Overview
Consultant, Senior Disaster Risk Management Expert – Cyclone and Flood Products Jobs in Johannesburg, South Africa at Programa Mundial de Alimentos
Position: Consultant, Senior Disaster Risk Management Expert – Tropical Cyclone and Flood Products
WFP seeks candidates of the highest integrity and professionalism who share our humanitarian principles
Selection of staff is made on a competitive basis, and we are committed to promoting diversity and gender balance
Job Title: Senior Disaster Risk Management Expert – Tropical Cyclone and Flood Product Consultant
Type of
Contract:
Regular Consultant
Division: ARC African Risk Capacity
Duty Station (City, Country): Johannesburg (with a possibility to relocate to Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire within the contract period)
Duration: 11 months with the possibility of extension
Reporting to: Director, Research and Developments Department (RND), ARC
African Risk Capacity (ARC) is a Specialised Agency of the African Union. The ARC Agency leads the ARC Group, a development finance institution that provides financial tools and infrastructure to help countries manage natural disaster risk and adapt to climate change. It counts 39 AU countries as members and is supervised by a ministerial level governing board elected by its Conference of the Parties.
The ARC design and establishment phase was managed by WFP, under a MoU with the African Union, and WFP continues to provide administrative services support to the ARC Agency through an administrative services 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 the international market. ARC uses a disaster risk modelling software Africa Risk View to estimate the impact of drought on vulnerable populations – and the response costs required to assist them – after a season ends, and as it progresses, so that index-based insurance payouts, based on Africa Risk View, are triggered at or before harvest time if the rains are poor.
In 2020, ARC expanded its portfolio by introducing an insurance product designed for drought risk in pastoral areas and launching the first tropical cyclone (TC) insurance product in Africa. Following that, a flood risk model was introduced in 2023. The TC model is capable of accurately estimating the risk and economic losses due to tropical cyclone events in SWIO countries such as Mozambique, Madagascar, Comoros, Mauritius, Seychelles, and Tanzania.
The model covers hazards of winds, storm surges, and waves. It is the first insurance policy of its kind in Africa, offering rapid financing and early response to countries impacted by tropical cyclones. The ARC flood risk and loss estimate model supports a sovereign flood insurance product. Demand for this flood product has particularly risen among ARC member states following the 2020 flood events in Western and Southern Africa.
Together the tropical cyclone and flood products will prove vital tools in safeguarding lives and livelihoods and making African countries more resilient to extreme climate events.
Responsibilities
A Technical Review Forum composed of high-level experts from globally renowned institutions has concluded that the ARC flood and TC risk models are ready for use in underwriting insurance policies. The TC product has been rolled out, leading to payouts for TC seasons in Madagascar, and preparations are underway to roll out the flood product in six African countries. Based on the recommendations from the TRFs, additional improvements to the products have been planned.
In addition to continuous improvement of the two products, the ARC Group plans to expand its risk pool by reaching more countries and partners. To support this endeavor, ARC is seeking a Senior Expert in Disaster Risk Management with experience in tropical cyclones and flood perils who can coordinate the development and implementation of flood and tropical cyclone products. The expert will have the following responsibilities:
Title: Consultant, Senior Disaster Risk Management Expert – Cyclone and Flood Products
Company: Programa Mundial de Alimentos
Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
Category: