Humanitarian Mine Action Manager

Position description

Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is a leading protection agency with a mandate to protect, advocate and promote durable solutions for displacement affected populations.

DRC has been operating in Ukraine since 2014, currently DRC employs over 800 staff in Ukraine and implements emergency response in the Protection, Livelihoods, Shelter/NFIs and Humanitarian Disarmament and Peacebuilding (humanitarian mine action) sectors, using direct interventions, support to duty bearers and civil society organizations (CSOs), and partnerships with CSOs. DRC will continue and adapt its durable solutions portfolio to the evolving context.

DRC is currently looking for a highly-qualified Humanitarian Mine Action Manager (HMA Technical Field Manager) to join our team in Kharkiv.

About the role:

As an HMA Manager, you will be responsible for ensuring high-quality delivery of activities through daily coordination with field teams and technical advisors, while also building staff capacity to support an effective, sustainable, and increasingly nationalized HMA operation. The role requires close collaboration with other DRC sector managers, the Area Programme Manager, and the Area Manager to ensure integration and operational support.

• Reporting to: HMA Operations Manager
• Direct reports: Demining Supervisors, NTS/EORE Team Leaders (Community Liaison)

Your main duties and responsibilities will be:

People Management

• Provide overall management of the HMA team in the area, including workforce planning and recruitment to maintain adequate staffing levels.
• Line manage direct reports, ensuring regular performance management, appraisals, staff development, and attention to well-being.
• Ensure staff discipline and adherence to organizational standards, including the Code of Conduct and attendance policies.
• Contribute to the HMA capacity-building and nationalization strategy by delivering training plans and identifying high-potential national staff for advancement.

Operational Delivery

• Lead the planning of HMA activities within the area of responsibility, aligning with DRC’s strategies, donor requirements, and priorities of authorities and communities.
• Oversee and ensure timely and quality implementation of all HMA activities.
• Ensure the availability and serviceability of equipment; plan for procurement and replacement as needed.
• Coordinate with the Area Office HR team to manage recruitment and other HR processes according to DRC policies.
• Support procurement planning by ensuring timely submission of purchase requests aligned with operational needs and procurement timelines.
• Forecast and monitor expenditure of allocated HMA budget lines, working closely with the Area Programme Manager, Area Finance team, and HMA Country Programme Manager. Raise any concerns or opportunities as needed.
• Collaborate with the Area Safety Focal Point and Area Manager on safety and access issues, ensuring compliance with DRC safety protocols.
• Actively participate in area-level project cycle management (PCM) processes, including kick-off, planning, monitoring, budget reviews, and close-out meetings, to ensure compliance with procedures and enhance program integration and impact.
• Report daily on HMA activities to the Operations Manager and IM unit; support troubleshooting and follow up on action points.
• Contribute technical input to HMA donor reports as required, in accordance with DRC reporting standar

Technical Training and Capacity Building

• Provide technical management, supervision, and mentoring to national staff to ensure compliance with IMAS, NMAS, and DRC HMA SOPs.
• Supervise operational activities, with support from Technical Advisors, to ensure safe and high-quality land release and EORE operations.
• Deliver and track training to enhance the technical capacity of national staff.
• Assist the HMA Operations Manager in planning and tasking operational assets within the area.
• Monitor productivity and provide actionable recommendations for improvement.

Technical Monitoring and Quality Management

• Conduct regular internal quality assurance (QA) of demining, EOD, BAC, NTS, and EORE teams and activities, implementing corrective actions as needed.
• Support QA reviews by the Country Office Quality Management team, ensuring timely implementation of their recommendations.
• Facilitate external QA processes and follow up on resulting recommendations to ensure compliance and improvements.

External Engagement

• Represent DRC in area-level HMA-related meetings with stakeholders, including oblast and local authorities, mine action actors, and donors. Representation should be coordinated with the Area Manager or Area Programme Manager unless otherwise agreed.
• Coordinate with local HMA partners and duty bearers in line with project requirements.

Project Development

• Contribute to the design and development of the area-level HMA strategy, identifying contextual opportunities and challenges in collaboration with the Area Programme Manager and Area Manager.

About you

To succeed in this role, we expect you to have at least 5 years of experience in Explosive Ordnance Disposal within an international context (e.g. NGO, UN). Moreover, we also expect the following:

• IMAS EOD Level 3 certification is required.
• Proven expertise and operational knowledge of a wide range of HMA equipment used in Land Release operations, including but not limited to Minelab F3, Ebinger UPEX 740M, CEIA CMD, Vallon VMR3/VMC, and Ebinger SC100.
• Demonstrated experience in the technical planning of Non-Technical Survey (NTS) and Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE) operations.
• Proven experience in supervising staff conducting NTS and EORE activities in the field.
• Demonstrated ability to train and build the capacity of national HMA staff in EOD and Land Release operations.
• Experience working with organizational functions such as HR (e.g., appraisals, workforce planning), logistics and procurement (e.g., equipment and asset management), finance (e.g., budget follow-up), and security.
• Strong computer literacy, including proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint). Experience with ERP systems is an asset.
• Proven commitment to quality management standards and continuous improvement.
• Ability to adapt effectively to diverse cultural and political contexts.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with a collaborative and positive attitude.
• Proven ability to build and maintain constructive working relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Willingness to live and work in remote or austere environments.
• Physically and mentally fit to meet the demands of field-based HMA responsibilities.
• Fluency in written and spoken English with excellent writing skills required. Proficiency Ukrainian is a distinct advantage.

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 depending on performance and funding after successful completion of 3-month probation period
• Band: F.1 - managerial
• Designation of Duty Station: Kharkiv, non-family.
• Start date: September 2025

Salary and conditions will be in accordance with Danish Refugee Council’s Terms of Employment for employees on expatriate contracts; please refer to our website for more details.

 

Application instructions

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