Regional Project Coordinator

Danish Refugee Council, one of the world’s leading humanitarian NGOs, is currently seeking a highly qualified Regional Project Coordinator to take on the lead role for ECHO-funded Protecting Refugees in Asia (PRiA) project in the region. The individual in this position will serve as the key interlocutor for project partners, coordinate project activities, monitor implementation and budget, and will provide expert advice and guidance to operations in India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.

This role requires a leader who can ensure the smooth coordination of project activities across a wide range of complex contexts, while adapting to the specific needs and challenges of each country. The successful candidate will collaborate closely with the regional leadership team, and provide critical support and advice to partner teams, ensuring that the Action is implemented timely with high quality, in line with donor's and DRC guidelines and procedures.

About the job

The position is responsible for managing and coordinating the effective implementation of the ECHO funded “Protecting Refugees in Asia” (PRiA) activities in India, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand, in collaboration between DRC Asia Europe Regional Office (AERO) and its three partners. The project is primarily protection centered, supported by in-depth research, data collection and analysis across the four countries that inform protection activities and advocacy priorities at national, regional and global levels.

The position ensures effective collaboration amongst the partners during all phases of the project, providing the necessary guidance and monitoring to guarantee that the implementation of the Action is carried out in alignment with the agreed plan and DRC and ECHO regulations. The position is responsible for coordination of approaches for impactful and efficient regional programming.

The position is directly supervised by the Regional Head of Programme and works hand in hand with the Regional Technical Coordinators for Protection, MEAL, Advocacy and Communications and the two regional platforms, Mixed Migration Center – Asia (MMC) and the Asia Displacement Solutions Platform (ADSP).

Your main duties and responsibilities will be:

REGIONAL PROJECT COORDINATION

• Responsible for the overall coordination and management of the regional ECHO project across the four project locations.
• In coordination with project partners, develop, monitor, and review a detailed workplan against project deliverables and budget with clear milestones identified.
• Ensure effective mechanisms for information sharing and cooperation amongst project partners.
• Support in assessing Crisis Modifier triggering and ensuring all information is available and of quality.
• Convene and chair monthly Strategic Working Group, Budget Follow-Up and quarterly Project Coordination Unit meetings to review the progress of activities, analyze results, prompt reflection and learning, and respond to the strategic and operational needs of the project, as well as discuss budget/financial issues, disseminate minutes and follow up on action points.
• Coordinate the development of all technical tools related to the project (SOPs, trackers, ToRs for consultants and evaluators) and ensure the implementation of capacity development plans & activities for project partners.
• Oversee vetting, due diligence and preparation of agreements and amendments with partners.
• Ensure partnerships are compliance with donor & DRC rules & procedures.
• Upholds DRC’s Principles of Partnership: Equality, Transparency, Results-Oriented Approach, Responsibility and Complementarity.

PROJECT CYCLE MANAGEMENT & QUALITY ASSURANCE

• Organize project kick-off, review and close-out meetings.
• Coordinate with Regional MEAL Coordinator on conducting a joint lesson-learned workshop with partners to extract successes, best practices, challenges and lessons learned.
• In collaboration with project partners, DRC regional Technical Coordinators, DRC regional Support Services (Finance and Procurement) ensure that the implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and learning emanating from all regional (ECHO) project activities are carried out in accordance with DRC standards and meet the goals and objectives of the project design as well as the compliance requirements of the donor.
• Support the active implementation of the MEAL framework and accountability systems in coordination with project partners.
• Coordinate the project’s communication and visibility activities including media visits, videos, etc.
• Monitor the budget utilisation as per agreed work plan and milestones and ensure sound financial management following donor regulations.
• Ensure adherence of project partners to approved budgets, report on a monthly basis to Regional Head of Programme on overall burn rates, and prepare proposals for budget reallocations and/or Modification Requests to the donor, per the requirement with adequate justification.
• Initiate financial requests to DRC Regional Office and oversee financial transfers to project partners in accordance with approved budgets, in coordination with DRC Regional Finance Manager. 
• Ensure abidance by DRC and donor financial and procurement procedures with maximum cost effectiveness.

GRANT MANAGEMENT & REPORTING

• Ensure that contractual obligations are met in terms of project deliverables.
• Lead on potential project amendments, modification requests and/or top up.
• Ensure that donor rules and procedures are understood and respected by all parties, sharing information, assessing partner capacity gaps, and facilitating training as identified/required on proposed systems and processes.
• Develop an internal reporting and payments schedule that is agreed by all project partners and follow up on quality completion.
• Ensure external/donor reporting requirements and deadlines are respected by project partners.
• Ensure timely development and submission of donor reports by collecting and consolidating partner narrative and financial reports for sign-off from Regional Head of Programme.
• Ensure good institutional memory and information management through the use of internal and external SharePoint pages as well as updating of Dynamics software.

REPRESENTATION & FUNDRAISING

• Maintain relationship with ECHO at national & regional level, as well as engagement with other donors as required.
• Represent the project to key stakeholders and provide them with information about project objectives, risks, constraints and progress, ensuring positive and constructive working relationships.
• Seek opportunities for future regional project funding, lead the design and drafting of new proposals and develop sustainability into ongoing project.

About you

To be successful in this role we expect you to have a minimum of 5 years of work experience in project management (planning, monitoring, evaluation) in humanitarian context, including at least 3 years in a leading position for an I/NGO and at least 2 years of experience in partnership or consortium management with demonstrated success as a consortium manager. Moreover, we also expect the following:

Required

• Master’s degree in International Development, Human Rights, Social Work, or similar. Qualifications in migration or refugee issues preferred.
• Contextual knowledge of the Asia region, particularly of the displacement trends and protection risks faced by Rohingya refugees in Southeast Asia, especially in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand
• Broad knowledge and experience in budget management
• Excellent communication and report writing skills in English
• Excellent planning, management and coordination skills, with the ability to organise a substantial workload comprised of complex, diverse tasks and responsibilities.
• English (fluent)

Desirable

• Strong experience in managing ECHO-funded projects and familiarity with ECHO regulations
• Field experience working on Rohingya issues from one of the project implementation countries is an added advantage 
• Having a clear understanding of the regional protection concerns and proven skills in advocacy work in the Asia region
• Good IT command.

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 (until 30 June 2026)

Band: Non-Management F

Work location: Bangkok, Thailand.

Start date: 01 July 2025

Salary and conditions will be in accordance with Danish Refugee Council’s Terms of Employment for national contracts. For questions regarding the vacancy please contact [email protected]

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.

Closing date for applications: 03 June 2025. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, and we encourage qualified candidates to apply as soon as possible. DRC reserves the right to close the vacancy before the indicated closing date if a suitable candidate is identified.

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.