Migration and Protection Advisor

Are you a humanitarian professional who is passionate about improving protection and access to basic services for people along migration routes? Then this position might be for you! Danish Red Cross along with Danish Refugee Council and The International Detention Coalition is looking for a mixed migration and protection expert to the office in Dakar, Senegal.

The Pathways to Protection (P2P) Consortium, led by the Danish Refugee Council in partnership with the Danish Red Cross and the International Detention Coalition, is a five-year initiative (2024 – 2029) designed to strengthen humanitarian assistance and protection services and systems for people on the move along the Central, Western and Eastern Mediterranean Migration Routes:

Danish Refugee Council (DRC) supports refugees, displaced people, and conflict-affected communities in over 40 countries. Focused on protecting rights, advocating for solutions and providing aid. DRC offers emergency support, livelihoods assistance, and community development while promoting resilience and inclusion.  Danish Refugee Council

Danish Red Cross Danish Red Cross (DRC) as part of the International Red Cross Red Crescent Movement, provides life-saving assistance, essential aid, basic health and psychosocial support to people affectedby conflict and disasters, promoting safety, human dignity and and well-being, upholding the rights of anyone in need, regardless of their situation or legal status.​ Danish Red Cross | Always there

The International Detention Coalition (IDC) is a network of organizations based in 75+ countries advocating for people impacted by immigration detention. IDC promotes alternatives to detention through research, advocacy, and strategic partnerships with governments and civil society, with a focus on rights-based migration pathways. International Detention Coalition

The Migration and Protection Programme Advisor will provide the consortium with expert guidance and strategic advice on the design and implementation of the project. The Advisor will work closely with project teams across consortium members and countries of implementation, as well as with key stakeholders to ensure that that the project aligns with organisational and consortium goals, donor requirements, and programmatic best practices, while addressing emerging challenges and opportunities.

The position is hosted by the Danish Red Cross and will have a dual reference line set up, where direct management line will be to the Chief of Party of the Consortium Management Unit. There will be an additional technical reference to the Danish Red Cross and close collaboration with technical advisors.

The Programme Advisor will be based in a consortium management unit office hosted by Danish Refugee Council in Dakar and will be expected to travel to countries of implementation on a regular basis as well as participate in meetings in relevant global networks on migration.

Key Responsibilities:

• Advice, link and support Consortium members to implement a cross-border, cross-regional and route-based approach to addressing the needs of migrants
• Support and monitor the implementation of the project by developing relevant technical frameworks and tools, position papers or other cross-cutting technical reference documents
• Support evidence collected by the Consortium to further develop and strengthen evidence-based programming and advocacy
• Liaise and coordinate with technical advisors of Consortium members to ensure synergies and shared approaches to technical aspects of the project implementation
• Participate in, and support capacity-development and training of staff (Consortium members and local partners) to ensure the quality of project activities and approaches that follow industry standards and best practice
• Coordinate and facilitate joint learning initiatives with the Consortium and local partners, including through country visits with Consortium members and project technical staff
• Coordinate exchanges of approaches and experiences across the consortium and local partners
• Support where relevant the identification and development of research initiatives and learning networks-related to the key thematic areas of the project
• Participate in global technical networks and fora
• Explore opportunities for strategic engagement and collaboration with external stakeholders to further develop and promote approaches to route-based migration
• Promote where possible the visibility of the project’s work and achievements on route-based migration
• Support policy influencing, advocacy and humanitarian diplomacy efforts (e.g., attendance in high-level meetings with concern to route based and mixed migration)

Experience and Qualifications:

Required:

• A masters degree or equivalent work experience in a relevant field (e.g. international law, human rights, refugee law, anthropology or international relations)
• At least 7 years’ experience from working in humanitarian / development contexts with responsibility for addressing migration, protection and displacement issues
• At least 5 years of experience working in an advisory role on mixed migration and protection (incl. legal aid, SGBV, protection monitoring, protection case management)
• At least 3 years of experience in applying legal frameworks related to people on the move - including international human rights law and refugee law
• Experience working with local partners
• Experience in strategic programme development and support– incl. assessments, proposal writing, reviews and evaluations
• Experience in developing and facilitating capacity development trainings and workshops
• Experience in working with diverse stakeholders, global fora/ networks and advocacy
• Experience in working with research projects or in providing analytical reports
• Professional proficiency in English and French necessary; knowledge of Arabic an advantage.
• Full proficiency in Microsoft Office package

Preferred:

• Be a good communicator and a team player
• Be structured, systematic and result-oriented.
• Be able to facilitate processes, dialogues and engage people to use their resources effectively
• Be flexible and able to work with people from diverse backgrounds
• Be able to travel to countries of implementation incl. hight risk areas
• Valid international driver’s license

Application, conditions, and further information

The position reports to the Consortium Chief of Party based in Tunisia. The duty station is Dakar, Senegal. For 2026, Senegal is a family duty station without R&R break. The classification of R&R duty stations is revised yearly and is subject for change. The position is subject to Senegalese income tax.

We look forward to receiving your application and CV no later than 26 July at 21:59 CET. Application and CV in English are accepted only through our online recruitment system. The ideal starting date is 1 September 2026. There is a 3-month probationary period, and the total length of the initial contract is 24 months with the possibility of extension.

The contract will be administered in accordance with the Danish Red Cross Terms & Conditions for Delegates. Please refer to the Terms & Conditions for information about annual leave, benefits, pension and insurances. In case you have any questions or need more information please see further Job Description or contact P2P Chief of Party Andrew Merat andrew.merat@drc.ngo or Danish Red Cross Migration Lead, Mette Norling Schmidt mesch@rodekors.dk.

We look forward hearing from you!