Macro Insurance Programme Coordinator
Organizational Context
The World Food Programme (WFP) is the world's largest humanitarian organization, saving lives and building pathways to peace. This role is within the Global Headquarters (GHQ), reporting to the Functional Director. WFP utilizes macro insurance and insurance-linked securities to enhance preparedness and finance early action and emergency response, with a growing portfolio across various regions and risk pools.
Job Purpose
The Macro Insurance Programme Coordinator will be responsible for facilitating strategic partnerships with key macro insurance and disaster risk financing (DRF) actors in London, including brokers, risk pools, insurance companies, and relevant institutions like the World Bank and the Insurance Development Forum. This role aims to increase WFP's visibility within the UK government and the insurance sector, contributing to the design and implementation of WFP's DRF Architecture and the UN DRF platform. The coordinator will also focus on resource mobilization, providing technical guidance to country offices on insurance product design and risk transfer, and strengthening the capacity of WFP staff and government stakeholders in DRF. Key accountabilities include developing partnerships, strategic engagement, representation, resource mobilization, technical supervision, capacity strengthening, research, and overseeing the implementation and scaling of WFP's macro insurance programme.
Responsibilities
The role focuses on facilitating strategic partnerships with macro insurance entities, including brokers, risk pools, and insurance/reinsurance companies, as well as Disaster Risk Financing (DRF) actors. A key responsibility is to enhance WFP's visibility with the UK government, International Financial Institutions (IFIs), and the broader insurance sector. This involves contributing to the design and implementation of WFP's DRF Architecture and a new UN DRF platform, ensuring gender-responsive operational plans and a robust risk-layering approach. The position requires developing and maintaining technical and resource partnerships, identifying new collaboration opportunities with development, humanitarian, and private sector entities. Strategic engagement includes advising on DRF sector developments to advance resource mobilization for WFP's risk financing portfolio and emergency preparedness. The role also involves representing WFP in multilateral bodies and fora, developing proposals for resource mobilization, and providing technical supervision for country offices in designing risk profiles and insurance products. Capacity strengthening of WFP staff and government stakeholders in DRF is crucial, alongside leading research on risk layering and evidence generation for ex-ante disaster response strategies. The position oversees the implementation and scaling of WFP's macro insurance program, conducts field visits to strengthen response capacities, and contributes to increasing pre-arranged finance. Budget management and timely reporting to donors are also key accountabilities.
Work Experience
Requires at least 8 years of post-graduate experience in disaster risk financing, parametric insurance, or climate risk management. Proven experience with sovereign/macro risk financing instruments, regional risk pools, and insurance industry players (insurers, reinsurers, brokers) is essential, particularly in product design, policy placement, preparedness, and payout implementation. Strong existing networks within climate and disaster risk financing and insurance (CDRFI) institutions and participation in relevant working groups are highly valued. Field experience in humanitarian work and prior experience with UN organizations are considered assets.
Skills
Disaster Risk Financing (DRF), Parametric Insurance, Climate Risk Management, Macro Insurance, Insurance-Linked Securities, Partnership Development, Resource Mobilization, Capacity Building, Research and Evidence Generation, Humanitarian Preparedness and Response, UN and Multilateral Engagement, Financial Modeling, Risk Assessment, Product Design, Policy Placement, Project Management, Budget Management, Technical Reporting, Stakeholder Coordination, International Relations