Technical Advisor, Risk Financing

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.

UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Job Purpose and Organizational Context

UNDP and the Global Policy Network

UNDP is the knowledge frontier organization for sustainable development in the UN Development System and serves as the integrator for collective action to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UNDP’s policy work carried out at HQ, Regional and Country Office levels forms a contiguous spectrum of deep local knowledge to cutting-edge global perspectives and advocacy. In this context, UNDP invests in the Global Policy Network (GPN), a network of field-based and global technical expertise across a wide range of knowledge domains and in support of the signature solutions and organizational capabilities envisioned in the Strategic Plan.
Within the GPN, the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) has the responsibility for developing all relevant policy and guidance to support the results of UNDP’s Strategic Plan.  BPPS’s staff provides technical advice to Country Offices; advocates for UNDP corporate messages, represents UNDP at multi-stakeholder fora including public-private dialogues, government and civil society dialogues, and engages in UN inter-agency coordination in specific thematic areas.  BPPS works closely with UNDP’s Crisis Bureau (CB) to support emergency and crisis response.  BPPS ensures that issues of risk are fully integrated into UNDP’s development programmes. BPPS assists UNDP and partners to achieve higher quality development results through an integrated approach that links results-based management and performance monitoring with more effective and new ways of working.  BPPS supports UNDP and partners to be more innovative, knowledge and data driven including in its programme support efforts.

Finance Sector Hub

In order to streamline its financial and investment engagement, UNDP launched the Finance Sector Hub, a finance and innovation platform, that draws on a critical mass of UNDP expertise, initiatives, and partnerships to support the mobilization and leveraging of resources for the SDGs and lead the implementation of the new UNDP private sector strategy and other initiatives. The Hub is an integral part of both the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) and the Bureau of External Relations and Advocacy (BERA), as well as part of the GPN. The Hub serves as a connector, broker and global coordinator among internal and external actors; curates and manages UNDP’s catalogue of service offers on SDG financing to governments, investors and companies, via the COs, to significantly enhance the scale and impact of UNDP’s work.

UNDP’s Work on Insurance and Risk Financing

The collaboration between the insurance industry and the development sector has grown significantly over the last five years. Key initiatives, such as the Insurance Development Forum, InsuResilience Global Partnership and the Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance, have evolved into significant policy and standard setting partnerships, bringing together countries, the development sector, and the private and mutual/cooperative sectors of industry. The Tripartite Agreement between the German Government, UNDP and Insurance Development Forum (and its private sector members) is a flagship example of such transformative partnerships. Increasingly, these partnerships are moving beyond policy to programming, with a strong focus on not only delivering insurance and risk financing solutions to countries and communities, but also on long-term transformational change of insurance markets.

UNDP’s growing work in this space has led to the creation of a flagship initiative on insurance and risk finance, and the creation of a dedicated facility for supporting UNDP Country Offices and country partners worldwide, within the newly created Finance Sector Hub. This work covers a range of critical areas where insurance and risk transfer solutions and collaboration with the industry can add significantly to achieving and delivering on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs.) Covering inclusive insurance, sovereign risk financing, insurance investments, natural capital, health, SME development and more, UNDP’s work will look to not only develop and deliver insurance solutions together with countries and communities, it will also look to work with partners to transform insurance markets, working on legislation, regulation and institutional capacity.
 

UNDP’s dedicated team working on insurance, risk and resilience financing, is now being enhanced with additional capacity to deliver on the promise and commitment at the core of this flagship initiative.

Under the overall supervision of the Special Advisor, SDG Finance Sector Hub / Team Leader, Insurance and Risk Financing Facility, and working closely with the other team members, Risk Financing Advisor will be responsible for leading and guiding UNDP work on sovereign and sub-sovereign risk financing, providing senior level representation to develop and deliver technical risk finance solutions, identifying and resourcing new initiatives and ensuring that UNDP’s work in risk financing is well known, well positioned and increasingly informed by research and evidence. S/he will also serve as a Deputy Team Leader for the Insurance and Risk Financing Facility.

1)    Risk Finance Leadership, Coordination and Coherence:

• Provide leadership and representation across UNDP’s work in the risk finance space both internally within UNDP and externally with partners and other stakeholders.
• Play a key coordinating role across all key global forums for sovereign risk insurance, including within the Insurance Development Forum and InsuResilience Global Partnership, as well as with key partners such as the private sector and institutions working on issues of risk finance.
• Actively connect these key global fora and partnerships with UNDP’s work at the country level and focus on translating global policy discussions into practical action.
• Support UNDP’s corporate work by providing strategic advice, advocacy support, and critical analysis and information on risk finance, to enhance UNDP’s overall positioning, including the preparation of briefing notes, presentations, speeches etc. for senior leadership at high-level global political and advocacy forums.

 2)    Technical Policy Advice:

• Provide technical leadership and support to all of UNDP’s work in risk finance, and support all work, global, regional or at a country level (where appropriate);
• Play a key role in developing UNDP’s workstream for risk finance at the country level, working across both supply and demand sides, covering legislation, regulation and institutional capacity development, as well as advocacy and awareness raising for both government (national and sub-national) and partners;
• Design training and education packages to deliver on this workstream and support their rollout across critical countries, regions and all UNDP country offices.
• Work across UNDP teams of the Global Policy Network to develop aligned programming in related areas such as adaptation, disaster risk reduction and public sector financing, and actively develop and implement work with UNDP teams in these areas, with a focus on joint delivery of work at the country level.

3)    Project Identification, Development and Resource Mobilization:

• Lead UNDP’s development work across Risk Finance, from project identification, through technical specification, partnership collaboration and delivery.
• Contribute significantly to the development of strategic programmatic partnerships with both internal and external partners to advance the implementation of Risk Finance initiatives as part of UNDP’s Insurance and Risk Finance Facility.
• Proactively seek to resource projects that are not currently financed, and actively support the overall team’s fundraising efforts (as well as that identified with country offices and the team’s Regional Specialists) as required.

4)    External Engagement, Knowledge Management, Advocacy, Research and Evidence:

• Lead on risk finance knowledge management, advocacy and research issues for the Insurance and Risk Finance Facility, as part of the team’s wider package of work, including where appropriate the development of knowledge products, reports, technical briefs and guidance notes.
• Support the technical development of marketing, policy, learning and advocacy materials related to the team’s work, as well as in support of both the Finance Sector Hub and wider GPN, especially as it relates to risk finance.
• Represent UNDP’s Insurance and Risk Finance Facility across media, and actively contribute to its work through a strong social media presence supported by regular expert articles, as appropriate.

5) Team Management:

• Act as the primary supervisor to the four Regional Specialists that make up the Insurance and Risk Finance Facility and ensure that all specialists tasks are delivered on time, to the appropriate quality, and with the appropriate level of resources.
• Act as the Deputy Team Leader for the Insurance and Risk Financing Facility in the absence of the Team Leader and perform supervisory and management functions for the whole team when needed.
• Perform other duties as may be required by supervisor.

Core

Innovation

• Ability to make new and useful ideas work.

Leadership

• Ability to persuade others to follow.

People Management

• Ability to improve performance and satisfaction.

Communication

• Ability to listen, adapt, persuade and transform.

Delivery

• Ability to get things done while exercising good judgement.

Technical/Functional

Global Development Finance

• Knowledge of global development financial trends, global financial institutions and processes, and ability to apply in strategic and/or practical situations.

Disaster Risk Management

• Knowledge of disaster risk management concepts and the ability to apply to strategic and/or practical settings.

Climate Change (General)

• Knowledge of climate change Including climate change international regime) and ability to apply to strategic and/or practical situations.

Risk Governance

• Knowledge of risk governance concepts and the ability to apply to strategic and/or practical situations.

Sustainable Development:

• Knowledge of sustainable development concepts, principles and issues and the ability to apply to strategic and/or practical situations, covering the economic, social and environmental dimensions.

Education:

• A Master’s degree in Economics, Finance, Insurance, Public Financial Management or other closely related area is required.  

Experience:

• A minimum of 10 years of relevant experience in risk finance (preferably at sovereign and sub-sovereign levels), especially in developing countries, ideally both at the public (national or multilateral, including UN) and private sectors (academia, non-governmental sector, corporate), with an increasing level of responsibility is required;
• Experience in overseeing implementation of risk finance projects involving government, private sector, academia and/or intergovernmental stakeholders, in developing countries is highly desirable;
• Experience in results-based and results-oriented project implementation and management is desirable;
• Experience in developing and implementing technical assistance programmes for risk financing, including training and ongoing development support is an advantage;
• Experience in managing teams, inspiring and mentoring staff, facilitating their capacity development, and resolving conflicts is desirable;
• Experience in managing projects across issues of strategy, financing, administration and human resources is desirable;
• Experience in overseeing and guiding the development of risk financing communications and knowledge management strategies and products such as technical reports is an asset;
• Working experience in UN or other international organization, and knowledge of UNDP policies, procedures and practices is an advantage.

Language Requirements:

• Excellent knowledge of the English language, with exceptional writing, presentation and communication skills is a must.
• Competency in other UN languages is an asset.

Other:

• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, Teams etc.) is required.

Important information for US Permanent Residents ('Green Card' holders)

Under US immigration law, acceptance of a staff position with UNDP, an international organization, may have significant implications for US Permanent Residents. UNDP advises applicants for all professional level posts that they must relinquish their US Permanent Resident status and accept a G-4 visa, or have submitted a valid application for US citizenship prior to commencement of employment. 

UNDP is not in a position to provide advice or assistance on applying for US citizenship and therefore applicants are advised to seek the advice of competent immigration lawyers regarding any applications.

Applicant information about UNDP rosters

Note: UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement.  We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

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