Tiered Approach

In line with the commitment to safeguard capacity and support personnel already in the Organization, a majority of UNDP UNCDF/UNV vacancies are advertised using a tiered application process whereby:

• Tier 0 UNDP/UNCDF/UNV IP staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments, whose posts will be abolished, or contracts will be terminated or not renewed during 2026.
• Tier 1 Other UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding permanent (PA) and fixed-term (FTA) appointments
• Tier 2 UNDP/UNCDF/UNV staff holding temporary appointments (TA), personnel on regular PSA contracts, and Expert and Specialist UN Volunteers
• Tier 3 or no tier indicated All other contract types from UNDP/UNCDF/UNV and other agencies, and other external candidates

Please make note of the Tier(s) indicated in the vacancy title, if any, and ensure that you satisfy the eligibility to apply.

Background

General Assembly Resolution 2186 (XXI) decided to “bring into operations the United Nations Capital Development Fund as an organ of the General Assembly which shall function as an autonomous organization of the United Nations. The UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) assists developing countries, especially least developing countries, in the development of their economies by supplementing existing sources of capital assistance by means of grants, loans, and guarantees. UNCDFs vision is to help mobilise and catalyse an increase of capital flows for SDG impactful investments to Member States to address the most pressing development challenges facing vulnerable communities in these countries and thereby contribute to sustainable economic growth and equitable prosperity.

As a Flagship Catalytic Blended Financing platform of the UN, UNCDF utilises its unique capability in the UN system to deploy grants, loans and guarantees to crowd-in finance for the scaling of development impact. UNCDF focuses on where the needs are greatest, a deliberate focus and capability rooted in UNCDF’s unique investment mandate to support the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the realization of the Doha Programme of Action for the least developed countries, 2022–2031.

As per its Strategic Framework, UNCDF works to deploy its functions as a hybrid development organization and development finance institution. UNCDF responds to Member States requests for assistance by providing targeted technical and financial advisory services on investments for development outcomes, designing bespoke financial structuring solutions, undertaking financial derisking of investments, and enhancing investment readiness of SDG aligned projects in partnership with private sector, UNOs, International and Local Finance Institutions, Development Finance Institutions as well as Foundations and Philanthropy, among others. UNCDF works to develop local financial systems, new markets and mobilise and crowd in capital from public and private sources. UNCDF is driven by a partnership mindset which enables it to deploy its different capital capabilities in highly tailored and responsive ways to mobilise investments flows from other sources, from the private sector. By structuring transactions which are highly impactful, but also recognise the need for multiplying the impact of its own capital, UNCDF seeks to position itself as a preferred partner for different stakeholders. UNCDF’s work is focused on three priority areas, including:

• SME Finance
• Sub-National Finance
• Digital Finance

UNCDF’s organizational set up includes an Investment and Implementation Division (IID), Investment and Finance Oversight Division (IFOD), Operations and Oversight Division (OOD) and a Directorate of the Executive Office. UNCDF staff and personnel are in regional hubs based in Dakar (Senegal), Nairobi (Kenya) and Bangkok (Thailand) with sub-regional presence in a number of locations in the Caribbean and Pacific Regions. UNCDF is led by an Executive Secretary based out of New York, USA. Pursuant to General Assembly resolution 2321(XXII, para 1.a), the Administrator of the UNDP performs the function of the Managing Director of UNCDF. UNCDF is overseen by an Executive Board comprised of UN Member States.

Bangladesh’s ready-made garments (RMG) sector is vital to the economy, employing millions—mostly women—but is highly exposed to climate risks that disrupt production, supply chains, and livelihoods. Microinsurance, particularly parametric insurance (which pays out based on predefined triggers like rainfall or floods), offers a fast and effective way to reduce vulnerability and support recovery after climate shocks.

However, Bangladesh’s insurance market faces major barriers, including high costs, limited technical capacity, weak systems, low awareness, poor data, and regulatory gaps, limiting access for vulnerable groups like garment workers.

To address this, the UN Capital Development Fund, through its Oporajita Phase 2 initiative (supported by the H&M Foundation) part of the Leaving No One Behind in the Digital Era (LNOB) programme in Bangladesh, is piloting climate-linked microinsurance for garment workers. The program aims to boost resilience by combining financial protection with climate information and tailored support services for workers and their families. Through its “Leaving No One Behind in the Digital Era” programme, UNCDF promotes digital inclusion, financial literacy, and innovative finance solutions, while improving policy and regulatory frameworks. Its initiatives span women’s economic empowerment, climate resilience, migrant support, green finance, and MSME development—helping build a more inclusive, resilient, and digitally enabled economy in Bangladesh

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision and in close collaboration with the Country Lead for Bangladesh, the incumbent will perform the duties and responsibilities mentioned below.

1.Coordinate field research, vulnerability assessments, stakeholder consultations, baseline and market studies.

• Support the design and coordination of demand-side and supply-side research activities to assess climate vulnerabilities affecting ready-made garment (RMG) workers, their households, and relevant actors within the garment ecosystem in Bangladesh.
• Support the implementation of field-based vulnerability assessments in selected industrial areas, including tier 2 and tier 3 factories, to identify climate-related livelihood risks, existing coping mechanisms, and gaps in financial protection among target beneficiaries.
• Coordinate the collection, analysis, and synthesis of primary and secondary data to inform intervention design, beneficiary targeting, and the development of climate-linked inclusive insurance solutions.
• Engage and maintain regular consultations with key public and private stakeholders, including insurers, financial service providers, factory representatives, sector associations, and government agencies, to validate research findings and identify market opportunities.
• Support the preparation of analytical reports, market assessments, knowledge products, and evidence-based recommendations to guide product development, blended finance structuring, and policy engagement under the project.
• Facilitate workshops, consultations, and learning sessions with implementing partners and ecosystem stakeholders to ensure research insights are translated into actionable programmatic interventions and pilot design.
  

2.Support design/testing of parametric microinsurance and bundled services for workers and families.

• Support the co-design and development of climate-linked parametric microinsurance solutions tailored to the needs of ready-made garment workers and their households, incorporating findings from field research, stakeholder consultations, and climate risk assessments.
• Coordinate with partner insurers, financial service providers, and relevant ecosystem actors to test product feasibility, operational workflows, beneficiary onboarding mechanisms, and bundled service delivery models.
• Assist in the design and operationalization of complementary bundled services linked to the insurance product, including climate adaptation information, digital access channels, health-related support services, and premium payment solutions.
• Support pilot testing of the developed products across selected target areas, including tracking product uptake, user experience, claims processes, and implementation challenges to inform refinement.
• Contribute to documenting lessons learned from product development and pilot implementation, including technical recommendations for scaling sustainable and inclusive climate risk protection mechanisms for vulnerable workers.
• Support monitoring of relevant climate indicators across at least two seasons to build an evidence base that informs the design of the parametric microinsurance product and ensures it is calibrated to real climate risk patterns affecting target beneficiaries.

3.Coordinate insurers, financial service providers, factory partners, aggregators, and public actors for rollout.

• Support the establishment and coordination of partnerships with local insurers, financial service providers, garment factories, aggregators, and relevant public institutions to facilitate the rollout of climate-linked microinsurance pilots in selected intervention areas of Bangladesh.
• Assist in managing partner engagement throughout implementation, including onboarding, work planning, performance tracking, and coordination of operational activities related to product piloting and beneficiary outreach.
• Facilitate collaboration among public and private sector stakeholders to operationalize blended finance instruments, including premium pre-financing arrangements and guarantee mechanisms, to strengthen market participation and reduce risk exposure for participating institutions.
• Support implementation of field-level awareness and outreach activities with partners to increase beneficiary understanding, product uptake, and trust in inclusive insurance solutions among ready-made garment workers and their families.
• Monitor pilot implementation progress, identify operational bottlenecks, and support adaptive coordination among partners to ensure timely delivery of project outputs and achievement of expected results.

4. Engage Insurance Development and Regulatory Authority, Ministry of Finance, Economic Relations Division and other stakeholders; support approvals and technical policy dialogue.

• Support engagement with key regulatory and public institutions, including Insurance Development and Regulatory Authority, the Ministry of Finance, and the Economic Relations Division, to facilitate policy dialogue and regulatory coordination for project implementation.
• Assist in preparing technical briefs, presentations, evidence summaries, and consultation materials to support government review of proposed climate-linked microinsurance pilots and associated blended finance mechanisms.
• Coordinate policy consultations, workshops, and roundtable discussions with public and private stakeholders to share field findings, validate intervention design, and identify pathways for institutional adoption and scale-up.
• Support the process of obtaining relevant approvals, endorsements, and operational clearances required for piloting inclusive insurance solutions, including guarantee facilities and premium pre-financing mechanisms.
• Contribute to documenting policy learnings, implementation insights, and recommendations to strengthen enabling frameworks for inclusive climate risk financing and social protection for vulnerable garment workers.

5. Manage progress reporting, donor updates, workshops, learning products and scale-up documentation and knowledge sharing

• Support the development and implementation of project monitoring frameworks, including workplans, indicators, reporting tools, and tracking systems to monitor progress against agreed outputs, outcomes, and implementation milestones.
• Coordinate preparation of periodic narrative and operational reports, including donor updates, partner performance reviews, and technical documentation, ensuring timely submission in line with UNCDF and partner reporting requirements.
• Support field monitoring missions, partner review meetings, and implementation assessments to gather evidence on project performance, beneficiary reach, lessons learned, and operational challenges.
• Organize knowledge-sharing events, dissemination workshops, and stakeholder consultations to present project findings, showcase pilot results, and promote learning across public and private ecosystem actors in Bangladesh.
• Contribute to the preparation of knowledge products, including case studies, publications, and scale-up documentation, to capture lessons from the pilot and inform replication of inclusive climate risk financing solutions within and beyond the ready-made garment sector.

The incumbent performs other duties within their functional profile as deemed necessary for the efficient functioning of the Office and the Organisation

Institutional Arrangement

• The incumbent will work under the supervision of the Country Lead for Bangladesh.
• The position will be expected to engage with UNCDF Bangladesh Team, UNCDF Regional Team, UNDP Bangladesh team, Donors, and our key external stakeholders in Bangladesh as needed, to ensure smooth delivery of our projects.
• The incumbent will also participate in working groups and steering committee meetings as requested.
  

Competencies

Core Competencies - UNDP Core Competencies can be found here

Core Achieve Results:
LEVEL 1: Plans and monitors own work, pays attention to details, delivers quality work by deadline Think Innovatively:
LEVEL 1: Open to creative ideas/known risks, is pragmatic problem solver, makes improvements Learn Continuously:
LEVEL 1: Open minded and curious, shares knowledge, learns from mistakes, asks for feedback Adapt with Agility:
LEVEL 1: Adapts to change, constructively handles ambiguity/uncertainty, is flexible Act with Determination:
LEVEL 1: Shows drive and motivation, able to deliver calmly in face of adversity, confident Engage and Partner:
LEVEL 1: Demonstrates compassion/understanding towards others, forms positive relationships Enable Diversity and Inclusion:
LEVEL 1: Appreciate/respect differences, aware of unconscious bias, confront discrimination

Cross-Functional & Technical competencies:

Thematic Area Name Definition
Business Direction and Strategy
Systems Management
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
Knowledge Generation

Ability to research information and to turn it into useful knowledge, relevant for context, or

responsive to a stated need. Ability to apply

existing concepts to new situations, and to develop

new concepts to generate workable solutions and

new approaches. Knowledge of relevant concepts,

conceptual models, and theories that can be

useful in addressing new situations

Business Management
Partnerships Management

Build and maintain partnerships with wide

networks of stakeholders, Governments, civil

society and private sector partners, experts and

others in line with UNDP strategy and policies

Business Management
Project Management
Ability to plan, organize, prioritize and control resources, procedures and protocols to achieve specific goals
Business Management
Operations Management
Ability to effectively plan, organize, and oversee the organization business process to convert its assets into the best results in the most efficient manner. Knowledge of relevant concepts and mechanisms
Business Management
Risk Management
Identify and organize action around reducing, mitigating and proactively managing risks
General (across the functions)
Event planning and execution
Ability to plan, manage, and execute public and private events to ensure that they support and amplify individual communications and advocacy initiatives, as well as UNCDF's overall brand and mandate.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

• Advanced university degree (master’s degree or equivalent) in Business Administration, Finance, Public Administration, Economics, Development Studies, Political Sciences, Social Sciences, or related field is required. Or
• A first-level university degree (Bachelor’s Degree) in the areas mentioned above, in combination with an additional 2 years of experience, will be given due consideration instead of a Master’s degree.
  

Experience:

• Applicants with a master’s degree in a relevant field of study are not required to have professional experience.

• Applicants with a Bachelor’s degree are required to have a minimum of two (2) years of relevant professional experience at the national or international level in development finance, inclusive insurance, climate adaptation, or financial inclusion is required.

Desired skills in addition to the competencies covered in the Competencies section

• Demonstrated knowledge of parametric or index-based insurance mechanisms, including product design, trigger definition, and claims settlement processes.
• Familiarity with blended finance instruments, including premium pre-financing facilities, guarantee mechanisms, and grant structures used to de-risk insurance market entry.
• Experience in excellent drafting, formulation, and reporting skills.
• Demonstrated experience in microinsurance, digital financial services, and project implementation related to vulnerable populations-particularly within the ready-made garments sector in Bangladesh.
• Experience in market research, stakeholder engagement, pilot design, and monitoring and evaluation of development projects
• Experience working in international development organizations
• Demonstrated ability to work and adapt professionally and effectively in a challenging environment; ability to work effectively in a multicultural team of international and national personnel.
• Solid overall computer literacy, including proficiency in various MS Office applications (Excel, Word, etc.) and email/internet; familiarity with database management; and office technology equipment.
• Experience working with insurance providers, financial service providers, regulators, or private sector ecosystem actors in implementing market-based resilience or social protection initiatives.
  

Language:

• Fluency in English and Bangla is required.

Equal opportunity

As an equal opportunity employer, UNDP values diversity as an expression of the multiplicity of nations and cultures where we operate and, as such, we encourage qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply for roles in the organization. Our employment decisions are based on merit and suitability for the role, without discrimination.

UNDP is also committed to creating an inclusive workplace where all personnel are empowered to contribute to our mission, are valued, can thrive, and benefit from career opportunities that are open to all.

Sexual harassment, exploitation, and abuse of authority

UNDP does not tolerate harassment, sexual harassment, exploitation, discrimination and abuse of authority. All selected candidates, therefore, undergo relevant checks and are expected to adhere to the respective standards and principles.

Right to select multiple candidates

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.

Use of AI by candidates

Applicants are invited to read UNDP’s guidance for candidates on using AI responsibly in UNDP recruitment and selection

Scam alert

UNDP does not charge a fee at any stage of its recruitment process. For further information, please see www.undp.org/scam-alert.

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