ILO Social Finance Programme 2021 for Young Professionals

The ILO’s Social Finance Programme invites applications from qualified professionals with expertise in insurance, microfinance and development for inclusion in its Fellowship Programme roster and for potential placements in Africa and Asia. The projects are expected to start at the end of 2021, although are contingent on the COVID-19 situation and may be delayed

The objective of the programme is to match qualified professionals with organizations working on the frontiers of impact insurance and financial inclusion, bridge skill gaps and create a new generation of professionals with experience serving low-income populations.
Each Fellow will be placed with a host organization for at least a year to support an innovation project. The project could range from the implementation of a risk management product, public-private partnership, digital solution, or distribution partnership.

The project will focus on the following themes:
? Designing integrated risk-management solutions for small enterprises and/or low-income households that bundle insurance with other financial and non-financial services to improve consumers’ ability to manage risk and increase their productivity capabilities
? Enhancing public-private partnerships that help achieve public policy objectives aligned to the UN’s SDGs,
especially those related to decent work, food security, climate change and universal health coverage

• Table of Content
• About ILO’s Impact Insurance Facility
• ILO Social Finance Programme
• Aim and Benefits of ILO Social Finance Programme
• Requirements for ILO Social Finance Programme Qualification
• Application Deadline
• How to Apply

About ILO’s Impact Insurance Facility

The ILO’s Impact Insurance Facility is enabling the insurance sector, governments, and their partners to embrace impact insurance to reduce households’ vulnerability, promote stronger enterprises and facilitate better public policies. Uninsured risk has devastating consequences on future generations and constraints their entrepreneurial potential. But in many developing countries, the insurance industry is not yet fulfilling its potential. We continue to build on our past achievements, and remain at the forefront of learning and innovating for be... continue reading

ILO Social Finance Programme

Aim and Benefits of ILO Social Finance Programme

The ILO’s Social Finance Programme works with the financial sector to enable it to contribute to the ILO’s Decent Work Agenda. In this context, we engage with banks, microfinance institutions, credit unions, insurers, investors and others to test new financial products, approaches and processes.

Requirements for ILO Social Finance Programme Qualification

Mid-career insurance and/or financial services professionals who are keen to apply their skills to benefit the low-income and emerging markets and who have worked in a technical capacity for at least three years may participate.  University graduates with less than 3 years of professional experience may be offered a fellowship on an exceptional basis if they have a unique set of skills sought by a host.

The ideal fellowship candidates for a fellowship should:  

• have relevant expertise to contribute to insurance and/or microfinance activities;
• be interested in working in developing countries and in development issues;
• have serious commitment to providing microinsurance and/or microfinance consulting services or practising as a microinsurance/microfinance professional on an ongoing basis after the assignment;
• have project management skills;
• be resourceful and capable of arranging practical necessities related to travel, life and work in a new environment
• be ready to work in a developing country for the duration of the fellowship

Successful candidates would also have:

• considerable self-initiative to be a proactive learner and to drive agreed upon activities forward
• the ability to achieve objectives and solve problems independently
• a willingness to challenge existing methods and explore a fresh approach to issues
• strong social skills and collaborative spirit
• the ability to work effectively and efficiently with staff at all levels of the relevant organization(s)
• a willingness to learn from all of those in the host environment
• a nurturing attitude that enables the fellow to pass on his/her technical expertise to the staff of the host organization.

Application Deadline

How to Apply

To apply, complete the application form available here. Email the completed application form along with a curriculum vitae and a cover letter to [email protected] by July 25, 2021 23:59 CEST. Please include “Fellowship application” as the subject line of the email. Only submissions that include all three documents will be considered as complete.

For more details, visit the website.