Humanitarian Disaster Risk Financing and Anticipatory Action Specialist, Suva, Fiji

General

Description of assignment title: Humanitarian Disaster Risk Financing and Anticipatory Action Specialist

Assignment country: Fiji

Duty stations: Suva

Work location: On UN premises

Expected start date: 09/01/2026

Duration: 12 months(with possibility of extension)Long-term benefits and allowances

Sustainable Development Goal: 13. Climate action

Host entity: UNICEF

Modality: Onsite

Type: International

Volunteer category: Specialist UCoS from Apr2026

Work schedule: Full-time

Number of Assignments: 1

Details

Mission and objectives:

• The fundamental mission of UNICEF is to promote the rights of every child, everywhere, in everything the organisation does — in programmes including humanitarian contexts, in advocacy and in operations. The equity strategy, emphasising the most disadvantaged and excluded children and families, translates this commitment to children's rights into action. For UNICEF, equity means that all children have an opportunity to survive, develop and reach their full potential, without discrimination, bias or favouritism. To the degree that any child has an unequal chance in life — in its social, political, economic, civic and cultural dimensions — her or his rights are violated. There is growing evidence that investing in the health, education and protection of a society's most disadvantaged citizens — addressing inequity — not only will give all children the opportunity to fulfil their potential but also will lead to sustained growth and stability of countries. This is why the focus on equity is so vital. It accelerates progress towards realising the human rights of all children, which is the universal mandate of UNICEF, as outlined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, while also supporting the equitable development of nations.

Context:

• UNICEF Pacific operates in one of the most disaster‑prone regions globally, where tropical cyclones, droughts, floods, and climate shocks regularly undermine children's wellbeing and strain national response systems. Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the Pacific face acute challenges related to geographic dispersion, high logistics costs, and limited fiscal space, making predictable and timely disaster risk financing (DRF) a critical enabler of effective humanitarian response and anticipatory action.
• UNICEF is supporting Pacific governments to strengthen Climate and Disaster Risk Financing and Insurance (CDRFI) approaches through a regional SIDS Platform, which combines parametric insurance (including PCRIC Replica), contingent grants, and anticipatory action protocols. These instruments are designed to ensure rapid financing for child‑focused preparedness, early action, and response, while progressively embedding DRF approaches within national systems.
• The UN Volunteer Specialist will support UNICEF Pacific's humanitarian and DRF agenda by contributing to the operationalisation, coordination, and country‑level alignment of these financing mechanisms. The assignment will focus on strengthening linkages between risk analytics, financing triggers, and money‑out systems, ensuring that DRF instruments translate into timely, effective action for children and vulnerable communities across the Pacific.
• The role will work closely with UNICEF programme sections, regional partners, and government counterparts, contributing to learning, documentation, and capacity support around DRF and anticipatory humanitarian action.

Task description:

• Under the supervision of the Emergency Specialist, the Humanitarian Disaster Risk Financing and Anticipatory Action Specialist (Pacific) will support UNICEF Pacific's work on humanitarian preparedness and Disaster Risk Financing, with a specific focus on the operationalization of DRF instruments within the Pacific SIDS context, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:
• A. Support to Disaster Risk Financing and Insurance (DRFI) initiatives
• Assist UNICEF Pacific in the coordination and operational follow‑up of regional DRF mechanisms, including PCRIC Replica insurance, contingent grant mechanisms, and anticipatory action protocols, ensuring alignment with humanitarian response priorities.
• Support the documentation and analysis of trigger mechanisms, expected outflows, and country‑specific use cases, helping translate technical designs into programmatically actionable guidance.
• Contribute to internal briefings and summaries on DRF instruments for UNICEF pro-gramme teams and management.
• B. Strengthening "money‑out" preparedness and humanitarian readiness
• Support mapping and review of money‑out systems at country level (processes, agreements, roles) to enable rapid deployment of funds when DRF instruments trig-ger.
• Assist in identifying operational bottlenecks related to logistics, pre‑positioning, and partner readiness, particularly in dispersed island contexts, in line with Pacific MCO priorities.
• Contribute to lessons‑learned reviews following activations or simulations of DRF and anticipatory action mechanisms.
• C. Government engagement and alignment
• Support UNICEF engagement with national governments on DRF‑related topics, contributing to alignment between UNICEF systems and national disaster risk management and financing frameworks.
• Assist in preparing background notes, talking points, and briefing materials for joint discussions with government counterparts and regional partners on DRF and anticipatory action.
• D. Knowledge management and learning
• Support consolidation of guidance, tools, and learning products emerging from the Pacific DRF work, including summaries of simulations, dashboards, and operational workflows requested by country offices.
• Contribute to cross‑regional knowledge exchange by documenting Pacific experiences relevant to other SIDS contexts.
• During the first month of the assignment, the UN Volunteer will work closely with his/her direct supervisor to finalize an agreed-upon work plan. The work plan should outline key objectives and activities and include regular check‑ins with the supervisor to review progress and receive performance feedback.

Eligibility criteria

Age: 18 - 80

Required experience: 3 years

Donor priorities:

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Nationality: Candidate must be a national of a country other than the country of assignment.

Additional eligibility criteria:

• This assignment is funded by the Government of Korea and therefore specific criteria apply:
• - Candidates must be Korean nationals. Fluency in Korean is required.
• - Candidates must be 27 years of age at the time of application.
• - Candidates who have already served as UN Volunteer Specialist funded by the Government of Korea are not eligible to apply (former UN University and UN Youth Volunteers are eligible).
• - Serving UN Volunteers will not be considered for other UN Volunteer assignments until they reach three (3) months before the end of contract date of their current UN Volunteer assignment. This provision applies equally to first and subsequent contracts.
• - Candidates may apply to a maximum of three assignments and indicate the order of preference in the 'Additional remarks' field when filling in the application form.
• - Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. The selection will be done by the UN Host Entity at the level of the country of assignment.
• APPLICATION DEADLINE: 19 July 2026
• +++ UN Volunteer entitlement calculator: https://app.unv.org/calculator +++

Assignment requirements

Relevant experience:

• 3 years

Languages:

• English, Level: Fluent, Required

Required education level:

• Bachelor's degree in
• Disaster Risk Management
• International Development / Development Studies
• Economics, Finance, or Public Policy
• Humanitarian Affairs or International Relations
• Climate Change, Environmental Studies, or Resilience Studies

Competencies and values:

• Accountability
• Adaptability and Flexibility
• Building Trust
• Commitment and Motivation
• Commitment to Continuous Learning
• Communication
• Creativity
• Ethics and Values
• Integrity
• Judgement and Decision-making
• Knowledge Sharing
• Leadership
• Planning and Organizing
• Professionalism
• Respect for Diversity
• Self-Management
• Technological Awareness
• Vision
• Working in Teams

Skills and experience:

• Experience in:
• Humanitarian preparedness, emergency response, and/or anticipatory action in de-velopment or humanitarian contexts
• Disaster risk financing, climate resilience, insurance, social protection, or public fi-nance from an operational or programme support perspective
• Skills in:
• Supporting analysis, documentation, and coordination of humanitarian or DRF initia-tives
• Stakeholder engagement, including collaboration with government counterparts and regional partners

Area(s) of expertise:

• Communication, Community development, Logistics and Inventory

Driving license:

• -

Other information