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, but typical Volunteer Consultant roles often involve:

• Assessing markets, value chains and industries, and identifying opportunities
• Crafting business and funding strategies in partnership with one or more TechnoServe clients
• Strengthening the operations and/or organizational capacity of TechnoServe clients
• Researching and writing communication materials such as programmatic lessons learned
• Designing innovative TechnoServe projects and proposals

Other, less frequent projects include exploring the use of new information and communication technology; evaluating long-term program impact and sustainability; and designing and executing strategic research for our clients and partners.

Click here to review detailed sample project descriptions and to understand the skills and capabilities most often required.  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 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. We encourage you to read through our list of Frequently Asked Questions before submitting your application.

If you were previously a volunteer consultant and are interested in serving again or would like to be in touch with the program team, please get in touch with us at volcon@tns.org.

Frequently Asked Questions | Sample Project Types

APPLY NOW

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."