Economic Recovery Team Leader

Danish Refugee Council, one of the world’s leading humanitarian NGOs, is currently looking for a highly qualified Economic Recovery Team Leader

About the job

The Economic Recovery Team Leader will be responsible for the overall coordination, management, technical oversight and quality assurance of the IMS-funded project, Strengthening Transnational Solidarity Systems for Resilient Communities in Somalia and Somaliland, which aims to strengthen diaspora-supported financial inclusion, economic investments, community-led resilience and organised diaspora engagement. The role will oversee effective and accountable delivery with designated national and diaspora partners, financial institutions and research service providers, ensuring strong partnership management, compliance, financial oversight, monitoring, learning and donor reporting in coordination with the Area Manager, Country Office teams and HQ technical teams.

Your main duties and responsibilities will be:

Overall Project Management and Coordination

• Provide overall coordination and management oversight of the IMS project, ensuring timely, effective and quality delivery of all project components.

• Develop and maintain consolidated project workplans, implementation schedules, budget forecasts and performance tracking tools based on approved partner implementation plans and contractual deliverables.

• Ensure effective coordination and complementarity between the project's economic recovery, diaspora-supported community resilience, diaspora engagement and research components.

• Serve as DRC's primary project coordination focal point for the partners, facilitating regular coordination meetings, progress reviews and follow-up of agreed actions.

• Monitor implementation progress against approved targets, budgets and timelines, identifying emerging challenges, implementation gaps and opportunities for programme adaptation.

• Coordinate closely with the Area Manager, HQ technical colleagues and Country Office programme teams to ensure consistent strategic direction, effective decision-making and timely resolution of implementation challenges.

• Provide regular updates on project progress, partner performance, emerging risks and issues requiring management attention.

• Maintain appropriate project management records, including partner performance tracking, implementation updates, monitoring findings, financial follow-up and risk management documentation.

• Coordinate the preparation and timely submission of high-quality project and donor reports, consolidating input from partners and relevant DRC departments, in collaboration with the Area Manager, Grants and HQ technical teams.

Technical Oversight of Economic Recovery and Financial Inclusion

• Provide technical oversight of partner-implemented economic recovery and financial inclusion interventions, ensuring alignment with the project's objective of strengthening household economic resilience through productive use of remittances.

• Coordinate with the national and diaspora partners to monitor the remittance-based microcredit component, including outreach, access to finance, loan utilization, repayment trends and overall performance of the financing approach.

• Ensure appropriate safeguards are incorporated into the microcredit model to mitigate over-indebtedness, financial exclusion, inappropriate lending practices and other potential protection or financial risks, while respecting the financial institution's responsibility for credit decisions and loan management.

• Oversee the implementation of diaspora-supported business investment and match-funding activities, including partner-led assessments, beneficiary selection, business development support and enterprise performance monitoring.

• Review and provide technical input into partner-developed implementation methodologies, targeting frameworks, business viability criteria, investment procedures and monitoring arrangements.

• Monitor the effectiveness of partner-delivered entrepreneurship support, business coaching, financial literacy and market linkages, ensuring that supported investments contribute to viable and sustainable economic opportunities.

• Facilitate technical exchanges with financial institutions, private-sector partners and relevant DRC technical teams to strengthen learning, programme adaptation and the potential sustainability or expansion of successful financial inclusion approaches.

Oversight of Community-Led Resilience and Diaspora-Supported Initiatives

• Provide programme oversight of partner-led community resilience and Group Cash Transfer interventions, ensuring alignment with the project's objectives of strengthening existing diaspora-community solidarity mechanisms.

• Coordinate with the relevant partner/s to review implementation plans, community engagement approaches, initiative selection procedures and monitoring arrangements.

• Ensure that supported initiatives build on existing community and diaspora contributions and demonstrate local ownership, inclusive participation and relevance to community resilience priorities.

• Oversee the application of agreed co-financing arrangements, transparent selection criteria and appropriate financial accountability mechanisms for supported community initiatives.

• Monitor the results and effectiveness of supported community initiatives through partner reporting, field verification and community feedback, ensuring that agreed resilience objectives, diaspora contributions and co-financing commitments are adequately documented.

• Ensure appropriate attention to conflict sensitivity, equitable access, community accountability, safeguarding and the sustainability of supported initiatives.

Partnership Management and Capacity Development

• Coordinate the overall management of the project's partnerships, in collaboration with the country partnership officer.

• Work closely with the Area Manager, Partnership and Compliance teams to support partner due diligence, assessments, vetting, contracting and other relevant partnership processes.

• Ensure that all implementing entities have clearly defined responsibilities, agreed deliverables, approved workplans, budgets and performance expectations.

• Review partner narrative reports, provide consolidated feedback and coordinate timely follow-up on identified gaps, implementation challenges and capacity-strengthening needs.

• Identify partner capacity-strengthening needs and coordinate appropriate technical, programmatic, financial management, compliance and monitoring support with relevant DRC departments.

Diaspora Engagement and Stakeholder Coordination

• Coordinate with HQ technical teams and relevant diaspora organizations to monitor progress under the organised diaspora engagement and second-generation diaspora participation components.

• Facilitate coordination and strategic linkages among diaspora organizations, local partners, financial institutions, government institutions and other stakeholders to promote diaspora-local collaboration, knowledge exchange and productive investment opportunities.

• Promote meaningful participation and leadership of diaspora organizations and local actors in project implementation, learning and sustainability planning.

• Represent DRC in relevant project coordination platforms, technical discussions and stakeholder meetings, as delegated by the Area Manager.

Resarch, Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning

• In collaboration with the Somaliland and Country Office MEAL teams and relevant HQ technical colleagues, oversee the research partners' workplans, methodological approaches, deliverables and timelines, ensuring appropriate technical review, quality assurance and follow-up of recommendations.

• Work closely with the Somaliland and CO Office MEAL teams to establish and maintain a consolidated project results-monitoring framework covering all implementing partners and project components.

• Coordinate partner monitoring, joint field visits, progress assessments and periodic learning reviews to verify results, identify challenges and inform adaptive management.

• Ensure that community feedback, complaints and safeguarding concerns are captured and addressed through appropriate partner and DRC mechanisms.

• In collaboration with the Somaliland MEAL team and CO Communications team, facilitate documentation and dissemination of good practices, lessons learned, case studies and project evidence to inform programme development, donor engagement and broader learning on transnational solidarity and innovative financing.

Financial Management, Compliance and Risk Management

• In collaboration with the Area Manager and Finance team, provide overall financial oversight of the project, including budget utilization, partner expenditure, spending forecasts and budget-versus-actual performance.

• Coordinate with all partners and the Country Office Finance team to ensure timely submission and review of partner financial reports and expenditure forecasts, and follow up on budget variances, spending delays and financial management concerns.

• Coordinate with Finance, Grants, Partnership and Compliance teams to ensure that partner disbursements, financial documentation, budget revisions and contractual obligations are managed in accordance with DRC procedures and donor requirements.

• In collaboration with the Area Manager and HQ Technical team ensure that appropriate accountability, verification and risk mitigation measures are established for the project's different financing modalities, including microcredit, match-funding and community financing.

• Maintain and regularly review project risks, including financial, operational, safeguarding, reputational and partnership-related risks, ensuring mitigation measures are implemented and monitored.

• Ensure partners comply with relevant DRC requirements concerning safeguarding, prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse, fraud prevention, conflict of interest, data protection and accountability.

• Promptly escalate significant compliance concerns, safeguarding incidents and partner performance risks through established DRC reporting and management procedures.

Team Management and collaboration

• Supervise Somaliland office Economic recovery Officers and Assistants, ensuring clear responsibilities, effective work planning, regular performance discussions and timely completion of assigned tasks.

• Provide technical guidance, mentoring and coaching to EcRec staff in the area office.

• Promote effective teamwork, information sharing and collaboration between programme, finance, partnership, MEAL and support departments.

About you

To be successful in this role we expect you to have:

Required

• Minimum 4 - 5 years of relevant professional experience in humanitarian or development programming, preferably in Economic Recovery, livelihoods, financial inclusion, resilience or partnership-based programme management.

• Minimum bachelor’s degree in economics, Business Administration, Development Studies, Social Sciences or another relevant education

• A postgraduate qualification in a relevant field would be an added advantage.

• Proven knowledge in managing or overseeing projects delivered through local organizations, financial institutions, private-sector actors or other external entities.

• Strong understanding of financial inclusion, microfinance, enterprise development, market-based livelihoods and community resilience approaches.

• Experience in partner performance monitoring, budget oversight, financial reporting, donor compliance and programme quality assurance.

• Demonstrated experience in developing and managing implementation plans, tracking project performance and coordinating with multiple stakeholders.

• Strong understanding of localization, accountable partnerships, community participation and conflict-sensitive programming.

• Excellent communication, analytical, organizational, negotiation and problem-solving skills.

• Ability to work independently, manage competing priorities and maintain effective working relationships across diverse organizations and technical teams.

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: G

Work location: Hargeisa, Somaliland

Start date: November 2026

Reporting to: Area Manager  

Salary and conditions will be in accordance with Danish Refugee Council’s Terms of Employment for

employees on national contract.

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. Females Application are always encouraged to Apply

Closing date for applications:15th November 2026

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.