Background:
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.
Sustainable Finance Hub (SFH)
In order to streamline its financial and investment engagement, UNDP launched the Sustainable Finance Hub (SFH), 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. SFH 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. The Sustainable Finance Hub has 4+1 integrated service offers: public finance for the SDGs, private finance for the SDGs, SDG impact management and finance tracking, integrated national financing frameworks and portfolios, and the SDG finance academy.
Africa Sustainable Finance Hub
As part of UNDP’s corporate ambition to leverage finance as a critical development enabler, the UNDP Africa Sustainable Finance Hub (ASFH), serves as a regional platform to integrate public and private financing solutions for the 2030 Agenda and African Union Agenda 2063. Operating across 46 Sub-Saharan African countries through UNDP COs, the Hub addresses systemic barriers to SDG financing—such as fiscal constraints, investment misalignment, and private sector gaps—while leveraging Africa’s emerging opportunities in digital finance, green transitions, and inclusive growth. The ASFH combines policy advisory, innovative finance, and multi-stakeholder partnerships to transform how development is financed. Its five key priorities align with UNDP global and continental priorities:
Integrated National Financing Frameworks (INFFs): aligning public and private financing with national development through integrated national financing strategies. SDG-aligned Investment: mobilizing private capital through market intelligence, impact management integration, and thematic bonds. Private Sector Development: unlocking finance for SMEs, startups, and informal enterprises via blended finance and digital solutions. Carbon Markets: expanding Africa's leadership in carbon market development under Article 6 and partnerships to facilitate capacity-building and country-level frameworks. Inclusive Growth and Critical Minerals: Explore private-sector partnerships for sustainable mining and investment in natural resources for inclusive growth.Insurance and Risk Finance Facility
Through the Insurance and Risk Finance Facility (IRFF), UNDP is charting new pathways to build resilience, incentivize growth and safeguard development. Housed within UNDP’s Sustainable Finance Hub, the Facility is currently active in 39 countries, where it uses insurance and risk transfer to increase the financial resilience of countries, communities, households, businesses, nature and food systems. Leveraging global expertise and resources, IRFF works with public and private partners to build the financial resilience of countries, households, businesses, nature and food systems. The IRFF develops tailored insurance solutions at the country level, while also investing in the long-term transformation of insurance markets.
To enhance its insurance and risk financing activities in Africa, UNDP is looking for a Regional Specialist who supports the continent and countries across UNDP’s Regional Bureau for Africa (RBA) to build financial resilience to safeguard and incentivize development.
Position Purpose:
The role of the Regional Specialist is a critical function within IRFF, being a catalyst for increasingly more risk-aware and resilient African region and countries. Integrated within UNDP ASFH, and working across a diverse portfolio of work in development and already financed, the Regional Specialist will lead on the Facility’s work, together with the UNDP ASFH, RBA and Regional Service Center for Africa (RSCA), RBA Country Offices, development partners, government partners and regional organizations, as well as with the full range of private and civil society entities. In collaboration with the IRFF Central Team and Country Offices, the Regional Specialist will be responsible for the delivery of the Facility strategy areas across all its work areas, namely 1) resilient countries and communities, 2) resilient households, 3) resilient businesses, 4) resilient nature, and 5) resilient food systems. These will be delivered based on regional priorities and in close coordination with ASFH teams, especially regarding financing for development, domestic resource mobilization, SMEs and the informal economy, critical minerals and carbon markets, leveraging new technologies such as artificial intelligence.
Specifically, the Regional Specialist will be responsible for a set of four inter-locking deliverables through which they will deliver this work:
Policy Support, Integration and Representation. Direct Support to Country Office and Regional Programming Programme Identification, Development and Resource Mobilization External Engagement, Knowledge Management, Advocacy, Research and EvidenceIn addition to these core areas of delivery, UNDP also welcomes applicants with specializations in related areas within insurance and risk finance work, such as SDG investment and private sector development, work within fragile and conflict affected settings, gender and women’s empowerment, natural capital and risk, SME products and services etc.
UNDP adopts a portfolio approach to accommodate changing business needs and leverage linkages across interventions to achieve its strategic goals. This is a recognition of interconnected nature of development risks & crises that the world is facing and that call for assembling of multidisciplinary teams for an integrated & systemic response. Therefore, UNDP personnel are expected to work across issues, units, functions, teams and projects in multidisciplinary teams in order to enhance and enable horizontal collaboration
Duties and Responsibilities:
Lead on Policy Support, Integration and Representation
Provide regional leadership on UNDP’s work across insurance and Risk Finance Represent UNDP and its work on insurance and risk finance across a range of regional and country fora, and actively promote and position UNDP’s work in Africa. Work across UNDP teams of the Global Policy Network to ensure coherent representation across issues of financing, risk and development, including, but not limited to those working in disaster risk reduction, climate adaptation, health, social protection, private sector development, impact investing and economic growth. Support the integration (both regionally and at a country level) of insurance and risk finance into UNDP’s financing and investment work as part of the Sustainable Finance Hub (SFH) and ASFH and provide the bridge for A/SFH teams to utilize insurance and risk financing tools to safeguard and incentivize development across private investment and public financing. Providing strategic advice, advocacy support, and critical analysis and information to enhance UNDP’s overall positioning on insurance and risk finance, including the preparation of briefing notes, presentations, speeches etc Where appropriate manage resources that may be delegated as part of overall programmatic work.Direct support to Country Office and Regional Programmes
Support country offices in the delivery of all Insurance and Risk Financing Programmes within the region, through ASFH, RBA and RSCA, especially programmatic work that has long-term sustainability. Develop and deliver work-plans in collaboration with country offices and insurance industry partners. Provide direct technical advice to Country Offices and Programme Countries, especially for the implementation of country-level programmes, and where appropriate jointly manage the delivery of specialized insurance/risk finance staff at the country level with a strong focus on coordination with other relevant work especially on sustainable finance, climate, biodiversity and social protection. Liaise with both public and private sector delivery partners together with country offices, and actively work with members of key insurance/development partnerships, such as the Insurance Development Forum and the Global Shield. Where appropriate develop and implement regional initiatives.Programme Identification, Development and Resource Mobilization
Identify new and scalable opportunities for UNDP across the region and within countries and develop them to concept stage. Maintain a pipeline of all work in all stages and regularly follow up on all initiatives in development. Proactively seek to resource all projects in development, and actively support country offices in their task of securing financing for Insurance and Risk Finance work in coordination with other UNDP priorities, especially sustainable finance. Actively explore and develop strategic alliances with key partners for joint fundraising and service-delivery. Contribute significantly to the development of strategic programmatic partnerships with both internal and external partners to advance the implementation of UNDP’s Insurance and Risk Finance Facility and ASFH priorities. Develop strong relationships with donor financing and technical teams where they exist, at the regional level but also increasingly at the country level (in support of UNDP Country Offices.)External Engagement, Knowledge Management, Advocacy, Research and Evidence
Lead on regional KM, advocacy and research issues for the Insurance and Risk Finance teams in the region. Where appropriate lead upon and support the development of marketing, policy, learning and advocacy materials related to the team’s work, as well as in support of both SFH and wider GPN. Ensure that all training materials, tools and advocacy work are disseminated across country offices and programme countries. Where appropriate represent UNDP’s Insurance and Risk Finance Facility across regional media, and actively contribute to its work through a strong social media presence supported by regular expert articles.The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.
Competencies:
Core CoreBehaviouralCompetencies.pdf (undp.org)
Achieve Results:
Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impactThink Innovatively:
Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problemsLearn Continuously:
Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiencesAdapt with Agility:
Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demandsAct with Determination:
Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater resultsEngage and Partner:
Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivityEnable Diversity and Inclusion:
People Management:
UNDP People: Management Competencies can be found on the dedicated site.
Cross-Functional & Technical competencies:
Business Direction & Strategy: System Thinking
Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system.Business Management: Portfolio Management
Ability to select, prioritise and control the organization's programmes and projects, in line with its strategic objectives and capacity Ability to balance the implementation of change initiatives with regular activities for optimal return on investment. Knowledge and understanding of key principles of project, programme, and portfolio managementBusiness Direction & Strategy: Strategic Thinking
Ability to develop effective strategies and prioritized plans in line with UNDP’s objectives, based on the systematic analysis of challenges, potential risks and opportunities; linking the vision to reality on the ground and creating tangible solutions; Ability to leverage learning from a variety of sources to anticipate and respond to future trends; to demonstrate foresight in order to model what the future developments and possible ways forward look like for UNDP Ability to manage programmes and projects with a focus at improved performance and demonstrable resultsBusiness Management: Results-based Management and Team Building
Ability to manage programmes and projects with a focus at improved performance and demonstrable resultsBusiness Management: Partnership Management
Ability to build and maintain partnerships with wide networks of stakeholders, Governments, civil society and private sector partners, experts and others in line with UNDP strategy and policiesBusiness Management: Communication
Ability to communicate in a clear, concise and unambiguous manner both through written and verbal communication; to tailor messages and choose communication methods depending on the audience Ability to manage communications internally and externally, through media, social media and other appropriate channels2030 Agenda: Partnerships: SDG Finance
Insurance for Development Innovative Finance Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation
Required Skills and Experience:
Education:
An advanced university degree (Master’s or equivalent), preferably in Economics and Finance or Actuarial Science, Development Studies or other closely related area is required OR A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s or equivalent) in a relevant field, PLUS two additional years of relevant work experience experience will be given due consideration in lieu of the advanced university degree.Experience:
A minimum of 7 years (with master’s degree) or 9 years (with bachelor’s degree) of relevant experience in either the public sector (national or multilateral, including UN) and/or private sector (academia, non-governmental sector, corporate), with an increasing level of responsibility is required; Experience managing projects across issues of strategy, financing and administration at international level in developing countries, especially in Africa is required; Experience in overseeing implementation of projects involving government, NGO/CSO, private sector, academia and/or intergovernmental stakeholders is highly desirable Demonstrable experience working in insurance and / or risk financing, especially in in Africa, with specializations in key areas such as in investment and private sector development, women’s empowerment, natural capital, inclusive insurance is an added advantage Experience in results-based project management including implementation, reporting, monitoring and evaluation is highly desirable. Experience in managing teams, inspiring and mentoring staff, facilitating their capacity development, and resolving conflicts is desired Experience in overseeing and guiding the development of communications and knowledge management strategies and products is an asset Working experience in UN or other international organization, and knowledge of UNDP policies, procedures and practices are advantageousLanguage:
Excellent knowledge of the English language, with exceptional writing, presentation and communication skills is required Competency in other UN languages is an asset.Equal Opportunity
As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination.
UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.
Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority
UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles.
Probation
For all new UNDP fixed term appointments (FTA), including for staff members being transferred or seconded to UNDP under the Inter-Organization Agreement concerning Transfer, Secondment or Loan of Staff, on an appointment of more than one year, continuation of the appointment beyond the initial 12 months is contingent upon the successful completion of a probationary period.
Right to select multiple candidates
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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