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

Within the context of SDG Financing, UNDP has launched a Sustainable Finance Hub which is conceptualized as 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, supports COs with technical advice and tools and products, lead the implementation of the new UNDP private sector strategy and other global flagships initiatives, which fully supports the implementation of the Strategic Plan and supports governments to align public and private sector investments and activities with the 2030 Agenda. The Hub operates as an integral part of the Global Policy Network as well as the Bureau of External Relations and Advocacy (BERA), and works with colleagues from GPN, BERA and across all Bureaux, as well as, with external stakeholders and partners. 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. 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 the Insurance and Risk Finance Facility, a flagship initiative on insurance and risk finance 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.

Duties and Responsibilities

The role of the Training and Networking Coordinator is a critical function in UNDP’s growing Insurance and Risk Finance Facility (IRFF) team, with the overall function of coordinating the IRFF’s training programmes by working with experts and partners, with a robust expertise on capacity development methodologies and tools (including online ones) and knowledge in the climate and disaster risk financing space, to develop targeted in-person and virtual trainings for a diverse network of stakeholders including UNDP Country Offices, Regional Bureaus, insurers, government officials, regulators and supervisors, and other actors.

The Training and Networking Coordinator will lead the development of the training work for the IRFF’s five workstreams, Sovereign Risk Financing, Inclusive Insurance, Insurance and Investment, Integration of Insurance into Development, and Insuring Natural Capital, as well as for the African Adaptation Initiative, which the IRFF will be responsible for overseeing. The Training and Networking Coordinator will coordinate with the IRFF’s technical leads to develop and oversee the roll-out of these training packages in all IRFF programme countries. Beyond the country training packages, the Training and Networking Coordinator, will be responsible for developing an e-learning course on insurance and risk financing for all of UNDP’s country offices, including the appropriate technical training platform for delivery. The Training and Networking Coordinator will also be responsible for coordinating  the preparation and development of all supporting materials, guides, tools, syllabus materials, etc. as required.

The Training and Networking Coordinator is expected to support the IRFF Regional Specialists and Workstream Leads to oversee and deliver (with partners) capacity development initiatives on all five IRFF workstreams as well as specialized dedicated training such as the African Adaptation Initiative.

The Training and Networking Coordinator will be responsible for  leading the coordination and development of all IRFF training work and networking, in collaboration with the technical leads across the Facility. This will include the following:

 Training component

• Develop the broad strategy of how the IRFF shall deliver on its substantial and growing training commitments, and coordinate the overall implementation of this work, including the involvement of partners.
• Develop and lead on capacity needs assessments of stakeholders of all training programmes.
• Formulate learning curricula relevant to the IRFF’s evolving capacity development needs, using all available learning platforms and technology, and develop necessary training materials.
• Act as the lead coordinator and organizer for the delivery of the IRRF’s full training portfolio, including online.
• Develop and oversee implementation of the Facility’s online learning platform including the roll-out of its open online courses.
• Together with other colleagues in the Facility, coordinate the development of a supporting research and evidence portfolio related to the training portfolio, including research papers, case studies and other publications, with the support of subject matter experts and partners.
• Lead the development of an integrated webinar series as an intrinsic part to the overall training curricula.
• Advise stakeholders on the development of the learning content, process and platforms,  creative learning approaches, methodologies, technologies, etc.
• Develop a coherent set of user feedback tools, reporting on progress regularly, and integrating that into future delivery of the Facility’s training.
• Work with others to create content around emerging issues and needs, and actively integrate new approaches, thinking and techniques into the Facility’s training portfolio.
• Supervise the translation of training materials where appropriate.
• Develop an external narrative on the whole IRFF training package, touching on curricula, expertise, scale, outcomes etc.
• Substantively support the procurement of all training related elements.
• Perform other duties related to this position as may be required by the Supervisor.

 Networking component

• Play the lead role in convening, curating and managing IRRF-related networking.
• Create and curate an internal UNDP Community of Practice that integrates training into wider tools, services and products available for UNDP Country Offices and programme partners.
• Create, curate and manage an external community of practice, that provides support to the wider community of actors across the insurance/development community.
• Perform other duties related to this position as may be required by the Supervisor.?

Institutional Arrangement

The Training and Networking Coordinator will work under the direct supervision of the Deputy Team Leader, IRFF and in close  collaboration with all relevant technical and regional leads. The IRFF will have the overall responsibility of the related activities involved in the consultation and implementation process, including contracting, procurement and recruitment of the training/implementing partners.

Competencies

Core Competencies:

• 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

Required Skills and Experience

Travel: 

UNDP will cover the cost of travel of the individual to the duty station, as well as their return to their home upon completion of their services. Travel costs are covered only in the event that the function will be undertaken physically in the duty station and excludes working from home arrangements.

Cost of other travel, as deemed necessary by UNDP  while performing the outlined functions, shall be at UNDP’s expense and in accordance with the applicable UNDP travel policy.

The following documents shall be required from the applicants:

1. Personal CV or P11, indicating all past positions held and their main underlying functions, their durations (month/year), the qualifications, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate, and at least three (3) the most recent professional references of previous supervisors. References may also include peers.
2. A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page) indicating why the candidate considers him-/herself to be suitable for the position.

Note: The above documents need to be scanned in one file and uploaded to the online application as one document.

Any other materials relevant to pre-assessing the relevance of their experience leading and developing trainings, such as reports, presentations, training materials or other materials may be additionally requested at the discretion of a hiring manager.