Danish Refugee Council Child Protection Expert

Danish Refugee Council Is Hiring a Child Protection Expert:
Apply Now

In today’s complex humanitarian landscape, children affected by conflict, displacement, and crisis face unprecedented risks. From family separation and gender-based violence to recruitment by armed groups and denial of basic rights, child protection has never been more urgent. Recognizing this need, the Danish Refugee Council (DRC), in partnership with UNHCR
, is expanding its Roving Deployment Scheme and is now hiring a Child Protection Expert to support emergency and protracted refugee operations worldwide.

This opportunity is designed for high-calibre humanitarian professionals with extensive field experience, strong technical expertise, and a passion for safeguarding children in some of the world’s most challenging contexts. If you are seeking a senior-level humanitarian role that combines impact, mobility, and collaboration with UN agencies, this position may be your next career-defining move.

Applications are open until 8 February 2026
, and only submissions via the official DRC online platform will be considered.

Founded in 1956, the Danish Refugee Council is one of the world’s leading international humanitarian NGOs, working in over 40 countries across Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Europe, and Latin America. DRC’s mission is to protect lives, dignity, and rights of refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and other conflict-affected populations
.

DRC is internationally recognized for its expertise in:

• Protection and child protection programming
• Emergency response and displacement management
• Durable solutions for refugees and IDPs
• Humanitarian mine action
• Livelihoods and economic recovery

Through strategic partnerships with UN agencies—particularly UNHCR
—DRC plays a critical role in global protection responses. The DRC–UNHCR Roving Deployment Scheme is a flagship collaboration that enables rapid, high-level technical support to operations where expertise is urgently needed.

The Roving Deployment Scheme is designed to strengthen UNHCR-led protection responses by deploying experienced DRC experts to field operations on a temporary, needs-based basis. These deployments typically support:

• Emergency responses
• Capacity gaps in ongoing operations
• Technical leadership and mentoring
• Strategy development and program quality improvement

As a Child Protection Expert
, you will be deployed to various country operations where child protection systems need reinforcement. Assignments may vary in length and location, offering exposure to diverse humanitarian contexts while maintaining a strong institutional framework and support system through DRC.

This role is particularly well-suited for professionals who thrive in dynamic, fast-paced environments and are motivated by hands‑on impact rather than static office‑based roles.

While specific duties may vary by deployment, the Child Protection Expert will typically be responsible for the following core functions:

You will provide senior‑level technical guidance on child protection programming, ensuring interventions align with international standards, including UNHCR policies, the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), and Inter‑Agency Standing Committee (IASC) guidelines.

In emergency settings, you may lead or support rapid child protection assessments, identify priority risks, and design immediate response strategies for vulnerable children, including unaccompanied and separated children.

A core component of the role is strengthening the capacity of national and international staff through training, coaching, and mentoring. You will help build sustainable child protection systems within operations.

You will work closely with UNHCR, government counterparts, NGOs, and community‑based organizations to improve coordination, referral mechanisms, and information‑sharing related to child protection.