diff --git a/src/app/navbar/expandable-navbar-section/expandable-navbar-section.component.html b/src/app/navbar/expandable-navbar-section/expandable-navbar-section.component.html
index 00517a74cf0..b21ff83961d 100644
--- a/src/app/navbar/expandable-navbar-section/expandable-navbar-section.component.html
+++ b/src/app/navbar/expandable-navbar-section/expandable-navbar-section.component.html
@@ -10,10 +10,11 @@
        (click)="toggleSection($event)"
        (keydown.space)="$event.preventDefault()"
        (keydown.tab)="deactivateSection($event, false)"
+       (keydown.arrowDown)="navigateDropdown($event)"
        aria-haspopup="menu"
        data-test="navbar-section-toggler"
        [attr.aria-expanded]="(active$ | async).valueOf()"
-       [attr.aria-controls]="expandableNavbarSectionId(section.id)"
+       [attr.aria-controls]="expandableNavbarSectionId()"
        class="d-flex flex-row flex-nowrap align-items-center gapx-1 ds-menu-toggler-wrapper"
        [class.disabled]="section.model?.disabled"
        id="browseDropdown">
@@ -24,7 +25,7 @@
       <i class="fas fa-caret-down fa-xs toggle-menu-icon" aria-hidden="true"></i>
     </a>
     <div *ngIf="(active$ | async).valueOf() === true" (click)="deactivateSection($event)"
-        [id]="expandableNavbarSectionId(section.id)"
+         [id]="expandableNavbarSectionId()" (dsHoverOutside)="deactivateSection($event, false)"
         role="menu"
         class="dropdown-menu show nav-dropdown-menu m-0 shadow-none border-top-0 px-3 px-md-0 pt-0 pt-md-1">
         <div *ngFor="let subSection of (subSections$ | async)" class="text-nowrap" role="presentation">
diff --git a/src/app/navbar/expandable-navbar-section/expandable-navbar-section.component.ts b/src/app/navbar/expandable-navbar-section/expandable-navbar-section.component.ts
index 9526b0e5d7f..c1839cc1f55 100644
--- a/src/app/navbar/expandable-navbar-section/expandable-navbar-section.component.ts
+++ b/src/app/navbar/expandable-navbar-section/expandable-navbar-section.component.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@ import {
   NgIf,
 } from '@angular/common';
 import {
+  AfterViewChecked,
+  ChangeDetectorRef,
   Component,
   HostListener,
   Inject,
@@ -18,6 +20,7 @@ import { first } from 'rxjs/operators';
 import { HostWindowService } from '../../shared/host-window.service';
 import { MenuService } from '../../shared/menu/menu.service';
 import { MenuID } from '../../shared/menu/menu-id.model';
+import { HoverOutsideDirective } from '../../shared/utils/hover-outside.directive';
 import { VarDirective } from '../../shared/utils/var.directive';
 import { NavbarSectionComponent } from '../navbar-section/navbar-section.component';
 
@@ -29,9 +32,17 @@ import { NavbarSectionComponent } from '../navbar-section/navbar-section.compone
   templateUrl: './expandable-navbar-section.component.html',
   styleUrls: ['./expandable-navbar-section.component.scss'],
   standalone: true,
-  imports: [VarDirective, RouterLinkActive, NgComponentOutlet, NgIf, NgFor, AsyncPipe],
+  imports: [
+    AsyncPipe,
+    HoverOutsideDirective,
+    NgComponentOutlet,
+    NgFor,
+    NgIf,
+    RouterLinkActive,
+    VarDirective,
+  ],
 })
-export class ExpandableNavbarSectionComponent extends NavbarSectionComponent implements OnInit {
+export class ExpandableNavbarSectionComponent extends NavbarSectionComponent implements AfterViewChecked, OnInit {
   /**
    * This section resides in the Public Navbar
    */
@@ -52,6 +63,13 @@ export class ExpandableNavbarSectionComponent extends NavbarSectionComponent imp
    */
   isMobile$: Observable<boolean>;
 
+  /**
+   * Boolean used to add the event listeners to the items in the expandable menu when expanded. This is done for
+   * performance reasons, there is currently an *ngIf on the menu to prevent the {@link HoverOutsideDirective} to tank
+   * performance when not expanded.
+   */
+  addArrowEventListeners = false;
+
   @HostListener('window:resize', ['$event'])
   onResize() {
     this.isMobile$.pipe(
@@ -69,7 +87,8 @@ export class ExpandableNavbarSectionComponent extends NavbarSectionComponent imp
   constructor(@Inject('sectionDataProvider') menuSection,
               protected menuService: MenuService,
               protected injector: Injector,
-              private windowService: HostWindowService,
+              protected windowService: HostWindowService,
+              protected cdr: ChangeDetectorRef,
   ) {
     super(menuSection, menuService, injector);
     this.isMobile$ = this.windowService.isMobile();
@@ -77,6 +96,22 @@ export class ExpandableNavbarSectionComponent extends NavbarSectionComponent imp
 
   ngOnInit() {
     super.ngOnInit();
+    this.subs.push(this.active$.subscribe((active: boolean) => {
+      if (active === true) {
+        this.addArrowEventListeners = true;
+        this.cdr.detectChanges();
+      }
+    }));
+  }
+
+  ngAfterViewChecked(): void {
+    if (this.addArrowEventListeners) {
+      const dropdownItems = document.querySelectorAll(`#${this.expandableNavbarSectionId()} *[role="menuitem"]`);
+      dropdownItems.forEach(item => {
+        item.addEventListener('keydown', this.navigateDropdown.bind(this));
+      });
+      this.addArrowEventListeners = false;
+    }
   }
 
   /**
@@ -111,9 +146,29 @@ export class ExpandableNavbarSectionComponent extends NavbarSectionComponent imp
 
   /**
    * returns the ID of the DOM element representing the navbar section
-   * @param sectionId
    */
-  expandableNavbarSectionId(sectionId: string) {
-    return `expandable-navbar-section-${sectionId}-dropdown`;
+  expandableNavbarSectionId(): string {
+    return `expandable-navbar-section-${this.section.id}-dropdown`;
+  }
+
+  navigateDropdown(event: KeyboardEvent): void {
+    if (event.key === 'Tab') {
+      this.deactivateSection(event, false);
+      return;
+    }
+    event.preventDefault();
+    event.stopPropagation();
+
+    const items = document.querySelectorAll(`#${this.expandableNavbarSectionId()} *[role="menuitem"]`);
+    if (items.length === 0) {
+      return;
+    }
+    const currentIndex: number = Array.from(items).findIndex(item => item === event.target);
+
+    if (event.key === 'ArrowDown') {
+      (items[(currentIndex + 1) % items.length] as HTMLElement).focus();
+    } else if (event.key === 'ArrowUp') {
+      (items[(currentIndex - 1 + items.length) % items.length] as HTMLElement).focus();
+    }
   }
 }
diff --git a/src/app/shared/utils/hover-outside.directive.ts b/src/app/shared/utils/hover-outside.directive.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..85232e6bea4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/app/shared/utils/hover-outside.directive.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+import {
+  Directive,
+  ElementRef,
+  EventEmitter,
+  HostListener,
+  Output,
+} from '@angular/core';
+
+/**
+ * Directive to detect when the user hovers outside of the element the directive was put on
+ *
+ * BEWARE: it's probably not good for performance to use this excessively (on {@link ExpandableNavbarSectionComponent}
+ * for example, a workaround for this problem was to add an `*ngIf` to prevent this Directive from always being active)
+ */
+@Directive({
+  selector: '[dsHoverOutside]',
+  standalone: true,
+})
+export class HoverOutsideDirective {
+  /**
+   * Emits null when the user hovers outside of the element
+   */
+  @Output()
+  public dsHoverOutside = new EventEmitter();
+
+  constructor(private _elementRef: ElementRef) {}
+
+  @HostListener('document:mouseover', ['$event'])
+  public onMouseOver(event: MouseEvent) {
+    const hostElement = this._elementRef.nativeElement;
+    const targetElement = event.target as HTMLElement;
+    const hoveredInside = hostElement.contains(targetElement);
+
+    if (!hoveredInside) {
+      this.dsHoverOutside.emit(null);
+    }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/src/themes/custom/app/navbar/expandable-navbar-section/expandable-navbar-section.component.ts b/src/themes/custom/app/navbar/expandable-navbar-section/expandable-navbar-section.component.ts
index f0e2ebd5029..167b805fd58 100644
--- a/src/themes/custom/app/navbar/expandable-navbar-section/expandable-navbar-section.component.ts
+++ b/src/themes/custom/app/navbar/expandable-navbar-section/expandable-navbar-section.component.ts
@@ -9,11 +9,9 @@ import { RouterLinkActive } from '@angular/router';
 
 import { ExpandableNavbarSectionComponent as BaseComponent } from '../../../../../app/navbar/expandable-navbar-section/expandable-navbar-section.component';
 import { slide } from '../../../../../app/shared/animations/slide';
+import { HoverOutsideDirective } from '../../../../../app/shared/utils/hover-outside.directive';
 import { VarDirective } from '../../../../../app/shared/utils/var.directive';
 
-/**
- * Represents an expandable section in the navbar
- */
 @Component({
   selector: 'ds-themed-expandable-navbar-section',
   // templateUrl: './expandable-navbar-section.component.html',
@@ -22,7 +20,15 @@ import { VarDirective } from '../../../../../app/shared/utils/var.directive';
   styleUrls: ['../../../../../app/navbar/expandable-navbar-section/expandable-navbar-section.component.scss'],
   animations: [slide],
   standalone: true,
-  imports: [VarDirective, RouterLinkActive, NgComponentOutlet, NgIf, NgFor, AsyncPipe],
+  imports: [
+    AsyncPipe,
+    HoverOutsideDirective,
+    NgComponentOutlet,
+    NgFor,
+    NgIf,
+    RouterLinkActive,
+    VarDirective,
+  ],
 })
 export class ExpandableNavbarSectionComponent extends BaseComponent {
 }