Egeland has been the Secretary General of NRC since August 2013, a role which oversees the work of the humanitarian organisation in over 30 countries affected by conflict and disaster.

Current and previous roles include the Eminent Person of The Grand Bargain initiative (2021- ), Chair of the Independent Senior Advisory Panel on humanitarian deconfliction in Syria (2021), UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator (2003-2006).