Protection (Legal Analysis) Specialist

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 Protection (Legal Analysis) Specialist to join our team in Kyiv.  

About the job

Under the direct supervision of the Legal Aid Manager and in collaboration with the Legal Analysis Team Leader, you will provide expert legal research, analysis, and advisory support to strengthen DRC programs and advocacy initiatives in Ukraine. As the Legal Analysis Specialist, you will develop legal researches and analysis on social protection legislation, develops analytical reports, and collaborates with the team and external partners to ensure high-quality, evidence-based outputs that inform decision-making, program design, and advocacy efforts.

Your main duties and responsibilities will be:

• Develop legislative research on social protection legislation, policy, and political frameworks, and their application in Ukraine.
• Develop and apply methodologies to assess social protection legal frameworks, identify coverage gaps and accessibility challenges.
• Collaborate closely with the Legal Aid Manager and legal analysis team to ensure the research, production, analysis, and publication of legal materials meet DRC standards, objectives, and timelines.
• Advance legal materials into clear analytical products, such as briefing notes, position papers, legal alerts, and other materials, to support decision-making, program design, and advocacy.
• Produce legal opinions requested by donors or external partners, incorporating and reviewing inputs from the legal analysis team.
• Responsible for researching and analyzing laws, regulations, and relevant judicial or administrative practices for DRC programs and projects.
• Act as an expert resource for consultations, trainings, and inductions for project staff as needed.
• Support Legal Aid Unit in planning and conducting monitoring and evaluation, including legal research, review of secondary data, and preparation of questionnaires and other needs assessment tools as needed.
• Support capacity building of legal analysis officers on thematic legal analysis.
• Maintain communication and coordination with relevant DRC departments, programmes, and Implementing Partners if necessary
• Coordinate work with field lawyers to observe the trends, gather data and facts for advocacy.
• Undertake advocacy initiatives assigned by the Legal Aid Manager.
• Represent DRC in humanitarian, public and private forums as assigned by the Manager.
• Create and maintain a network of major advocacy stakeholders at the local, regional and national level on thematic areas
• Contribute thematic input for project donor reporting.

About you

To be successful in this role we expect you to have at least 3 years of professional experience in a humanitarian or protection context and proven experience in producing high-quality legal analysis products, including research, analytical reports, legal opinions, and policy briefs. Moreover, we also expect the following:

Required

• Master's degree in Law or higher
• Demonstrated ability to support legal analysis work and incorporate team contributions into outputs
• Strong understanding of social protection legal frameworks, legislation, and policy analysis
• Excellent drafting, analytical, and presentation skills, with attention to detail and accuracy
• Ability to translate complex legal information into clear, actionable reports for decision-making and advocacy 
• Demonstrated ability to analyse legal trends and identify systemic barriers and emerging legal issues affecting conflict-affected populations
• Proven experience leading or contributing to legal advocacy initiatives at local and/or national level
• Excellent interpersonal and representation and communication skills
• Full professional proficiency in English (Level C1) and Ukrainian. 

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 with the possibility of extension depending on performance and availability of funding after successful completion of a 3-month probationary period.
• Band: G.2 – non-managerial
• Designation of Duty Station: Kyiv
• Start date: May 2026

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

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: 25th April 2026

We encourage candidates to apply as soon as possible, interviews might be conducted on a rolling basis. DRC reserves the right to select candidate before the vacancy close date once a suitable candidate has been identified.

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