrative forms as needed.
- Coordinate with other DRC departments to ensure the effective use of the logistical and financial resources.
About you
To be successful in this role we expect you to have at least 3 years' relevant experience working with a protection or health, humanitarian or development organization and at least 1 year experience working with GBV case management. Moreover, we also expect the following:
Required
- University (BA/BSc) degree in relevant field to include gender, social work etc., and evidence of further specialist training.
- Demonstrated practical experience in GBV/SRH work including case management, prevention activities and community engagement.
- Previous experience in working with displaced and conflict-affected communities, running GBV prevention curricula, raising awareness and providing services in village settings.
- Solid experience in building staff capacity.
- Advanced English proficiency (C1)
Desirable
- Experience working in challenging environments with good personal resilience.
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
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 depending on performance and availability of funding after the successful completion of 3 months probation period
- Band: G – non-manager
- Designation of Duty Station: Kyiv (with regular field visits to areas of intervention across Ukraine)
- Start date: May 2026
Salary and conditions will be in accordance with Danish Refugee Council’s Terms of Employment for employees on national 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: 18th 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.
Working at DRC
Help applying
DRC as an employer
Founded in 1956, DRC Danish Refugee Council is Denmark’s largest, and a leading international NGO. We have continuously been ranked as one of the best NGOs in the world - and are one of the few with a specific expertise in forced displacement. In over 30 countries, we protect, advocate and build sustainable futures for refugees and other displacement-affected people and communities.
By working in DRC, you will be joining a global workforce of over 6,000 employees. We pride ourselves on our:
- Professionalism, impact & expertise
- Humanitarian approach & the work we do
- Purpose, meaningfulness & own contribution
- Culture, values & strong leadership
- Fair compensation & continuous development
DRC’s capacity to ensure the protection of and assistance to refugees, IDP’s and other persons of concern depends on the ability of our staff to uphold and promote the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct in relation DRC’s values and Code of Conduct, including safeguarding against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment. DRC conducts thorough and comprehensive background checks as part of the recruitment process.
Danish Refugee Council is an equal opportunity employer and we consider all applicants based on individual merit and qualifications, regardless of personal characteristics or attributes. We are committed to increasing the diversity of our workforce, aiming for a 50% balance of men and women in management roles and ensuring that at least 50% of management roles are filled by national staff. We recognize that a diverse and inclusive team is crucial for achieving our organizational goals and making a positive impact on the communities we serve.