[Hiring] Senior Technical Advisor – Disaster Risk Financing @World Food Programme

Role Description

The Senior Technical Advisor – Disaster Risk Financing (DRF) provides high-level technical leadership on disaster risk financing instruments, focusing on macro and meso-level climate insurance, risk layering, catastrophe bond structuring, and climate hazard model development. The role includes:

• A. Technical Advisory Services on Disaster Risk Financing Instruments
• Coordinate the technical design, structuring, and refinement of sovereign and meso-level risk transfer instruments, including macro drought insurance products, risk layering mechanisms, and trigger-based contingency financing tools.
• Coordinate the design, testing, and refinement of new or expanded DRF instruments, including:
  • Expansion and optimization of the catastrophe insurance layer in Africa.
  • Meso-level insurance products in collaboration with the Inclusive Risk Financing Team.
  • New macro drought insurance instruments for high-risk contexts (e.g., Afghanistan).
• Provide technical recommendations on the development of first-of-its-kind financing instruments, including a catastrophe bond for drought.
• Advise WFP and partners on the development and evaluation of data analytics and risk modeling.
• Coordinate the policy placement process for WFP / PRGR.
• Initiate and oversee technical research and studies that advance modeling, index design, and DRF operationalization.
• B. Strategic Advisory Support to Country Offices and Governments
• Support technical engagement with Country Offices (COs) and Government Technical Working Groups.
• Provide technical advice on the benefits, limitations, and design implications of different risk transfer products.
• Guide countries through risk financing strategy development.
• Provide technical training for COs, government counterparts, and internal focal points on DRF, risk transfer, and index methodologies.
• C. Market and Partner Engagement
• Represent WFP in technical negotiations with product developers, insurers, reinsurers, brokers, modeling firms, and catastrophe bond structurers.
• Seek and manage advisory services from third parties on particular products.
• Provide WFP’s technical contributions in relevant DRF global fora.

Deliverables at the end of the contract include:

• High quality risk transfer instruments designed or refined.
• Technical briefing notes and model assessments for each country’s DRF instrument(s).
• Refined and expanded Africa catastrophe insurance layer and documentation of the expansion approach.
• At least one new risk transfer product developed (or advanced to design stage) for a specific region/country.
• Strengthened technical capacities of COs and partner government teams.

Qualifications

• Education: Advanced University degree in risk modelling, engineering, economics, environmental sciences, climate science, agricultural sciences, geosciences, financial engineering, or related field.
• Experience:
  • At least 11 years of progressively responsible experience in disaster risk financing, macro/meso level insurance, catastrophe modelling, climate risk management or related technical fields.
  • Demonstrated experience in structuring risk transfer instruments, including sovereign insurance or catastrophe bonds.
  • Proven experience working with technical service providers, modelling firms, financial institutions, brokers, reinsurers/insurers.
• Knowledge & Skills:
  • Strong expertise in climate hazard modelling, index design, and financial structuring of DRF instruments.
  • Ability to lead high level technical discussions and advise senior partners.
  • Strong coordination and communication skills across diverse stakeholders.
  • Excellent analytical writing and technical reporting skills.
• Languages: Fluency in English (Level C). Intermediate proficiency (Level B) in another UN language is desirable; French is an asset.

Benefits

• WFP is a 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate.
• WFP offers a highly inclusive, diverse, and multicultural working environment.
• WFP invests in the personal & professional development of its employees through a range of training, accreditation, coaching, mentorship, and other programs.
• A career path in WFP provides an exciting opportunity to work across various country, regional, and global offices.
• We offer an attractive compensation package.