Lead Risk Financing Adviser – Sahel at DAI

About the role

• The role will include providing advice, quality assurance and training to the Sahelian country governments, World Bank task team leaders and country teams, as well as wider international development and humanitarian organisations and donors to improve disaster risk management and financing. 
• The candidate is expected to contribute to the design and lead the delivery of high-quality technical advisory and analysis on disaster risk analysis and financing, applied to adaptive social protection. This role will also be involved in reviewing and quality assuring other Centre suppliers’ ongoing work alongside the Centre’s Sahel team.
• Further examples of work to be undertaken may include, for example: working alongside a client’s advisory team to provide advice to a low-income country government or a regional development bank on the design and implementation of pre-arranged finance solutions1; providing quality assurance reviews of disaster risk financing products; or leading on the delivery of specific risk financing solutions and presenting findings at regional events.
• This role is expected to be largely desk-based, requiring incidental travel to countries in the Sahel. Applicants will be required to travel irregularly to low-income, often fragile and conflict-affected countries (as a guide, one week every 2-3 months, travel restrictions permitting). 
• In addition to these role-specific responsibilities, the Lead Risk Finance Advisor is expected to:
• Uphold the organisation’s values and contribute to a positive organisational culture.  
• Build the Centre’s external reputation through delivering excellent technical work and the development of innovative solutions. 
• Develop effective partnerships and relationships at senior levels across the development, humanitarian and financial sectors.
• Manage and supervise teams of Centre staff and consultants, coaching and mentoring colleagues as required, including potentially direct line management of a Risk Analyst.

Skills and experience 

Successful candidates will be able to demonstrate the following skills and experience:

• At least ten years’ experience in disaster risk financing or a relevant field, such as public financial management, insurance, risk management, risk modelling, actuarial science, economics, shock-responsive social protection, or humanitarian finance.
• Experience in designing, delivering and/or quality assuring technical advisory in the international development sector to a high standard is required.  Experience in one or more of the following is highly desirable:
• o   working in and on Francophone African and fragile and conflict-affected countries.
• o   managing projects for or in close coordination with international development and/or humanitarian agencies and/or governments.
• o   applied research to a high standard.
• Experience in complex client management and the ability to build effective strategic partnerships across different sectors and stakeholders, including working with government at a senior level.
• Proven ability to work independently with occasional guidance and oversight, and as part of international teams often working in different locations and time zones.
• Work experience in the focus countries noted above will be considered an asset.
• Qualifications at master’s degree level in a relevant field. 
• Fluency (written and spoken) in French and English are required. Fluency in Arabic would be advantageous but not required.
• Successful candidates must also demonstrate:
• A strong commitment to building resilience and reducing vulnerability in low and middle-income countries.
• An understanding and commitment to the Centre’s values and mission.
• And be willing to travel to Africa, Asia, and other international locations as needed including lower income and fragile, conflict-affected contexts (travel restrictions permitting).