About the job
Are you passionate about driving operational efficiency and impact across humanitarian programmes? As a key member of our HQ Hub in East Africa & Great Lakes, the Principal Operations Support Advisor – East Africa and Great Lakes plays a pivotal role in supporting the Executive Director of the Hub (EDH) in maintaining a comprehensive overview of technical and operational performance across Country Offices. The role enables informed and strategic engagement with Country Directors and ensures effective oversight of key operational processes. While direct coordination on compliance and process improvements takes place between HQ functional units and Country Offices, this position intervenes when issues require escalation, cross-functional resolution, or strategic engagement at the EDH and Country Director level.
Your main duties and responsibilities will be:
- Provide strategic oversight and analysis of Country Office (CO) performance, supporting the EDH in identifying emerging risks and coordinating timely management responses.
- Ensure consistent adherence to global operational standards, driving accountability and continuous improvement across COs.
- Lead and oversee risk management processes across CO’s within the Hub, ensuring accurate risk registers, effective mitigation strategies, and appropriate escalation of high-level risks.
- Validate and advise on reported losses, ensuring robust root cause analysis and implementation of corrective measures to strengthen controls.
- Contribute to annual sustainability assessments by reviewing operational and financial performance, identifying systemic challenges and opportunities for improvement.
- Oversee the implementation of audit recommendations and strengthen compliance mechanisms across Country Offices.
- Participate in incident management teams, ensuring timely and compliant operational responses to crises.
- Promote a proactive, solution-oriented approach between HQ and COs to strengthen organizational agility and cross-departmental collaboration.
- Serve as Officer-in-Charge during EDH absences, ensuring strategic continuity and effective oversight at the Hub level.
About you
To be successful in this role, we expect you to bring strong strategic and solutions-oriented coordination and analytical skills. You combine operational insight with sound judgment, enabling you to anticipate risks, guide strategic decision-making, and ensure accountability at all levels. Adept at navigating organizational systems and diverse stakeholder landscapes, you foster collaboration, efficiency, and compliance while maintaining focus on impact and results. As a trusted advisor and confident communicator, A confident communicator and trusted partner, you build collaboration across teams and drive accountability, quality, and results.
Moreover, we also expect the following:
- At least 7 years of experience in similar senior-level operational management
- Significant experience in leading and coordinating, multi-country operations in dynamic and challenging environments.
- Significant experience in budget management, financial oversight, and compliance in multi-donor environments.
- Hands-on experience with enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, Ability to analyze data and system outputs for decision-making, troubleshooting, and process improvement.
- Extensive experience in the management of a wide range of risks and issues, including, but not limited to, program, safety, financial, supply chain, IT, and legal/compliance risks and issues in the international humanitarian sector.
- Substantial experience working in fragile or conflict-affected contexts, with a strong understanding of operational risks, adaptive planning, and field support strategies necessary to operate effectively in high-risk environments.
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.
Band: Non-management E
Work location: Nairobi, Kenya.
Designation of Duty Station: Accompanied position
Start date: 1 January 2026
Salary and conditions will be in accordance with Danish Refugee Council’s Terms of Employment for employees on national or international contract; please refer to our website for more details.
How to apply
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.
DRC only accepts applications sent via our online-applicationHERE
Closing date for applications: 27 October 2025
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.
