Background

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of the Special Advisor, Finance Sector Hub and in close collaboration with other colleagues from the FSH and respective Country and Regional Offices, the Risk Financing Specialist will be responsible for performing the following duties during the lifetime of the assignment:

1. Coordination and Coherence

• Provide appropriate leadership and representation across UNDP’s work in the sovereign risk finance space;
• Play a key coordinating role across all key global forums for sovereign risk finance, including within the Insurance Development Forum and InsuResilience Global Partnership, as well as with critical public and private sector partners;
• 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 sovereign risk financing, to enhance UNDP’s overall positioning, including the preparation of briefing notes, presentations, speeches etc.;
• Play a day-to-day liaison role between UNDP and the Programme Coordination Unit that sits at the centre of the tripartite agreement between BMZ, the Insurance Development Forum, and UNDP.

2. Technical Policy/Leadership and Support

• Provide technical leadership and support to all of UNDP’s work in sovereign risk financing, and support all work, global, regional or at a country level (where appropriate);
• Play a key role in developing UNDP’s workstream for sovereign risk financing 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 and potential beneficiaries, and finally distribution 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 programming in related areas, such as disaster risk reduction, adaptation and poverty reduction, with a focus on joint delivery of work at the country level and joint fund-raising to support that work;
• Support the integration of work on sovereign risk financing as one element of the Insurance and Risk Finance Facility’s integration UNDP’s Finance Sector Hub

3. Project Identification, Development and Resource Mobilization

• Lead UNDP’s development work across sovereign risk financing, from project identification, through technical specification, partnership collaboration, fund-raising and delivery;
• Proactively seek to resource all projects in development, and actively support the overall team’s effort (as well as that identified with country offices and the team’s regional specialists) to raise financing;
• 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 Risk Finance initiatives as part of UNDP’s Insurance and Risk Finance Facility;
• Develop strong relationships with donor financing and technical teams on sovereign risk financing, and provide regular guidance on policy and programming changes within donors that could impact on resource mobilization.

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;
• Support the 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 sovereign risk finance;
• Where appropriate 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
  
  
  Expected Outputs/Deliverables:
   
• A set of key policy documentation for the entire sovereign risk programme within UNDP developed;
• Strategic advice, advocacy support, and critical analysis and information on sovereign risk financing (including the preparation of briefing notes, presentations, speeches, etc.) duly provided to enhance UNDP’s overall positioning;
• UNDP is duly represented in all key forums and processes and active liaison with key delivery partners, including a dedicated externally managed programme coordination unit, maintained;
• UNDP workstream on sovereign risk financing at country, regional and global levels developed and implemented, especially with regard to legislative, regulatory and institutional capacity development, and integration of insurance/risk financing into development processes;
• At least 10 stand-alone risk finance initiatives for countries developed through the year, with resources mobilized for three of these concepts;
• Minimum 3 key global partnerships to deliver on the project sovereign risk objectives developed and agreed;
• A set of external materials developed through the year, including marketing, advocacy, and knowledge products for the sovereign risk financing space.
• Any other deliverable related to the duties and responsibilities above mentioned.

At the outset of this consultancy, the incumbent will be expected to draft a full workplan for the year, covering the four workstreams, with more detailed outputs, deliverables, etc

Competencies

Corporate:

• Demonstrates commitment to the UN’s values and ethical standards;
• Demonstrates and promotes the highest standard of integrity, impartiality, fairness and incorruptibility in all matters affecting his/her work and status.

Organizational Awareness:

• Promotes the mission, vision and strategic goals of UNDP;
• Demonstrates corporate knowledge and sound judgment understands the structure and hierarchy of UN/UNDP, process flows throughout the organization, products and services, their measures of effectiveness, and perceptions of clients;
• Excellent knowledge of development issues on financing the 2030 Agenda and internationally-agreed development goals.

Teamwork:

• Acts as a team player facilitating team work;
• Works collaboratively with colleagues inside UN/UNDP as well as its partners and other stakeholders to pursue common goals;
• Able to work at ease in a multicultural setting.

Communication:

• Facilitates and encourages open communication in the team, communicating effectively;
• Delivers verbal/written information in a timely, clear, organized and easily understood manner;
• Strong communication skills and ability to listen and take direction and leadership from others.

Self-Management & Emotional Intelligence:

• Creates synergies through self-control, tolerates conditions of stress, uncertainty or ambiguity and continues to maintain a positive outlook and to work productively;
• Proven ability to work under pressure with tight deadlines, and to deliver in a timely manner within cost and quality standards.

Knowledge Sharing & Continuous Learning:

• Able to efficiently handle and share information and knowledge

Required Skills and Experience

Academic qualifications:

• Advanced university degree (Master Degree or above) in finance, business administration, insurance, economics or other relevant disciplines is required.

Experience:

• Minimum 10 years of experience in developing and delivering sovereign risk financing tools, products and service is required, with a proven track record working with both governments and the private sector;
• Excellent understanding of the global developments in the sovereign risk financing space, from global developments through to on-the-ground in developing countries is a must;
• Management or project experience in the UN, World Bank or other multilateral agency, and proven ability to engage at a senior level with donors and member states is highly desirable;
• Experience in results-based and results-oriented project implementation and management, involving strategy, financing, administration and human resources is highly desirable;
• Experience in managing teams, inspiring and mentoring staff, facilitating their capacity development, and resolving conflicts is highly desirable;
• Experience in overseeing and guiding the development of communications and knowledge management strategies and products is highly desirable;
• Experience of leading implementation of initiatives that involved multiple partners and stakeholders is highly desirable.

Language:

• Fluency in written and spoken English is required.
• Working knowledge of another UN language would be an asset.

Application Procedure:

The application package containing the following (to be uploaded as one file):

• Duly accomplished Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using UNDP provided template;
• Methodology and workplan to complete this assignment, over no more than two pages;

Personal CV or P11, indicating all past experience from similar projects and specifying the relevant assignment period (from/to), as well as the email and telephone contacts of at least three (3) professional references

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

Shortlisted candidates (ONLY) will be requested to submit a Financial Proposal.

• The financial proposal should specify an all-inclusive daily fee (based on an 8 hour working day - lunch time is not included - and estimated 21.75 days per month).
• The financial proposal must be all-inclusive and take into account various expenses that will be incurred during the contract, including: the daily professional fee; (excluding mission travel); living allowances at the duty station; communications, utilities and consumables; life, health and any other insurance; risks and inconveniences related to work under hardship and hazardous conditions (e.g., personal security needs, etc.), when applicable; and any other relevant expenses related to the performance of services under the contract.
• In the case of unforeseeable travel requested by UNDP, payment of travel costs including tickets, lodging and terminal expenses should be agreed upon, between UNDP and Individual Consultant, prior to travel and will be reimbursed. In general, UNDP should not accept travel costs exceeding those of an economy class ticket. Should the IC wish to travel on a higher class he/she should do so using their own resources.
• If the Offeror is employed by an organization/company/institution, and he/she expects his/her employer to charge a management fee in the process of releasing him/her to UNDP under a Reimbursable Loan Agreement (RLA), the Offeror must indicate at this point, and ensure that all such costs are duly incorporated in the financial proposal submitted to UNDP.

Evaluation process:

Applicants are reviewed based on Required Skills and Experience stated above and based on the technical evaluation criteria outlined below.  Applicants will be evaluated based on cumulative scoring.  When using this weighted scoring method, the award of the contract will be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as:

• Being responsive/compliant/acceptable; and
• Having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation where technical criteria weighs 70% and Financial criteria/ Proposal weighs 30%.

Technical evaluation - Total 70% (70 points):

• Criterion 1: Advanced university degree (Master Degree or above) in finance, business administration, insurance, economics or other relevant disciplines (Desk Review: min Master’s Degree – 4 points; above Master’s Degree – 5 points); – Max. 5 points;

• Criterion 2: Minimum 10 years of experience in developing and delivering sovereign risk financing tools, products and service is required, with a proven track record working with both governments and the private sector (Desk Review: min 10 years – 7 points, up to 12 years – 8 points, up to 15 years – 9 points, more than 15 years – 10 points) – Max. 10 points

• Criterion 3: Fluency in English (Desk Review) – Max. 5 points.

• Criterion 4: Management or project experience in the UN, World Bank or other multilateral agency, and proven ability to engage at a senior level with donors and member states (Desk Review: min 3 years – 3 points, up to 5 years – 4 points, over 5 years – 5 points) – Max. 5 points.

• Criterion 5: Knowledge of another UN language (Desk Review: one additional UN language - 3 points; 2 additional UN languages - 5 points) – Max. 5 points.

• Criterion 6: Methodology and workplan (Desk Review) – Max. 10 points.

• Criterion 7: Excellent understanding of the global developments in the sovereign risk financing space, from global developments through to on-the-ground in developing countries (Interview) – Max. 10 points.

• Criterion 8: Experience in results-based and results-oriented project implementation and management, involving strategy, financing, administration and human resources (Interview) – Max. 5 points.

• Criterion 9: Experience in managing teams, inspiring and mentoring staff, facilitating their capacity development, and resolving conflicts (Interview) – Max. 5 points.

• Criterion 10: Experience in overseeing and guiding the development of communications and knowledge management strategies and products (Interview) – Max. 5 points.

• Criterion 11: Experience of leading implementation of initiatives that involved multiple partners and stakeholders (Interview) – Max. 5 points

Only those candidates that meet the minimum level of education (Master’s Degree), language (fluency in English) and relevant years of experience (at least 10 years) requirements will be considered for the technical evaluation. The technical evaluation will include a desk review and evaluation of methodology/workplan to select the shortlisted candidates.

Only candidates obtaining a minimum of 70% (28 points, criteria 1-6) of the maximum obtainable points for education, experience, language and methodology (40 points) shall be considered for the interview.

Candidates obtaining a minimum of 70% (49 points) of the maximum obtainable points for the technical criteria (70 points, criteria 1-11) shall be considered for the financial evaluation.

Financial evaluation - Total 30% (30 points)

The following formula will be used to evaluate financial proposal:

p = y (µ/z), where

p = points for the financial proposal being evaluated

y = maximum number of points for the financial proposal

µ = price of the lowest priced proposal

z = price of the proposal being evaluated

Contract Award

Candidate obtaining the highest combined score in the combined score of Technical and Financial evaluation will be considered technically qualified and will be offered to enter into contract with UNDP.

Institutional Arrangements:

• The consultant will work under the guidance and direct supervision of the Special Advisor, Finance Sector Hub and will be responsible for the fulfilment of the deliverables as specified above;
• The consultant will engage with other relevant UNDP staff as needed. Detailed work plans, including timeline, external organizations and individuals to engage and consult with will be developed at the beginning of the assignment;
• The Consultant will be responsible for providing her/his own laptop;
• Payment to the Individual Contractor will be made based on the actual number of days worked, deliverables accepted and upon certification of satisfactory completion by the manager;
• The work week will be based on 40 hours, i.e. on an 8 hour working day, with core hours being between 9h00 and 18h00 daily.

Annexes(click on the hyperlink to access the documents):

Annex 1 -UNDP P-11 Form for ICs

Annex 2 -IC Contract Template

Annex 3 –IC General Terms and Conditions

Annex 4 –RLA Template

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