Consultant – Business Development Services

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in Malawi.

📋 Description

• Perform a market systems analysis to diagnose structural constraints impacting RDP youth enterprises.

• Recognize legal, policy, input, market, finance, skills, and information barriers, specifically those affecting young women and youth with disabilities.

• Identify promising sectors and value chains for youth enterprises in and around Dzaleka, including partnerships with host communities and opportunities for digital or remote work.

• Map out financial service providers and create practical pathways to connect youth enterprises with financial services.

• Review the RLO entrepreneurship curricula and incubation or hub models, including pitch competitions and start-up kits.

• Suggest modifications and draft an updated, inclusive, and practical curriculum along with enterprise-support materials.

• Train RLO staff to map and engage local market participants, ensuring ongoing enterprise support after the assignment.

• Collaborate on designs with RLO staff to ensure skills are retained within the RLOs.

• Generate inception, market diagnosis, enterprise growth and finance linkage, curriculum review, revised materials, training/orientation, and final reports.

• Report to the RLO Opportunity Fund Manager at WUSC Kenya and coordinate with focal points at partner RLOs.

• Engage in stakeholder interactions, data collection, workshops, and the delivery of a ToT session/orientation.

⛳️ Requirements

• Reside in Malawi, preferably in Dzaleka.

• Possess a solid understanding of refugee and displacement issues.

• Hold a degree in economics, business, development studies, or a related field, or have an equivalent qualification.

• Have a minimum of 3 years' experience in economic development or inclusion, ideally with refugees and displaced individuals.

• Experience in designing business development support and incubation models, including pitch competitions and start-up kits or seed grant schemes.

• Proven experience in market systems or value chain analysis.

• Experience in connecting micro-enterprises to financial services, including MFIs, SACCOs, VSLAs, and mobile money.

• Proficient in English.

• Preference for refugee-led firms with relevant experience working with or through refugee-led or community-based organizations.

• Experience in incorporating gender and disability inclusion into enterprise programming is preferred.

• Reasonable familiarity with Artificial Intelligence (AI), with AI usage referenced or cited.

• Strong analytical skills with the ability to write clearly for non-specialists.

• Skills in participatory facilitation and adult learning.

• Engage respectfully and with a trauma-informed approach towards refugee and host community youth.

• Proven track record of meeting deadlines and working effectively in intercultural teams.

• Must agree to and adhere to WUSC's Safeguarding, Code of Conduct, and Anti-Fraud policies.

• Ensure informed consent, anonymization, secure storage, and proper handling of personal data.

• Avoid exposing participants to legal, protection, or reputational risks.

• Deliverables must be provided in English and in an editable Word format.

🏝️ Benefits

• WUSC will cover accommodation and communication expenses during the consultant's transit.