National Project Manager – Agriculture Insurance

Background

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are core principles at UNDP: we value diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate, we foster inclusion as a way of ensuring all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, and we ensure equity and fairness in all our actions. Taking a ‘leave no one behind’ approach to our diversity efforts means increasing representation of underserved populations. People who identify as belonging to marginalized or excluded populations are strongly encouraged to apply. Learn more about working at UNDP including our values and inspiring stories.

UNDP does not tolerate sexual exploitation and abuse, any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, and discrimination. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks.

Duties and Responsibilities

UNDP has been working in India since 1951 in almost all areas of human development. Together with the Government of India and development partners, we have worked towards eradicating poverty, reducing inequalities, strengthening local governance, enhancing community resilience, protecting the environment, supporting policy initiatives and institutional reforms, and accelerating sustainable development for all.

With projects and programmes in every state and union territory in India, UNDP works with national and subnational government, and diverse development actors to deliver people-centric results, particularly for the most vulnerable and marginalized communities. As the integrator for collective action on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within the UN system, we are committed to supporting the Government of India’s national development vision and priorities and accelerating the achievement of the SDGs for the people and the planet.

UNDP India’s new Country Programme (2023-2027) builds on our prior work and aims to provide an integrated approach to development solutions in three strategic portfolios:

• Strong, accountable and evidence-led institutions for accelerated achievement of the SDGs.
• Enhanced economic opportunities and social protection to reduce inequality, with a focus on the marginalized.
• Climate-smart solutions, sustainable ecosystems and resilient development for reduced vulnerability.

South-South cooperation, gender equality and social inclusion are promoted across the pillars. The programme is supported by a framework of renewed partnerships and blended finance solutions, strategic innovation and accelerator labs, and data and digital architecture.

You are invited to join a team of future-smart development professionals to support India in achieving the national and globally agreed goals. As part of the UNDP team, your focus will be to work with diverse stakeholders to find country-specific solutions that lead to sustainable development and reach those furthest behind first.

Office/Unit/Project Description

More than half of all livelihoods inIndia isprimarily dependent on agriculture. A massive 54.6% of the total workforce is engaged in agricultural and allied sector activities and 57% of the rural households are directly dependent on agriculture for their livelihoods. However, the agricultural sector is facing various challenges like small landholding, declining productivity, rising input costs, declining farm income, the adverse impact of climate change, and decline in the percentage share of workers engaged in the agriculture sector. Agricultural production shocks have huge social and financial repercussions, impacting rural income levels, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and poverty rates.

The Government ofIndia’s flagship schemes Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) and KCC/MISS have become important tools to strengthen the resilience of Indian farmers. The schemes ensure maximum benefits for the farmers by providing financial risk protection against natural calamities and catastrophic events including pests, climate uncertainties and environmental shocks. Apart from providing comprehensive risk coverage for the entire crop cycle, PMFBY also enables direct claim transfer into farmers’ accounts through e-remittance. Additionally, to address agrarian distress, Kisan Credit Card/ Modified Interest Subvention Scheme (MISS) was introduced by the Government of India to provide cheap and hassle-free credit for millions of farmers and to ensure continued investment into agriculture to bring in mechanisation, modernise agriculture practices and eventually enhance productivity.

UNDP’s Country Programme Document (2023-2027) intended Outcome 2 states that “By 2027, people will benefit from and contribute to sustainable and inclusive growth through higher productivity, competitiveness and diversification in economic activities that create decent work, livelihoods, and income particularly for youth and women”. UNDP leverages its expertise in systems strengthening to support the Ministry of Agriculture through setting up of a Central Program Management Unit (CPMU) for the implementation of PMFBY and KCC, to improve institutional and programme responsiveness, increase coverage and better access among marginalised and excluded farm households, offering innovative measures and support mechanisms for Agri-value chain financing, risk management and reduced crop loss for the rural population in India. The PMU will also focus on providing Capacity Building and Training support to participating state-level government departments involved in PMFBY and KCC and advancing the scheme among new states for improved uptake.

Globally, UNDP’s growing work in insurance has led to the creation of the Insurance & Risk Finance Facility (IRFF), within the Sustainable Finance Hub. Its work covers a range of critical areas where insurance and risk transfer solutions and collaboration with the global insurance industry can add significantly to achieving and delivering the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs.) Covering inclusive insurance, sovereign risk financing, insurance investments, natural capital, and more.

In 2023, the IRFF is launching a new initiative to support climate adaptation efforts for smallholder resilience in 5 countries (India, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Uganda). This initiative will focus on the design and implementation of agriculture insurance through innovative partnerships and catalyzing further financing to scale up initiatives.

Main Purpose:

The National Project Manager – Agriculture Insurance, will work under the supervision of the Head – Inclusive Growth, UNDP India in collaboration with the National Programme Director – CPMU, SDG Finance Advisor and Regional Specialist – Insurance and Risk Finance. S/He will ensure engagement of all direct stakeholders and delivery of IRFF project objectives in full integration to the current work of the CPMU.

Duties and Responsibilities:

The expected duties and responsibilities include:

Coordinate activities for designing and development of comprehensive agricultural insurance solutions. This will include:

• Value chain analysis for the integration of insurance into agri business models, universalization of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna, etc.
• Facilitate integration of Sandboxing framework to pilot and launch the new products
• Facilitate review and analysis of existing international and domestic legislative and regulatory frameworks regarding comprehensive agriculture insurance
• Framing and drafting new policies, regulatory frameworks and implementing guidelines
• Organise consultation workshops and seminars with key experts

Lead institutional capacity building interventions for all the stakeholders to strengthen the foundations of policy and market transformation for insurance and risk finance.

• Facilitate trainings, advocacy, and knowledge exchange with stakeholders which include the government and public-private partners.
• Implement capacity needs assessments for different levels of stakeholders.
• Support research and documentation for development of new insurance products, tools and services
• Document the India experience and facilitate data collection on outreach for the InsuResilience Global Partnership
• Facilitate research for guiding development of agri insurance products
• Support design and creation of global and national knowledge materials on best practices of comprehensive agriculture insurance products
• Regular monitoring and reporting of all project activities

Facilitate multistakeholder coordination with partner institutes and stakeholders responsible for implementation 

of the project.

• Set up and coordinate work of the Task Force and project team for designing, approving, testing and implementing Agri and Rural Insurance strategies and products.
• Engage in a multistakeholder process to identify and develop the elements of market foundations for agricultural insurance.
• Establish partnerships for designing and implementing new agricultural insurance products and integrate UNDP as a national multistakeholder coordination mechanism for agricultural insurance.
• The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organization.

Competencies

Core Competencies: 

• Achieve Results: LEVEL 3: Set and align challenging, achievable objectives for multiple projects, have lasting impact
• Think Innovatively: LEVEL 3: Proactively mitigate potential risks, develop new ideas to solve complex problems
• Learn Continuously: LEVEL 3: Create and act on opportunities to expand horizons, diversify experiences
• Adapt with Agility: LEVEL 3: Proactively initiate and champion change, manage multiple competing demands
• Act with Determination: LEVEL 3: Think beyond immediate task/barriers and take action to achieve greater results
• Engage and Partner: LEVEL 3: Political savvy, navigate complex landscape, champion inter-agency collaboration
• Enable Diversity and Inclusion: LEVEL 3: Appreciate benefits of diverse workforce and champion inclusivity

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies

Business Direction & Strategy 

• Strategic Thinking: Ability to develop effective strategies and prioritized plans in line with UNDP’s objectives, based on the systemic analysis of challenges, potential risks and opportunities; linking the vision to reality on the ground, and creating tangible solutions; Ability to leverage learning from a variety of sources to anticipate and respond to future trends; to demonstrate foresight in order to model what future developments and possible ways forward look like for UNDP. 
• System Thinking: Ability to use objective problem analysis and judgement to understand how interrelated elements coexist within an overall process or system, and to consider how altering one element can impact on other parts of the system. 

Business Development 

• Collective Intelligence Design: Ability to bringing together diverse groups of people, data, information or ideas, and technology to design services or solutions. 

Business Management 

• Client Management: Ability to respond timely and appropriately with a sense of urgency, provide consistent solutions, and deliver timely and quality results and/or solutions to fulfil and understand the real customers’ needs.
• Provide inputs to the development of customer service strategy.
• Look for ways to add value beyond clients’ immediate requests.
• Ability to anticipate client’s upcoming needs and concerns. 

Project Management 

• Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals. 

Resource Management 

• Ability to allocate and use resources in a strategic or tactical way in line with principles of accountability and integrity. 

Communications 

• Advocacy strategy and implementation: Ability to create and implement advocacy strategies which lead to impactful change. 

Partnership management 

• Emerging partnerships: Ability to engage with emerging partners, develop and manage a strategy and develop approaches to developing and managing these new strategic partnerships. 

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Agronomy, Agriculture Economics or Insurance, Business Administration (MBA), Rural Development or equivalent is required, or
• A firstlevel university degree (Bachelor’s degree) in the areas mentioned above in combination with additional 2 years of qualifying experience, will be given due consideration in lieu of Master´s degree.

Experience:

• Minimum 5 Years (with Master’s Degree) or 7 years’ (with Bachelor’s Degree) of demonstrable experience in insurance development in developing countries, preferably agricultural insurance and including parametric and weather index-based products
• Relevant Experience at the national level working with governments and private entities in the insurance sector.
• Additional years of experience Program/project management experience with at least five years in a lead role.
• Experience of working with Central and/or State Governments/ international agencies/on similar assignments will be preferred.
• Prior experience of setting up TSU or technical advisory services in the insurance sector.
• In-depth knowledge of agriculture insurance, insurance product design and delivery, indemnity-based insurance, index-based insurance products, national agricultural policies and existing agricultural insurance schemes, regulatory laws and supervision related to agricultural insurance, related concepts and initiatives, policies and practices,
• Adequate experience in project management practices and ability to formulate and manage budgets,
• Broad based knowledge of cross-cutting thematic areas such as value chains, risk management, CCE, financial legal and regulatory standards, procurement procedures, environmental and social safeguards,
• Knowledge of legislative, legal and regulatory structures in place with respect to agricultural insurance in India,
• Demonstrates substantive and technical knowledge to meet responsibilities and requirements of the post with excellence
• Possesses the capacity for strategic planning, result – based management and reporting.
• Good facilitation and communication skills,
• Ability to carry out research and communicate strategic pieces that guide decisions on strategic programme directions,
• Tailors and presents information to diverse audiences using a variety of communication delivery methods (e.g., written, electronic, oral, interpersonal) Documentation,
• Good interpersonal skills and ability to establish and maintain effective partnerships and working relations with people in a multi- cultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity
• Management skills
• Strong leadership skills,
• Demonstrated skills in building, mobilizing, and leading multi- disciplinary teams,
• Handson experience in design, formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development projects,
• Ability to implement and achieve project outcomes,
• Ability to lead consultative meetings at national and state level with partners and senior stakeholders to identify priorities and manage the timely delivery of project activities,
• Reliable in delivering own parts of the work as part of a team effort,
• Demonstrates excellent work/project planning skills,
• Is open to change and ability to manage complex, ever changing environments.

Required Languages:

• Fluency in English and Hindi is required.

Disclaimer

Important information for US Permanent Residents (‘Green Card’ holders) 

Under US immigration law, acceptance of a staff position with UNDP, an international organization, may have significant implications for US Permanent Residents. UNDP advises applicants for all professional level posts that they must relinquish their US Permanent Resident status and accept a G-4 visa, or have submitted a valid application for US citizenship prior to commencement of employment. 

UNDP is not in a position to provide advice or assistance on applying for US citizenship and therefore applicants are advised to seek the advice of competent immigration lawyers regarding any applications.

Applicant information about UNDP rosters

Note: UNDP reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this vacancy announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this post for other similar positions with UNDP at the same grade level and with similar job description, experience and educational requirements.

Non-discrimination

UNDP has a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual exploitation and misconduct, sexual harassment, and abuse of authority. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. 

UNDP is an equal opportunity and inclusive employer that does not discriminate based on race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status. 

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