Head of Administrative and Economic Activities / Head of Support Services in Danish Refugee Council / Danska Rada u spravah bizhenciv v Ukrayini

The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is an international non-governmental organization that promotes and supports long-term solutions to the problems faced by refugees and internally displaced persons worldwide. 

As Head of Administrative and Economic Activities, you will provide strategic leadership and oversight of all administrative and economic functions (Support Services) in DRB Ukraine (Finance, Procurement and Logistics, HR, IT and Administration) with the aim of ensuring effective, compliant and large-scale implementation of programs in complex conditions of activity with a high level of risk. This role ensures that administrative and business departments facilitate, rather than constrain, program delivery by providing timely, high-quality and risk-aware operational support while protecting DRB donor assets, personnel and resources in accordance with DRB policy, donor requirements and national legislation.

Your main responsibilities will be:

Manage and leadership

• Act as a key member of the Senior Management Team (SMT), participating in strategic priority setting and day-to-day decision-making.
• Provide leadership and line management to support administrative and business managers, including workforce planning, performance management, staff welfare and professional development.
• Ensure the delivery, monitoring and reporting of support services in line with program and operational priorities needs.
• Create and maintain high-performance administrative and business teams that consistently provide high-quality, compliant and effective services.
• Lead the strategic development, management and continuous improvement of administrative and business activities, systems and compliance mechanisms.
• Ensure timely and appropriate technical support of programs in accordance with organizational priorities and acceptable level of risk.
• Oversee the support of the processes of the annual planning, budgeting and review.
• Ensure compliance of DRB operations in Ukraine with DRB policies, global guidelines, donor and national requirementsnational legislation.
• Develop and implement strategic approaches to ensure reliable compliance with legal, financial and administrative requirements in all areas of activity in the country.

Management of operational activities

• Provide strategic oversight and technical leadership of all operational support functions at the country level.
• Ensure support and strengthening of the operational capacity of DRB for ensuring a rapid response to emergency situations, in particular in the areas of procurement, logistics and finance.
• Ensure constant adaptation of the administrative and economic department to changes in the geographical coverage, scope of activities and program strategy of the DRB.
• Ensure the provision of adequate, timely and appropriate support to the regional offices from the administrative and economic teams from the head office.
• Manage the development and implementing a country-level risk management plan, identifying key financial, legal and operational risks and appropriate measures to minimize them.
• Ensure accuracy, relevance and effective maintenance of all administrative, legal and compliance systems.
• Develop the capacity of administrative and business staff within operations through structured mentoring, coaching and on-the-job training.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of global DRB initiatives and systems strengthening efforts.
• Ensure regular updates of the overall country budget and its use to inform project development, resource allocation, and cost containment decisions; provide regular SMT budget analysis to support strategic decision-making.
• Oversee all active projects to ensure expenditure meets approved budgets and donor compliance requirements.

Risk, compliance and audit management

• Provide support to Head of Mission and SMT in engagement with donors, auditors and authorities on compliance issues, registration and audit.
• Ensure effective supervision, internal control, audit and follow-up on the correction of deficiencies related to DRB operational standards within the administrative and economic functions.
• Provide support to the SMT in maintaining an up-to-date risk register and ensuring timely implementation of agreed measures to minimize them.
• Participate in initial and final audit meetings and ensure full cooperation throughout the process audit.
• Lead the preparation and presentation of management responses to internal and external audit findings.

DRC Dynamics (ERP)

• Lead strategic planning to strengthen staff capacity and systematic training related to DRC Dynamics (ERP) functionality.
• Use reports and data analytics from DRC Dynamics to improve operational efficiency, compliance and overall productivity.
• Act as experta DRC Dynamics user, particularly in the finance and project management modules.

About you:

To be successful in this role, we expect you to have at least 5 years of relevant experience field and at least 3 years of personnel management experience. In addition, we also expect the following from you:

Must

• Experience in operational management in one or more of the following areas in conflict settings: finance, procurement, human resources and/or information management.
• Higher education in economics, business management, international development or other relevant fields.
• Experience in a similar position in an international NGO.
• Availability of leadership qualities and competence in personnel management.
• Understanding and experience of institutional fundraising.
• Understanding of context and sensitivity to cultural dynamics.
• Experience in the ERP system, including procurement, finance and personnel management.
• Experience in building the potential of national colleagues.
• Fluency in English.

Preferable

Knowledge of the Ukrainian language will be an advantage.

For all DRB positions, the persons occupying them are required to possess the key competencies defined by the DRB:

• Strive for excellence: Focus on achieving results with while simultaneously ensuring the effectiveness of processes.
• Collaboration: Involving relevant parties and encouraging them to provide feedback.
• Initiative:Personal control of the situation and taking the initiative, with simultaneous commitment to innovation.
• Communication: Ability to listen and speak effectively and honestly.
• Integrity: Adherence and promotion of the highesttheir standards of ethical and professional conduct in relation to values ​​and the DRB Code of Conduct, including protection against sexual exploitation, violence and harassment. 

Salary and conditions in accordance with the Employment Conditions of national and international staff of the Danish Refugee Council in Ukraine.

Application process:

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

Emailed applications will not be considered. 

Application deadline: February 9, 2026

Please note that the selection of candidates will be made on a rolling basis. DRB reserves the right to select a candidate before the vacancy closing date, as soon as a suitable candidate is identified.