Project Analyst – Climate Risk

Job title: Project Analyst – Climate Risk

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 workfl