Shelter and Settlement Manager

The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is a leading protection agency with a mandate to protect, advocate for and promote durable solutions for displacement-affected populations. DRC has been operating in Ukraine since 2014 and currently employs over 800 staff implementing emergency and recovery programming across the Protection, Livelihoods, Shelter/NFIs and Humanitarian Disarmament and Peacebuilding (humanitarian mine action) sectors through direct interventions and support to duty bearers and civil society organisations (CSOs).

DRC is currently looking for a Shelter & Settlement Manager in Mykolaiv.

About the job
Under the management of the Area Programme Manager, the Shelter & Settlement Manager will oversee the implementation of Shelter and Settlement recovery activities, including emergency repairs, the rehabilitation of social and critical infrastructure, and WASH activities in DRC's South Area office. They will be responsible for managing, supervising, and providing technical guidance and support to the Shelter team. They will be responsible for planning and following up on Shelter & Settlement activities, including coordinating with other departments within DRC. They will participate in coordination meetings and represent DRC in relevant forums. They will support field activities in Mykolaivska and Khersonska oblasts. The Shelter & Settlement Manager is line managed by the Area Programme Manager in Mykolaiv and is technically supervised at the country level by the DRC Shelter and Settlement Technical Lead. Responsibilities are as follows but are not limited to:

Programme management:

• Project management and implementation of all Shelter activities in the South, in line with DRC's project cycle management standards.
• Coordinate, plan, and monitor all Shelter-related project activities, including but not limited to emergency repairs, WASH, and rehabilitation of social and critical infrastructure.
• Liaise and coordinate with relevant Clusters, DRC partner organizations implementing Shelter projects, and other actors in the intervention areas.
• Ensure the highest quality of sectoral interventions and coherence between ongoing and proposed projects, in accordance with the overall strategy.
• Take leadership in programming high-quality and timely progress reporting, in synergy with other DRC interventions in the area.
• Formalize and develop project-related operational tools and training modules as required by the projects.
• Provide overall budget monitoring, financial management, and expense control for programme activities, including compliance with minimum DRC and donor requirements.

Accountability and reporting:

• Provide inputs for monthly, quarterly, and annual donor reports.
• Ensure implementing partners' activities are monitored according to standards and review partners' reports for programme and support-related matters.
• Oversee knowledge sharing across teams and implementing partners and ensure that monitoring and evaluation results are understood and used to improve project and programme implementation.
• In line with DRC guidelines, monitor and recommend relevant accountability initiatives within projects and strengthen efforts to document the impact of activities.
• Ensure compliance with internal and external reporting requirements, including procurement.

Programme development and strategy:

• Participate in the design and development of project proposals.
• Contribute to integrated project design and proposal development for both direct and partner-led implementation, including budgeting, activity planning, partner engagement, and the definition of logframe targets, ensuring strategic coherence, operational feasibility, and alignment with sectoral and cross-cutting priorities.
• Use MEAL insights to recommend and develop evidence-based projects.
• Drive the development and growth of relevant programmes within DRC's programme objectives and contribute to country-wide strategy development.

People Management:

• Provide line management and capacity building for sector teams by overseeing recruitment, induction, performance management, and staff well-being; managing staff allocations and workloads in line with project needs and efficiency considerations.
• Strengthen the team's technical capacities to ensure efficient delivery and informed scaling decisions for both partner-led and direct implementation.
• Provide regular constructive feedback to direct reports and support them in managing the performance of their team members.
• Assess training and development needs within the Shelter team and develop and implement capacity-building plans.

Coordination and Representation:

• Strengthen internal coordination and ways of working by promoting understanding of DRC's mandate and processes within the team. Ensure effective cross-sector, MEAL, and partnership collaboration throughout the project cycle. Support internal referral mechanisms and foster constructive communication to improve overall programme quality and partner performance.
• Ensure positive working relations and coordination with relevant Shelter actors in intervention areas and with UN agencies.
• Cooperate with donors, government counterparts, and other stakeholders.
• Represent DRC and actively participate in relevant sectoral and sub-sectoral coordination forums and working groups to represent DRC as a leading Shelter actor in the area of operation.

As Manager, the post-holder is responsible for the following:

• Accountable for achieving DRC's strategic goals and objectives within the area of responsibility.
• Accountable for making significant decisions regarding the department's functions, purpose, and role, as well as commitments and decisions requiring the expenditure of significant unit resources.
• Accountable for people management of direct reports. This includes objective setting, probation, performance appraisal, staff development, and performance management, including addressing poor performance.
• Accountable for making sound decisions based on DRC policies, SOPs, standards, and advice from technical experts within DRC.
• Accountable for promoting safeguarding, Code of Conduct, and safety operational compliance through their own behaviour and that of their teams.

About you

To be successful in this role, we expect you to have at least 5 years of proven experience in humanitarian response in Shelter and/or emergency response programmes. At least 3 years of practical experience in the relevant sector area working for an INGO. Moreover, we also expect the following:

Required

• Minimum 3 years of management experience at a mid to senior level in team management and project management/implementation.
• University degree: Bachelor's or Master's degree in Civil Engineering, Architecture or related field.
• Proven experience in complex emergency and recovery contexts.
• Excellent reporting skills.
• Computer literacy: Excellent skill in MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, Skills in GIS software and AutoCAD are an asset.
• Languages: professional proficiency in Ukrainian and English.

Desirable

• Experience in carrying out humanitarian interventions through and in coordination with implementing and local partner organizations is an asset.
• Excellent writing and editing skills for external audiences (including governments and donors).
• Experience in producing high-quality technical material (training material, program tools, proposals, strategic documents, etc.).
• Experience in working with Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning.

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: 3-months probation period with the possibility of extension upon good collaboration and available funding.
• Band: F - Manager.
• Designation of Duty Station: Mykolaiv
• Start date: ASAP

Salary and conditions will be in accordance with Danish Refugee Council's Terms of Employment for national employees; starting from EUR 3276 gross per month (depending on experience and qualifications).

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: August 6th, 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.