Grants Management Substitution Specialist

Region: Europe

Contract type: National

Published: Oct 16, 2026

Closing date: Oct 31, 2026

Danish Refugee Council, one of the world’s leading humanitarian NGOs, is currently looking for a highly qualified Grants Management Substitution Specialist to join our Grants Management Unit in Copenhagen. Do you thrive on variety, enjoy solving problems under pressure, and want to see how well-managed donor funding turns into real protection and assistance for people affected by displacement? Then we want to hear from you. In this role, you will step in where our Country Offices need you most and help keep their grants on track, from the first proposal to the final report.

About the job

The Grants Management Unit at DRC headquarters supports Country Offices worldwide in securing and managing institutional funding in line with donor requirements and DRC policies. As Grants Management Substitution Specialist, you will provide temporary grants management capacity to Country Offices, filling gaps in grants-related positions and ensuring continuity, quality and compliance across the full grant cycle, from proposal development and donor engagement to reporting, contract management and closure. Between deployments, you will support HQ-managed grants and projects, working closely with programme, operations, finance and management teams. Your main duties and responsibilities will be:

• Deploying to DRC Country Offices to cover temporary gaps in grants management positions, ensuring continuity and quality of grants functions.
• Supporting HQ-managed grants and projects when not deployed, including proposal development, reporting, donor compliance and contract management.
• Contributing to the development, review and compilation of high-quality donor proposals that are consistent, compliant and aligned with DRC’s fundraising strategy.
• Coordinating internal and external reporting processes, ensuring accurate, well-written and timely reports in line with donor and DRC requirements.
• Reviewing donor contracts and agreements and advising programme and operations teams on contractual obligations, donor regulations and compliance.
• Maintaining grants management systems and information, including grant files, donor correspondence, trackers and key deadlines.
• Supporting grant Kick-Off, Review and Closure Meetings, ensuring effective coordination between programme, operations, finance and grants functions.
• Training, coaching and mentoring programme and operations staff and local partners on donor compliance, grants management, reporting and project cycle management.
• Ensuring, when required, that the partnership management cycle is implemented in full compliance with DRC’s internal policy.

About you

To be successful in this role we expect you to bring solid grants management experience from the humanitarian or development sector and the ability to translate donor regulations, contracts and guidelines into practical guidance for colleagues. You are highly organised, work proactively and independently with minimal supervision, and are comfortable joining new teams and contexts at short notice, managing multiple priorities under tight deadlines. Moreover, we also expect the following:

Required

• Minimum three years of relevant experience in grants management (humanitarian and/or development funding), including proposal writing, report writing, donor compliance and project cycle management, of which at least one year in the field with a humanitarian or development organisation, preferably in a grants management or programme position.
• Demonstrated experience developing and revising donor proposals and reports and managing sub-grants for donors such as ECHO, FCDO, BHA, BPRM and UNHCR.
• Strong knowledge of Grants Management, Programme/Project Cycle Management and the Logical Framework Approach.
• University degree in International Development, Disaster Risk Reduction, Social Sciences, Finance, Management or a relevant field, and excellent written and spoken English.
• Flexibility and willingness to travel and deploy to DRC Country and Hubs Offices, including hardship locations and potentially unstable security environments, with strong interpersonal skills, cultural sensitivity and adaptability.

Desirable

• Experience supervising, training, coaching or mentoring staff.
• Experience working across multiple country operations or in an HQ/regional grants function.
• Proficiency in French, Spanish and/or Arabic.

All employees are expected to demonstrate DRC’s 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: Fixed Term

Work location: Lyngbyvej 100, 2100 Copenhagen Ø, just by Ryparken station

Start date: 1st January 2027

The position is Fixed Term.

Salary and conditions will be in accordance with the agreement between DRC and AC. This is a national position based in Copenhagen for which local terms and conditions apply.

We welcome all nationalities to apply for the role. If you do not have the existing right to work in Denmark, DRC will support with applying and paying for a work permit.

Application process
All applicants must upload a cover letter and an updated CV in English (no longer than four pages) as well as degree certificate. Applications sent by email will not be considered.

Closing date for applications: October 31st, 2026. We expect to conduct interviews from November 10th online.

Further information

For questions regarding the vacancy please contact Joyce Kiplimo, Head of Grants Management Unit, [email protected] .We will do our best to respond to as many inquiries as possible.

For more information about the Danish Refugee Council, please visit our website drc.ngo.

Danish Refugee Council is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to creating an inclusive and positive work environment based on mutual respect for all employees. All applicants are considered for employment regardless of personal characteristics or attributes.