Economic Recovery Assistant (Urban and Rural Livelihoods Assistant)

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 will continue to scale-up in 2024 to implement 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 highly qualified Economic Recovery Assistant (Urban and Rural Livelihoods Assistant) in Kharkiv.

About the job

Economic Recovery Assistant (Urban and Rural Livelihoods Assistant) is guided in his/her work by the job description, standard operating procedures (hereinafter referred to as the SOP), and the current regulations of the Representative Office of the Danish Refugee Council in Ukraine (hereinafter referred to as the DRC). This position is reporting to the Economic Recovery Team leader (Urban and Rural Livelihoods Team Leader)

Under the supervision of the Economic Recovery Team Leader, the Economic Recovery Assistant will support the implementation of both urban and rural economic recovery activities. This includes sectoral cash assistance to subsistence and small-scale farmers, vocational training support, and grant and capacity-building assistance for MSMEs and agri-businesses. The role involves working closely with communities, CSOs, and local authorities to identify vulnerable individuals, conduct service mapping, and share information on available services. The position is based in the DRC Kharkiv office, with field activities across Kharkiv Oblast and Slovyansk.

Your main duties and responsibilities will be:

Needs assessments

• Regularly update the line manager on changing needs in hromadas/raions based on field visits
• When requested, participate in multi-sector needs assessments with MEAL and report any issues promptly.

Project design and proposal development

• Upon request, provide accurate and relevant technical information to support project proposal design and ensure alignment with identified needs.

Project initiation

• Join operational briefings to ensure clear understanding of activities and targets.
• Participate in stakeholder sensitization in coordination with relevant sector teams to support consistent external communication.

Project implementation

• Implement daily activities according to the operational plan, report progress, flag issues, and propose solutions.
• Maintain required documentation/MoVs, ensure data protection, and provide timely information for reporting and PMM-BFU meetings.
• Work with MEAL to support AAP principles: informing communities, enabling participation, collecting feedback, and ensuring responses.

Project closure

• Ensure all MoVs for completed activities are available and archived, and contribute to lessons learned in line with MEAL guidance.

Sector specific expertise / technical expectations

• Support Economic Recovery tasks: beneficiary registration and assistance distribution in line with SOPs.
• Communicate with beneficiaries, provide information, collect feedback, and support the CFM.
• When needed, assist Emergency/Basic Needs teams and carry out other tasks assigned by ER leadership.

Internal coordination and collaboration

• Participate in internal coordination meetings, ensure cross-sector cooperation, and maintain constructive communication.
• Join MEAL feedback sessions and, when requested, take part in meetings with Partnership staff and implementing partners.

External coordination

• Coordinate with local authorities during activity implementation, report updates to the line manager, and support mapping of complementary services for safe referrals.

About you

In order to be a successful candidate for this position you should have at least 1 year of experience in livelihoods, economic recovery, business development, vocational training, employment services, or similar community economic projects preferably with an INGO . You should also have strong interest or experience in working with conflict-affected populations and be able to communicate clearly and empathetically with people in distress. Strong organizational, analytical, and interpersonal skills are essential, along with integrity, confidentiality, and high ethical standards. You should be able to build and maintain positive relations with communities, stakeholders, and humanitarian partners to ensure effective implementation, coordination, and long-term quality of DRC’s economic recovery activities.

Moreover, we also expect the following:  

Required:

• Completed higher education
• Demonstrated interest in business development and creating employment opportunities for vulnerable populations
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office, especially Outlook, Word and Excel.
• English knowledge on Intermediate level

Desirable:

• Good understanding of the country’s development status and overall social context.
• Strong sense of personal integrity and understanding of confidentiality and ethics.

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-month probation period, with the possibility of extension as fixed-term contract based on funding availability and performance.

Band: I

Designation of Duty Station: Kharkiv

Start date: January 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: December,14

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.