Global Anticipatory Action Specialist at Danish Refugee Council

Global Anticipatory Action Specialist at Danish Refugee Council – Danish Refugee Council Kenya Job Details

About the Role

The Danish Refugee Council seeks a Global Anticipatory Action Specialist to lead technical oversight of anticipatory action initiatives across East Africa and the Great Lakes region. This full-time position, based in Nairobi, sits within a humanitarian NGO that operates in over 30 countries worldwide. You will manage portfolio expansion for the Anticipatory Humanitarian Action for Displacement (AHEAD) project, funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and support the multi-country SCALAA initiative funded by DG ECHO. The role combines technical programme leadership, stakeholder coordination, and strategic policy engagement to strengthen how humanitarian organisations prepare for and respond to displacement crises.

Reporting to the Global Anticipatory Action Coordinator, you will provide hands-on technical guidance to country office teams, develop anticipatory action mechanisms, build data models for early warning systems, and support government integration of anticipatory action into national preparedness frameworks. This is an NGO position in Kenya requiring someone with substantial experience in early action programming, conflict analysis, and displacement contexts who can work across multiple countries and operate independently within a team structure.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary technical focal point for all anticipatory action activities in assigned countries, coordinating delivery across the regional portfolio and ensuring consistency between country offices.
• Manage grant budgets and project timelines for regional programmes covering East Africa and the Great Lakes, maintaining compliance with donor and organisational requirements.
• Support country teams in developing conflict and protection analyses, community-based contingency plans, trigger mechanisms, and trigger release procedures for anticipatory actions.
• Work with governments at local and national levels to embed anticipatory action planning into humanitarian preparedness frameworks, national roadmaps, and contingency planning processes.
• Contribute to internal and external technical working groups, fostering coordination among humanitarian partners to scale anticipatory action initiatives and build operational synergies.
• Collaborate with the Innovation, Data and Analysis team on displacement forecasting models, data integration for early warning, and documentation of lessons learned for sector-wide uptake.
• Support business development activities to expand the anticipatory action portfolio through proposal development and donor engagement with prospective funding partners.
• Support grant and project staff to ensure timely submission of quality technical reports that meet donor requirements and DRC standards.

Requirements & Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree (BA/BSc) or HND qualification in a relevant field.
• Minimum 5 years’ experience in anticipatory action, early action, or rapid response programming within conflict settings, OR equivalent experience conducting rapid conflict analysis, peacebuilding in emergency contexts, or setting up emergency interventions in conflict zones.
• Direct experience implementing anticipatory action projects at scale.
• Demonstrated understanding of conflict dynamics, protection concerns, and emergency programming in displacement contexts.
• Proven ability to work independently and as part of a multidisciplinary team across multiple countries.
• Flexibility and problem-solving skills with willingness to take innovative approaches to complex humanitarian challenges.
• Ability and willingness to travel up to 35% of the time and work in physically demanding environments.

What to Expect

• You will manage a technically demanding portfolio spanning multiple countries, requiring regular travel to field locations and participation in coordination forums with government and non-government partners.
• The position demands both strategic policy work at national level and hands-on technical support to implementation teams, balancing grant management with substantive programme development.
• This Global Anticipatory Action Specialist at Danish Refugee Council position in Nairobi is open to qualified candidates. Click Apply below to submit your application.