National Project Coordinator, Insurance and Risk Finance Facility (IRFF)

Background

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.

Ethiopia is undertaking significant transformational changes including in liberalizing the economy and partial privatization of some of the most important economic sectors. To ensure this transformation, Ethiopia has developed the Homegrown Economic Reform Programme (HGER), that aims to address structural issues and sustain a rapid and inclusive economic growth setting the country on a path to prosperity. In line with the above context and following the approval of the new Country Program Document (CPD) for the period of 2020 – 2025, the UNDP CO has identified major focus areas in supporting structural reforms in Ethiopia. Among these areas is promoting access to innovative and inclusive finance, promotion of innovation and digitalization, risk financing and insurance as well as promoting entrepreneurship in support of people and businesses.

Countries like Ethiopia are vulnerable to risks that hamper the development and growth trajectory unless managed and mitigated through measures such as risk financing and insurance. With the support and facilitation of the Insurance and risk financing facility based in Pretoria, the UNDP finance hub; this position will focus in exploring the options and potential to promote insurance (including micro) and risk financing in Ethiopia to sustain development gains. As clearly indicated in the CPD, UNDP will support efforts to adapt to and mitigate the impacts of various crisis such as from climate change and build resilience through piloting, learning and scaling-up of tested adaptation practices in the ecosystems. The strategies will include, among others is the support provided for upscaling weather index-based and risk insurance systems. Ethiopia has a disaster risk reduction and management policy and strategy.

Despite the long history of insurance in Ethiopia (for more than 100 years), its outreach is still at infancy stage where little is provided for farmers, pastoralists, vulnerable and poor people, small and micro businesses who are not able to afford the premium and not at all aware about the availability of the service. The insurance industry itself seems stagnated lacking the innovation to use insurance as promoter for development. Little efforts have been made in Ethiopia by development partners to test micro insurance and innovative insurance products to address the needs of the most vulnerable people including in rural areas engaged in agriculture. There are some pilot initiatives on crop and livestock insurance for farmers and pastoralists in Ethiopia. Some development partners have been supporting with the view to share risks. However, the mechanism is still not fully practiced and only few insurance companies are involved with some subsidy from the development partner’s side. In general, the insurance industry in Ethiopia is not well developed and it lacks the innovation, flexibility to address all sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, services and others as well as all segments of the society.

The IRFF initiative at continental level is expected to play a strategic and catalytic role to curb the challenges of various risks faced by people and businesses to safeguard their operation, livelihoods, jobs and income through identification of sustainable, adaptable and affordable insurance scheme including for the vulnerable groups.

Considering this, UNDP Ethiopia in consultation with the Finance Hub in Pretoria is intends to recruit a full-time national Project Coordinator Position to oversee the management and operations of the IRFF, which will operate ensure cross-functionality of activities towards achieving the intended objectives of the lab. Accordingly, the incumbent will be responsible for the following tasks:

Duties and Responsibilities

The National Project Coordinator (the “Coordinator”) will be responsible for the overall management of in-country activities, ensuring a proper workplan and budget is in place and implemented within set timelines, with an effective national team and strong partnerships.

Reporting to the IRFF Regional Specialist., the coordinator will ensure implementation mechanisms such as a National Steering Committee and technical working groups are established and meet regularly, that all planned workshops, technical studies and other activities are organized in a timely manner, and that they meet expected quality standards. Key duties and responsibilities include:

Management and operationalization of Insurance and Risk Financing in Ethiopia

• Oversee the identification, selection and supervision of national consultants and experts, in close collaboration with the UNDP Country Office and the IRFF Regional Advisor and write/revise terms of reference for review by relevant national team such as in Inclusive Economic Transformation (IET) of the Ethiopia Country Office.
• In consultation with the UNDP Country Office and Global IRFF Team and supported by the Regional Specialists, elaborate/revise the work plan and budget and submit draft workplans/budgets timely for the bi-annual budget revision process (30 June and 31 December of each year);
• Supervise the work of national experts and institutions to ensure outputs are delivered on time, within the set budget, and to high quality standards; facilitate, guide and monitor the work of the national IRFF team.
• Organize all relevant project workshops in a consultative manner, involving a wide variety of biodiversity finance stakeholders, including the government, private sector, NGOs, donors and academia.
• In consultation with Country Offices, discuss with government partners and other key stakeholders the establishment of a national Steering Committee (or other relevant steering structures) and follow up on the formal establishment and regular convening of the Committee, undertake the same for any other proposed coordination mechanism, and write meeting reports to be shared with the UNDP CO and IRFF global. 
• Ensure a timely identification of risks in implementation at the national level and communication to the global IRFF team.
• Collaboration with the Innovative Finance Lab (IFL) of UNDP Ethiopia and create alignment and synergy of insurance and risk finance with access to innovative finance.
• Organize monthly meetings with IRFF Regional Specialist.

Reporting/Communication/M&E

• Signal any delays in national deliverables compared to the workplan to the Regional Specialist and UNDP Country Office focal person.
• Lead project monitoring, reporting and evaluation at national level, draft monthly and quarterly reports for review by the Regional Specialist and submission to the global IRFF team.
• Develop workshop reports for the inception workshop and all technical workshops.
• Develop briefing notes, case studies, press releases, web articles and other media products as required.

• Assist with research and write and edit sections of technical reports as required.
• Review all national level deliverables to ensure quality and consistency with the IRFF methodology.

Technical leadership in analysis, design and applications, policy advisory work, institutional development and growth

• Serve as the overall technical lead for insurance and risk financing in UNDP Ethiopia
• Guide and oversee analytical work to support the IRFF at regional level building on the context of Ethiopia.
• Collaborate and work closely with Insurance Companies in Ethiopia to influence policy reform,
• Ensure that the management of the IRFF meets the ‘market test’ and best practice in the global financial industry.
• Spearhead and/or contribute substantively to the development Insurance and risk finance instruments in alignment with the Innovative Finance Lab in Ethiopia but guided by the IRFF team.
• Advice the UNDP CO on an ambitious short- to medium-term institutional development strategy on insurance risk financing
• Conduct research and analytic work on Insurance and risk financing in Ethiopia.

Key deliverables (products and processes):

• Detailed IRFF Work Plan and budget agreed by all major partners.
• National Steering/Advisory Committee formed and operational.
• All consultants and service providers delivering to schedule, while working relations with CO are clarified and effective.
• Lines of communication and working methods agreed and functional.
• Reporting and updates provided to UNDP, government, IRFF, etc.
• Planned activities are carried out in line with timelines and required quality standards.
• All workshops organised in line with workplan and well documented.
• Technical inputs to synthesis reports and policy briefs as required.
• Overall transformational process (outreach to government, steering committee, etc.)
• Research and analytical work on issues related to insurance and risk financing in Ethiopia.

Competencies

Achieve Results: LEVEL 2: Scale up solutions and simplifies processes, balances speed and accuracy in doing work.

Think Innovatively: LEVEL 2: Offer new ideas/open to new approaches, demonstrate systemic/integrated thinking.

Learn Continuously: LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback

Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 2: Adapt processes/approaches to new situations, involve others in change process

Act with Determination: LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident

Engage and Partner: LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships

Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination.

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies

Priority Setting: Ability to scan and synthesize diverse sets of information to arrive at strategic priorities and positioning recommendation.

Communication: Ability to communicate clearly through successful interactions with all levels of stakeholder groups, including senior government officials, business executives, and local people/communities.

Strategic Thinking: Ability to develop effective strategies and prioritized plans in line with UNDP’s objectives.

Portfolio Management: Ability to select, prioritize, and control the organization’s programmes and projects, in line with its strategic objectives and capacity.

Operations Management: Ability to effectively plan, organize and oversee the organizational business process.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Degree in Finance, Development Management, Public Policy or related field, or another field combined with relevant work experience.

Experience:

• At least 4 years of experience (for bachelor’s degree holders) or 2 years (for master’s degree holders), preferably in the implementation of projects relevant to insurance and risk finance, sustainable finance, or financial inclusion
• Prior experience with UNDP projects would be an asset.
• Experience in collaborating with international and national experts and institutions.
• Exposure to environmental issues or biodiversity highly desirable, but not required.
• Sound understanding of key software packages (MS Office).
• Good command of English is desirable.

Required skills.

• Ability to manage and coordinate stakeholders and partners
• Excellent analytical capacity on development financing and policy advocacy work on insurance and risk financing
• Ability to prepare quality reports
• Ability to effectively coordinate a multi-stakeholder project including extensive experience in planning, prioritizing, sequencing, managing, problem-solving, and reporting on the implementation of projects.
• Excellent working knowledge of English and track record in producing reports in English including writing project success stories, lessons learned, and best practices.

Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section.

• Excellent presentation skills, appropriate to various audiences.

Required Language(s)   

• Verbal and written proficiency in English

Professional Certificates              

• Completion of Project Management training is an asset.

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