Job Description
Purpose / Project Description:
Mercy Corps is seeking support from insurance experts to define our value proposition and partnership models for advancing inclusive insurance. Mercy Corps’ positioning will need to be built on our current experience; and considered at three levels – at the macro level, working with national governments and insurance partners to pool funds and protect a large segment of the population; at the meso level to protect aggregators such as agribusinesses and financial institutions who can then provide coverage to their members/clients; and at the micro level, working with small businesses, smallholder farmers and individuals to facilitate access to insurance. It also includes taking stock of Mercy Corps’ experience with different models such as anticipatory action models, parametric/index-based insurance and/or traditional indemnity insurance, and bundling insurance with other financial services.
Mercy Corps is already working with a student team from George Washington University to map the weather-related insurance sector, identify areas of opportunity, and compile lessons learned from the broader insurance sector in that region. Mercy Corps is seeking a consultant to complement this work and develop a strategic roadmap that will include:
- A framework and theory of change based on a comprehensive SWOT analysis and strong understanding of the current trends in inclusive insurance, underlining how Mercy Corps can respond to the challenges currently faced by private insurance corporations in expanding their offering/client base and how much of the gaps left by the loss of funding in emergency response insurance can fill. This framework will clearly define the connection points between anticipatory action, private insurance, and macro schemes such as ARC Replica.
- Recommendations on investable and scalable models;
- A clear, actionable blueprint for engaging with new insurance partners
Consultant Activities:
The consultant will:
- Identify the areas of opportunity for Mercy Corps at the macro, meso and micro levels
- Develop a clear value proposition for Mercy Corps, including programming areas and messaging
- Develop a donor engagement plan, including the identification of priority donors who have aligned priorities and those donors to engage with within a longer-term horizon
Consultant Deliverables:
The Consultant will create:
- Value Proposition and Recommended Modalities Presentation outlining Mercy Corps programming priorities in the weather risk insurance sector
- Complementary Donor Research information to be added to Mercy Corps’ and the students’ team own donor research.
- A Strategic Written Report & Presentation to summarize the findings/analysis of Mercy Corps’ value proposition, programmatic areas, detailed explanations of the proposed modalities, and how best to sell them to new donors/insurance corporations.
Timeframe / Schedule:
The consultancy is expected to start in January 2026 and end no later than April 2026 – for a maximum of 20 days during that time period.
The Consultant will report to:
- Sr Director Economic Opportunities
- Sr Advisor, Financial Inclusion
The Consultant will work closely with:
- Institutional Donor Engagement
- Philanthropic Growth and Engagement
- Director ZCRA project
Required Experience & Skills:
- Demonstrated experience in private insurance sector, including strong understanding of current industry trends and challenges
- Solid experience in financial services/insurance strategy development and positioning
- In depth knowledge of weather-based insurance models – indemnity and parametric - in developing countries
- Proven ability to analyze complex programmatic work and translate it into clear, compelling investment propositions and partnership models
- Excellent communication and facilitation skills, with the ability to engage senior leaders
Desired Experience
- Knowledge of INGOs, including humanitarian assistance and resilience programming
- Good understanding of the ARC Replica and other disaster risk financing in fragile contexts
Disclaimer: Applications will be received until this position is filled.
