Result of Service
Output: Costing Study of Nano‑Insurance Scheme Options for Egypt A full costing report including review and validation of scheme parameters; costing methodology and assumptions; identification of cost drivers and viability considerations; recommendations for improving financial sustainability. A technical presentation summarizing findings, including key assumptions and implications for scheme refinement, delivered to ESCWA, GIZ Hiya MENA, and Egyptian national stakeholders. Costing analysis based on agreed design; methodology, assumptions, scenarios, and projections.
Duties and Responsibilities
Background Women’s labour force participation in the Arab region remains among the lowest globally, with wide gender gaps and a high concentration of women in informal or irregular employment. This exclusion from contributory social protection systems is reflected in very low coverage of benefits such as maternity insurance, far below global averages. The situation is particularly pronounced in Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, and Jordan, where many women rely on social assistance rather than comprehensive social insurance. In Egypt, informal employment accounts for more than 70% of total employment, leaving most workers—especially women—without mechanisms for income security, pensions, or access to formal insurance. Irregular earnings, complex registration procedures, and high contribution requirements inhibit participation in traditional social insurance schemes. These challenges underscore the need for complementary, low cost, flexible insurance solutions that can expand protection to informal workers, particularly women in domestic work, agriculture, and other irregular occupations. Experiences from Latin America provide important insights on how micro and nano insurance products can reduce transaction costs and expand access to protection for low income and irregular workers. Innovations such as bundled insurance through utility bills (e.g., CODENSA–MAPFRE in Colombia) or small premium maternity microinsurance (e.g., Bancamía and BBVA Seguros) illustrate how ultra low cost insurance schemes can be deployed at scale. ESCWA and GIZ’s Hiya MENA programme—active in Jordan, Tunisia, Egypt, and Morocco—are partnering to support countries in identifying innovative and practical approaches for extending protection to informal women workers. ESCWA will draw on its cooperation with ECLAC and cross regional knowledge partnerships to adapt successful experiences to the Hiya MENA context. As part of this effort, ESCWA requires an experienced actuary who will work closely with the nano insurance design expert, ESCWA, GIZ, and Egyptian stakeholders to prepare a costing study of the proposed nano insurance model(s). The actuary will ensure that the costing assumptions, methodologies, and financial projections are technically sound, context appropriate, and grounded in available Egyptian data or comparable reference data when national data are limited. The work will directly inform national dialogue and the refinement of feasible, scalable options for Egypt. Duties and responsibilities Review the nano‑insurance design options proposed by the insurance expert and provide actuarial feedback on assumptions, feasibility, and parameters requiring refinement before costing. This includes requesting clarifications, suggesting adjustments, and ensuring the scheme reflects actuarial soundness and available data constraints. Costing Study Based on the Agreed Design: Conduct a costing analysis using the final design parameters agreed with ESCWA, GIZ, the insurance expert, and national stakeholders. The costing should rely primarily on available Egyptian data and, where gaps exist, draw on comparable data from similar countries and insurance schemes. The study should assess financial requirements, projected costs, sensitivity scenarios, and overall viability. Prepare a clear and concise costing report describing the methodology, assumptions, data sources, results, and implications for scheme refinement. The report should also highlight key cost drivers and recommend adjustments to enhance financial sustainability and operational feasibility. Presentation of Costing Results to Stakeholders: Develop and deliver a presentation summarizing the costing findings, including key assumptions, scenarios, and recommendations, and participate in technical discussions with Egyptian institutions, ESCWA, GIZ, and other project partners. Attending meetings with ESCWA, GIZ and national stakeholders to receive input and feedback
Qualifications/special skills
Masters of Equivalent degree in Actuarial Science, Economics, Public Policy, or a related field is required. All candidates must submit a copy of the required educational degree. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. Minimum 10 years of experience in social protection financing and costing, preferably in low- and middle-income countries is required. Proven experience conducting social insurance costing and actuarial analysis is required. Familiarity with Egypt’s social insurance context is desirable.
Languages
English and French are the working languages of the United Nations Secretariat; and Arabic is a working language of ESCWA. For this position, fluency in English s required. Note: “Fluency” equals a rating of ‘fluent’ in all four areas (speak, read, write, and understand) and “Knowledge of” equals a rating of ‘confident’ in two of the four areas.
