Volunteer Consultants are critical members of the TechnoServe team, working with our full-time staff to further our mission and increase our impact around the world. Since 2001, TechnoServe has engaged more than 700 Volunteer Consultants on three- to 12-month projects throughout Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and India.

Volunteer Consultant Caroline Lundberg helped coffee farmers obtain financing for wet mills in Ethiopia.

About the Volunteer Consultant Program

TechnoServe’s program gives Volunteer Consultants the unique chance to:

• contribute their skills to help change the lives of those living in poverty
• experience the field of international development firsthand
• build new skills in a cross-cultural and entrepreneurial environment
• and join a global alumni community representing top-tier consulting, industry and nonprofit organizations and graduate schools.

No two projects are exactly alike. Each Volunteer Consultant has a unique experience based on the country, project and team with which he or she partners.

Still, projects generally fall into one of four categories: conducting industry analyses, identifying opportunities to improve value chains such as cashew or dairy, implementing business plan competitions, and working with entrepreneurs to create business plans and financial models.

Volunteer Consultants spend between three and 12 months on the ground. While a salary is not offered, TechnoServe typically covers Volunteer Consultants’ costs to travel to and live in-country for the duration of their projects.

What We’re Looking For

Volunteer Consultants have proven business skills, abilities and experiences that will be of value to our teams, clients and partners on the ground. Desired skills depend on the project but most often include industry analysis, business plan development, financial modeling, operations, organizational development, marketing strategy and stakeholder management.

Volunteer Consultants have a minimum of two to three years of full-time work experience, typically, though not exclusively, in management consulting, financial services or corporate strategy. The successful Volunteer Consultant demonstrates a high degree of enthusiasm, flexibility and strong communication skills.

Their Experience: Thoughts From Our VolCon Alumni

"When I worked as a consultant. I worked hard because I wanted to support my client. At TechnoServe, I worked hard because I knew that I had a chance to make a real difference in the lives of thousands of farmers. It's hard to not be motivated by that."

-- Stephen Kim, Kenya, 2010

My experiences with TechnoServe helped me foster a dynamic new set of skills, and provided me with a broader perspective on both social and business issues that will allow me to be more effective when I return to my full-time profession."

-- Michael D'Auria, Mozambique, 2010

Apply Now

The process for becoming a Volunteer Consultant is highly selective. The Volunteer Consultant Program seeks to align candidate skills and interests with project requirements. We interview applicants in our candidate database as new opportunities emerge. Individual preferences on location and project type are taken into account; however, offers to join TechnoServe are ultimately subject to project needs at the time of application. Please note that some positions require business proficiency in French or Spanish.

If you are looking to take a break from the ordinary and employ your professional skills in a dynamic international setting, please apply now to join TechnoServe’s Volunteer Consultant Program. We welcome applications on a rolling basis.

To be included in the database, please submit the following two documents to the Volunteer Consultant Program Team at volcon@tns.org:

Part 1. Candidate Information Template

Please complete the Candidate Information Template in Excel. Instructions for each column are provided and sample entries are included. This document should be named using the following format: LastName.FirstName DATABASE Month Year (Example: Simmons.Edith DATABASE Jan 2012).

Part 2. Resume and Essays

Please submit a document that contains a detailed CV/resume and responses to the following questions:

1. What are you hoping to gain from volunteering with us? Why is this the right time in your career?
2. What do you consider to be your greatest skills that you would leverage on a project with us? Please provide specific examples.
3. Is there any other information not covered elsewhere that we should know to determine if a Volunteer Consultant project is a good match for you?

This document should be named using the following format: LastName.FirstName APPLICATION Month Year (Example: Simmons.Edith APPLICATION Jan 2012).

Before submitting your application, you may wish to read our answers to Frequently Asked Questions. Due to the large volume of inquiries we cannot offer informational interviews. Please note that all projects – without exception – require at least a three-month, on-the-ground commitment.

Thank you very much for your time and interest in TechnoServe and our work.

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Julie Deque — Volunteer Consultant

Julie Deque scanned the horizon as her canoe sliced through the complex maze of waterways that comprise Central America's famed Mosquito Coast. She was on a quest to identify lost strains of precious cocoa trees that might hold the key to reducing poverty for the region's struggling small-holder farmers. This was her fourth day travelling by boat from village to village listening, questioning and learning.

TechnoServe had identified the potential to develop a fine cocoa industry which could mean a better life for 20,000 smallholder farmers. Analysis had suggested that potential might exist to double farmer incomes, but this hypothesis needed to be investigated in the field. Deque's job was to check the theory against reality and recommend how to proceed.

Deque was a world away from her prior life as a business analyst at McKinsey & Company in Paris. But she was still leveraging and developing her management consultant skills, leading a team of 20 agronomists and two cocoa experts to collaborate with smallholder farmers to identify precious fine cocoa trees for future reproduction. She was also charged with determining if there was a business case for this opportunity, working with gourmet chocolate manufacturers in Europe and the United States.

"With TechnoServe, I didn't stay in the office waiting for the results," Deque says. "I went to the field; I worked with the farmers. I learned about their culture, their challenges and their aspirations. In return I taught them about identifying and capitalizing on business opportunities. The farmers I met were struggling, and I saw directly how my work could help improve their lives. This was the richest and most exciting consulting project I have ever worked on."

After finishing her assignment, Deque began her MBA studies at INSEAD. "I have long been searching for a true hope to reduce global poverty," she says. "After working with TechnoServe...I now know it's possible."