The Centre for Disaster Protection works to prevent disasters devastating lives, by helping people, countries, and organisations change how they plan and pay for disasters. We focus on disaster risk financing to help ensure that money and plans are in place before a disaster strikes, so that the poorest and most vulnerable people are better protected. We are committed to work in partnerships across sectors and geographies to drive more impactful and more equitable disaster risk finance that leaves no one behind. Specifically, through a focus on:
· Delivering excellent client outcomes and promoting lasting disaster risk finance expertise. We provide clients with impartial and evidence-based advice, quality assurance and training that meets their needs and drives more effective disaster risk finance.
· Quality evidence and learning. We work to strengthen the evidence base for prearranged financing and document and share what shows the greatest potential to achieve system change.
· Impactful communications and global policy engagement. We seek to engage and influence through evidence-led policy and inclusive policy dialogue that bridges both ‘local to global’ and the humanitarian development climate nexus, targeting the bottlenecks key to effect transformative change of the international crisis financing architecture.
Additionally, we are focused on building effective systems and processes for people and operations that support the Centre to rapidly, yet strategically, scale and grow in a way that supports our people to do their best work through safe challenge, promoting and integrating diversity, equity and inclusion.
The Centre is funded with UK aid through the UK government. Read more about us in our updated strategy (2022-2025) and find out more at www.disasterprotection.org.
The roleAs part of our next phase, we are expanding our advisory team and recruiting a Lead Risk Financing Adviser with responsibility as Head of Advisory.
The Centre’s Advisory and Training workstream delivers a range of services for its clients, including providing advice on technical DRF solutions, and training to increase stakeholders’ knowledge and enable them to better engage with both the theory and practice of DRF. The Centre’s advisory team is expanding to respond to an increased demand for high-quality advice from a wide range of international clients.
As the Centre embarks on its next exciting phase, the role of Head of Advisory will be pivotal in driving impactful advisory work. This newly established role will collaborate closely with the Head of Training and Head of Client Delivery to achieve the key objectives of our advisory and training functions. Responsibilities will include:
· Leading the Centre’s advisory strategy and its implementation to deliver at scale;
· Continue to advance the Centre’s advisory offering for clients and partners;
· Leading the evolution and implementation of the Centre’s Advisory impact framework, including refining the decision-making processes;
· Managing the advisory budget to ensure financial efficiency and strategic allocation of resources;
· In collaboration with the Head of Training and Head of Client Delivery, designing and implementing programmatic activities aligned with the Centre’s ambition to increase its impact at the national level;
· Leading client team of Centre staff and consultants and nurturing the Centre’s growing DRF talent, including line management;
· Contributing to the internal culture grounded in the Centre’s values and behaviours, with a strong emphasis on mentoring, coaching and inclusion.
The Lead Risk Finance Adviser roles will report into an Associate Director – Advisory, who sits on the Senior Leadership Team and work closely with the Centre’s Head of Training and Head of Delivery.
The role will include providing advice and quality assurance services to low- and middle-income country governments, international development and humanitarian organisations and donors to improve disaster risk management and financing.
Further examples of work to be undertaken may include, for example: leading a team of consultants to provide advice to a low-income country government or a regional development bank; reviewing a proposal from a humanitarian agency for a new risk management or financing initiative; or leading on the delivery of specific risk financing solutions and presenting findings at a global event.
In addition to role-specific responsibilities, the Lead Risk Financing Adviser – Head of Advisory will be required to:
· Develop effective partnerships and relationships at senior levels across the development, humanitarian and financial sectors.
Successful candidates will be able to demonstrate the following skills and experience:
• Relevant professional experience from senior-level advisory roles.
• Significant expertise (and where relevant, professional qualifications) in disaster risk financing or a relevant field, such as public financial management, insurance, risk management, risk modelling, actuarial science, economics, or humanitarian finance.
• Relevant experience delivering technical assistance projects, analytical and advisory services, and expert training, in a low- and middle-income country contexts.
• Strong track record 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.
• A credible understanding of actors, incentives, and institutional and policy environment of multilateral and bilateral international development.
• Experience in presenting to large, senior, and multi-stakeholder audiences.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English. Other languages, particularly French, should be highlighted given our expanding portfolio in Francophone countries.
• Ability to motivate others, take initiative, and work effectively as part of a dynamic, multidisciplinary team.
Person specificationSuccessful candidates should:
• Demonstrate a strong commitment to building resilience and reducing vulnerability in low and middle-income countries.
• Demonstrate an understanding of, and commitment to, the Centre’s values and mission.
• Applicants should be willing, if required, to travel to Africa, Asia, and other international locations as needed including lower income and fragile and conflict-affected contexts. As a guide, one week every 2-3 months.
• Demonstrate a commitment to ongoing learning, including technical and non-technical skills.
The offerThis role is expected to be offered on a fixed term contract basis, anticipated to start in September 2024 and continuing to June 2029, with an initial probation period of up to 4 months. The role will be contracted by DAI Global UK (or local partner/representative), who are the Centre’s managing agent.
The position is offered in the first instance as a position based in the UK, Nigeria or Pakistan. Whilst the role is primarily remote, regular visits to the Centre’s office in the City of London will be required and preference will be for candidates who can commit to working from the London office at least two days a week. Flexible, part-time and remote working arrangements will be considered. Applicants for the role must already have the right to work in the UK/Nigeria/Pakistan as relevant.
Other locations of employment may be considered, subject to feasibility. Candidates based elsewhere who fulfil the above skills and experience and person specification criteria and have interest in the role, may contact the Centre on the enquiry e-mail below in the first instance, to enquire whether the role could be offered in their preferred location.
You will be pleased to know that we strive to uphold the highest ethical standards and that we are working with our clients to reduce the opportunity for people who are known to have breached ethical standards to work in our field. Any staff and/or consultant contract with DAI, therefore, will be subject to satisfactory reference checking and vetting.
A competitive salary and benefits package will be offered depending on experience (indicative gross salary range between £60,000 and £90,000 per annum where the role is based in the UK). The proposed salary will be confirmed at the offer stage.
The Centre is committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace and so we particularly encourage applications from diverse backgrounds that are typically under-represented in this sector and from citizens of countries affected by disasters.
DAI is a global development company with corporate offices in the USA, the UK, the EU, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Palestine, and project operations worldwide. DAI tackles fundamental social and economic development problems caused by inefficient markets, ineffective governance, and instability; it works on the frontlines of global development, transforming ideas into action—action into impact. DAI is committed to shaping a more liveable world.
Application processInterested applicants should apply via DAI’s recruitment portal. All applications must include a concise CV as well as a covering supporting statement (no more than two pages) outlining your motivation for applying and the key qualities you would bring to the role.
Any reasonable adjustment requests or questions about the role or the recruitment process should be sent to: jobs_centre@disasterprotection.org (please do not send applications to this email address).
The deadline for receiving applications is 11:59 pm (UK time) on 22nd of August 2024.
We work to prevent disasters devastating lives, by helping people, countries, and organisations change how they plan and pay for disasters, so that those most vulnerable people are better protected. We focus on more impactful and more equitable disaster risk finance that leaves no one behind.
We’re helping to grow the emerging evidence base on how to better reach and support people in need to help ensure that money and plans are in place before a disaster strikes. We work with governments and organisations to create practical and policy solutions, incentivise proactive risk management and risk financing and support risk informed decision making.
We do this because we want to see urgent change so that adequate support is available to those who need it, when they need it most.
