JOB DESCRIPTION

Who are we?

The Danish Refugee Council assists refugees and internally displaced persons across the globe: we provide emergency aid, fight for their rights, and strengthen their opportunities for a brighter future. We work in conflict-affected areas, along the displacement routes, and in the countries where refugees settle. In cooperation with local communities, we strive for responsible and sustainable solutions. We work toward successful integration and – whenever possible – for the fulfillment of the wish to return home.

The Danish Refugee Council was founded in Denmark in 1956 and has since grown to become an international humanitarian organization with more than 7,000 staff and 8,000 volunteers. Our vision is a dignified life for all displaced.

All of our efforts are based on our value compass: humanity, respect, independence and neutrality, participation, and honesty and transparency.

DRC Syria

DRC has been operating in Syria since 2008, initially responding to the Iraqi refugee crisis before pivoting to a full-scale response to the Syria crisis from 2011 onwards. Our work encompasses the full cycle of displacement—responding to life-saving humanitarian needs and supporting community recovery until durable solutions can be achieved. DRC Syria takes an area-based approach to supporting internally displaced persons (IDPs), returnees, and host communities across our key sectors: Economic Recovery and Resilience, Protection, WASH, Shelter and Infrastructure, and Humanitarian Disarmament and Peacebuilding (including Humanitarian Mine Action).

With an established rapid response mechanism, DRC can rapidly respond to emerging crises and shocks to meet acute emergency needs. Recognizing the significant need for early recovery and resilience programming to ensure dignified, sustainable, and cost-effective solutions for fragile communities, DRC’s programmes foster resilience for individuals and communities in situations of protracted displacement and during the initial stages of post-conflict recovery, towards a durable solution of their choice. With active portfolios in the neighboring countries of Jordan, Lebanon, Türkiye and Iraq, DRC offers a cross-border, regional response to the Syria crisis, through cross-border protection monitoring, advocacy, and trends analysis.

About the job

The Consortium Policy and Research Coordinator will be part of the Syria Community Consortium (SCC) Management Unit. The SCC consists of the Danish Refugee Council (DRC), the International Medical Corps (IMC), the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), and Oxfam – four leading INGOs present in Syria for over a decade, responding to the Syria crisis. The overall goal of the SCC is to strengthen resilience capacities and promote the socio-economic well-being and self-reliance of at-risk, crisis-affected communities in Syria by capitalizing on positive capacities and reducing reliance on negative coping strategies, while addressing larger contextual challenges.

The SCC also aims to position itself as a thought leader, shaping policy debates and influencing other actors, including the UN, INGOs, and donor governments. The Consortium Policy and Research Coordinator will play a central role in driving this ambition by leading the design, coordination, and delivery of research initiatives, and by steering the development of SCC’s joint policy positions on key humanitarian issues such as principled humanitarian access and the feasibility of effective resilience programming in Syria. This will include commissioning and guiding research, ensuring methodological quality, and coordinating with field teams during community consultations and field visits.

Additionally, the Consortium Policy and Research Coordinator will oversee the development of joint advocacy and policy materials across the four partner organizations, ensuring alignment with the SCC’s advocacy strategy, and providing strategic direction on messaging and positioning. The coordinator will be responsible for facilitating cross-agency collaboration, consolidating inputs, and ensuring that SCC’s policy outputs are evidence-based, timely, and impactful.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Lead the design, coordination, and delivery of SCC policy products, ensuring quality, consistency, and alignment with the consortium’s strategic objectives.
• In close collaboration with SCC members’ programme teams and the SCC’s influencing lead, oversee the compilation, analysis, and synthesis of information and data from programme activities to generate evidence for SCC’s advocacy and policy engagement.
• Develop and steer research methodologies – both qualitative and quantitative – relevant to the SCC’s advocacy strategy and ensure their effective implementation and uptake across partners.
• Provide strategic guidance and oversight in the development of communication materials that effectively convey SCC’s evidence-based messages to diverse audiences, including donors, UN agencies, and peer INGOs.
• Lead on SCC’s internal and external communications, ensuring clear, timely, and coordinated messaging across all members.
• Coordinate the design, organization, and facilitation of dissemination events, learning forums, and external engagements related to the SCC’s learning agenda, ensuring visibility and influence in key policy spaces.

Experience and technical competencies:

• 3-5 years of experience working in research and influencing-related functions
• Experience working with communities and crisis affected populations
• Ability to identify research and policy priorities across SCC Resilience Programme Framework pillars
• Ability to lead on the design and implementation of research projects and policy activities
• Strong understanding of the political and humanitarian context in Syria
• Ability to develop and design communications materials (blogs, articles, photos and videos)
• Proven experience of qualitative and quantitative research, including research design and methodologies, data collection and analysis
• Ability to travel outside Damascus with possibility of overnight stays in field offices

Behavioral competencies:

• Attention to details, and ability to work under pressure
• High level analytical skills
• Cultural awareness and ability to build relationships quickly with a wide variety of people
• Patient, adaptable, flexible, able to improvise and remain responsive and communicate clearly and effectively under pressure
• Excellent planning, management and coordination skills, with the ability to work with little supervision
• Strong communication (written and spoken), and interpersonal skills, with experience in coordinating multicultural teams

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in relevant discipline, including political science, international relations, media, journalism, or communications. An advanced degree in related discipline is beneficial.

Languages:

• Excellent written and spoken skills in both Arabic and English

 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 act in line with our vision and values.

We offer:

Contract length: 31 December 2025 (Renewable based on funds and performance)

Level: Non-Management – G1

Location: Damascus – Syria

Expected Start date: 01 October 2025

Application process:

Interested? Then apply for this position here: Advocacy Coordinator (Consortium Policy And Research Coordinator) – Application Form

All applicants must send a cover letter and an updated CV (no longer than four pages). Both must be in the same language as this vacancy note. CV-only applications will not be considered.

Applications close: 25 August 2025

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. DRC reserves the right to conduct tests and interviews before the closing date and can close the advertisement earlier in case of finding a suitable candidate. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. DRC reserves the right to conduct tests and interviews before the closing date and can close the advertisement earlier in case of finding a suitable candidate. 

Need further information?

For further information about the Danish Refugee Council, please consult our website www.drc.org