Consultant - Country Engagement Manager for WCA

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Title: Consultant - Country Engagement Manager for West and Central Africa

Org. Unit: African Risk Capacity (ARC)

Duty Station: Abidjan

Contract type: Regular Consultant

Duration: 3 months

Reporting to: Head of Government Services for West and Central Africa      

Background

African Risk Capacity (ARC) is a Specialised Agency of the African Union (AU). The ARC Agency leads the ARC Group, a development finance institution that provides financial tools and infrastructure to help countries manage natural disaster risks and adapt to climate change. It counts 34 AU countries as members and is supervised by a ministerial level Governing Board elected by its Conference of the Parties. Operating under the privileges and immunities of the AU, the ARC Agency, through its Secretariat, provides Member States with capacity building services for early warning, contingency planning and risk financeThe ARC design and establishment phase was managed by World Food Programme (WFP) under a Memorandum of Understanding with the African Union, and WFP continues to provide administrative services support to ARC Agency through an Administrative Service Agreement.

In 2014, ARC launched its initial risk insurance product for Member States through its financial affiliate, the ARC Insurance Company Limited (ARC Ltd).  ARC Ltd is a specialist hybrid mutual insurance company and Africa's first ever disaster insurance pool, aggregating risk by issuing insurance policies to participating governments and transferring it to international markets. ARC Ltd uses the Group's satellite weather surveillance software, Africa RiskView, to determine the risk to be transferred to ARC by estimating the impact of drought on vulnerable populations and the response costs required to mitigate the risk before a season begins. Members of the ARC risk pool receive a pay-out when the rainfall deviation is sufficiently severe such that the estimated response costs, as determined by the software and the risk transfer parameters selected by each country, cross a pre-defined threshold. A similar process will be followed for ARC's new products that are currently under development.

Responsibilities

Reporting to the Head of Government Services for West and Central Africa, the consultant will be responsible for establishing, managing and promoting, the ARC in-country capacity building programme in selected countries within the West and Central African region.  The Consultant will take the primarily responsibility in helping countries understand ARC's disaster risk management approach and the subsequent risk transfer instruments offered to countries and support governments in integrating ARC and general risk management principles in the country. The consultant will support the organization in the following key areas;

Political/Organizational Duties:

• Under the supervision and direction of the ARC Head of Government Services;
  • negotiate and finalize Memoranda of Understanding between ARC and Member State governments for new potential drought, flood or tropical cyclone insurance coverage in the ARC risk pools;
  • Setting up country programmes and assisting the Programme Supervisor in member states in selecting an ARC Government Coordinator and assembling the ARC in-country technical working group;
• Act as ARC's liaison with the governments and advise ARC senior management of relevant political developments;
• Support senior management visits to the country, including preparation of briefing documents and working with ARC administrative staff to facilitate travel, accommodation, transport and appropriate protocol and security as necessary.
• Liaise with UN or AU agencies and institutions, NGOs, donor partners, and lead institutions in early warning, climate change and disaster risk management in-country and assist in the development of joint work-programmes and partnerships;
• Represent ARC at regional level whenever necessary

Programmatic Duties:

Under the supervision and direction of the ARC Head of Government Services;

• Lead the development of relevant Country Strategy Papers for countries in within his/her portfolio, aim to take a strategic view across programme components and make linkages between them and the broader risk management and food security context in which ARC is operating;
• Lead the implementation of the ARC in-country capacity building programme, ensuring all milestones and deliverables with respect to risk pool participation requirements for countries are achieved by the ARC Secretariat;
• Guide and manage the ARC Government Coordinator and his/her implementation of the work-streams of the ARC Capacity Building Programme for existing client countries and new client countries which include: 1) Africa RiskView customization, 2) ARC operations planning, and 3) risk transfer – building consensus within government and among local partners on all aspects of the project's scope;
  • Develop, manage and report on the in-country working group work-plans and programme budget;
  • Manage knowledge and information exchange and the delivery of ARC services to the ARC countries for which he/she is responsible;
  • Specifically for Africa RiskView software customization, be familiar with the underlying methodology and how to navigate the software, and assist the ARC Technical Team in refinement of the model by soliciting and synthesizing in- country working group feedback, working with national technical experts and securing improved data as required;
  • In the area of Contingency Planning, assist the Chief of Operations and Planning in researching and selecting contextually appropriate response mechanisms and ensuring linkages with the broader food security and weather risk management policies and frameworks within the countries;
  • In the area of Risk Transfer, understand the country's options for risk transfer vis-à-vis their needs, budget and risk appetite as well as the legal processes they will need to complete in order to participate in the risk pool. Additionally, ensuring inclusion of the premiums in the national budget and assisting the government in mobilizing resources to pay the premium.
• Detect, organize and deliver the relevant expert support from the Secretariat to the country as needed to complete the Capacity Building Programme within the aggressive and tight deadlines, always ensuring that the country retains ownership.
  • Work closely with ARC Ltd on the contract finalisation and premium payment process.
• Lead external relations and political advocacy for the countries under his/her portfolio
  • Support the advocacy and the political ownership component of the capacity building programme for the region, ensuring that there is adequate buy-in for countries to join the pool.
  • Support and guide ARC current and prospective countries in accessing premium financing from relevant financial partners.
  • Interface with partner agencies, governments, NGOs, donor partners, and lead institutions in climate change and disaster risk management at the country and regional level, and guide the Policy and Technical services unit in fostering partnerships with relevant institutions
• Regularly document the country programme, major decisions taken pertaining to the country's participation, track log-frame indicators and assist the M&E officer in analysis and reporting;
• Organize and conduct ARC trainings and workshops for in-country stakeholders, including government and their partners, and regional body representatives;
• Travel frequently to countries under management
• Perform other related duties as requested by the senior ARC staff.

Qualifications

Education:

A Master's degree or university degree and equivalent experience in one or more of the following disciplines: social sciences, finance, business administration, international relations, international development, development economics or another relevant field.

Experience:

• Minimum of five years of postgraduate progressively responsible professional experience in public sector management, development project management, emergency assistance, finance, or other related, relevant field.
• Experience in dealing with African governments, especially governments in the west and Central Africa Region will be an added advantage.

Language:

Fluency in English is required.   Knowledge (intermediate/level B) of another AU official language – French, Arabic or Portuguese is desirable.

Desirable Skills & Knowledge:

• Strong interpersonal, negotiation and diplomatic skills with the ability to establish effective working relations with people at all levels and of different national and cultural background.
• Strong analytical skills in order to identify systemic issues, both programmatic and operational, and develop viable solutions.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, team-centered, environment.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and maintain effective partnerships
• Ability to be resourceful and effectively navigate new environments.
• Ability to complete tasks on time and uphold ARC standards for high quality output without constant supervision.
• Ability to prioritize multiple tasks under tight deadlines in a timely manner in a dynamic environment
• Knowledge of risk transfer, including (parametric) insurance, disaster risk management, climate change  and climate-related development programmes in Africa.
• Knowledge and experience of food security planning and emergency response in Africa (especially for drought and other natural hazards), including beneficiary impact, political economy and the management and operational frameworks for major national and regional responses.
• Demonstrated ability to take a strategic view across a large complex programme.
• Strong computer skills, including excellent skills in MS Office based word processing, presentation, spreadsheet, database and other standard software packages and systems.
• General knowledge of or experience working with African Union, NEPAD, Regional Economic Communities, Regional Technical Institutions.

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