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 Grants Management Manager to join our team in Kyiv, Ukraine.

About the job

The Grants Management Manager plays a key role in ensuring strategic, compliant, and high-quality programme delivery. As the Grants Management Manager, you will lead the Grants Department (Grants Specialists and one Grants Assistant) and oversees the full grants management cycle, including proposal development, reporting and compliance. You will establish and strengthen standardized systems and processes across all grants and implementing partners to ensure efficiency, accountability, and adherence to donor requirements.

Working closely with the Head of Programme and Deputy Head of Programme, you will ensure timely, high-quality submissions and contribute to strategic funding development, cross-departmental coordination, and strong donor and partner relationships across the country programme.

Your main duties and responsibilities will be:

Proposal Development and Business Development Support

  • Track funding opportunities and initiate go/no go meetings when new opportunities arise.
  • Lead and coordinate proposal development processes in close collaboration with the Head and Deputy Head of Programme.
  • Coordinate inputs from programme, MEAL, finance, operations, partnerships, regional/HQ teams, and partners to ensure coherent, competitive, and compliant submissions aligned with DRC’s country strategy.
  • Develop proposal timelines, ensure adherence to internal quality control processes, and support budget-narrative alignment.
  • Maintain and update standardized proposal templates, tools, and internal guidance.
  • Review all proposals to ensure logframe, budget, workplan and narrative are aligned and proposals are of high quality.

Grants Management and Compliance

  • Oversee the full grant lifecycle in line with DRC Programme Cycle Management (PCM) guidelines, including kick-off, review, amendment, and close-out processes.
  • Ensure compliance with donor regulations and DRC policies, proactively identifying and mitigating compliance risks.
  • Establish and maintain strong internal grants tracking systems
  • Coordinate and quality assure timely submission of narrative reports and support financial reporting processes in collaboration with finance.
  • Oversee internal processes for contract amendments, cost/no-cost extensions, budget reallocations, and other grant modifications.
  • Provide structured internal guidance on contractual obligations and ensure clear communication of key donor requirements to programme teams.
  • In coordination with the government liaison team, support timely project registration processes and reporting to relevant government entities.

Internal Coordination and Systems Strengthening

  • Facilitate regular grants review meetings, including grant opening and closing meetings, to monitor implementation progress, reporting deadlines, and compliance issues.
  • Strengthen standardized grants management processes and tools across all area offices and partners.
  • Ensure effective documentation and knowledge management of grant files and contractual records.
  • Facilitate coordination between programme, partnerships, MEAL, finance, and operations teams to ensure timely and quality grants-related inputs are received.

Capacity Development and Management

  • Line manage and build the capacity of the Grants Department, ensuring clear work planning and quality outputs.
  • Provide technical guidance and training to DRC and partner staff on proposal development, reporting, compliance, and PCM processes.
  • Contribute to building a culture of accountability, quality, and continuous improvement in grants management across the country programme.
  • Travel to DRC area offices to support field-based teams and partners.

About you

To be successful in this role we expect you to have at least 5 years of previous experience in a grants management role – including experience writing and developing successful proposal and reports, overseeing donor compliance, and building grants management systems – and at least 3 years of previous management experience. Moreover, we also expect the following:

Required

  • Strong working knowledge of institutional donor regulations and compliance requirements, e.g. ECHO, Danida/ DMFA, SDC, Sida, and UN agencies
  • Experience working in relevant sectors including HMA, Protection, Shelter, Economic Recovery
  • Very strong writing skills and proven experience coordinating competitive proposal development processes and securing institutional funding.
  • Experience supporting grants implemented through local partners and in consortiums
  • Demonstrated experience providing training and day-to-day guidance to programme teams on donor rules, reporting requirements and PCM processes.
  • Solid understanding of grants cycle management, including contract amendments, budget revisions, reporting and close-out procedures.
  • Strong coordination and interpersonal skills working across different departments to deliver results.
  • Strong organisational skills, attention to detail and ability to manage multiple deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office (in particular Excel and Word) and experience using ERP or grants management system
  • Master's degree in international relations, humanitarian or development studies, business administration, or another relevant field
  • Full professional proficiency in English (C1)

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 contract after succesful completion of 3 months’ probation period 
  • Band: F1 - managerial 
  • Designation of Duty Station: Kyiv, non-family duty station
  • Start date: May 2026

Salary and conditions will be in accordance with Danish Refugee Council’s Terms of Employment for employees on national and expatriate 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: 31st 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.

At Impactpool we do our best to provide you the most accurate info, but closing dates may be wrong on our site. Please check on the recruiting organization's page for the exact info. Candidates are responsible for complying with deadlines and are encouraged to submit applications well ahead.
Before applying, please make sure that you have read the requirements for the position and that you qualify. Applications from non-qualifying applicants will most likely be discarded by the recruiting manager.