Volunteer Consultant Rebecca Stygar lead implementation for our coffee initiative's sustainability program in Rwanda and provided sustainability program support in Ethiopia, Tanzania and Kenya.
Volunteer Consultant Jay Nargundkar worked on the cocoa value chain, helping Peruvian chocolatiers to bring finished products to market.
Volunteer Consultant Caroline Lundberg helped coffee farmers obtain financing for wet mills in Kenya.
Volunteer Consultant Ashwath Muralidharan worked on a USAID program to support workforce development of Tibetans living in exile in India and Nepal.
Volunteer Consultant Renee Manorat consolidated key learnings from farmer organization models in East Africa and produced resources for field staff.
Volunteer Consultant Stephen Kim traveled to Kenya and Uganda to work on Project Nurture, an effort to double the fruit incomes of 54,000 small-scale mango and passion fruit farmers.
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.
TechnoServe’s program gives Volunteer Consultants the unique chance to:
No two projects are exactly alike, but typical Volunteer Consultant roles often involve:
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.
Nothing else could have given me this depth of experience and so much excitement in such a short period of time.
Review our detailed sample project descriptions 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.
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.
"It was hugely refreshing to work for an organization that not only finds the answers and makes strategic recommendations, but also does valuable implementation."
Rebecca Grubman Swaziland, 2012
“TechnoServe opened my eyes to the opportunities and challenges in the developing world – nothing else could have given me this depth of experience and so much excitement in such a short period of time.”
Michael Schoenfeld Ghana, 2012
"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
We encourage you to read our frequently asked questions and sample project descriptions before submitting your application.
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 our frequently asked questions and sample project descriptions before submitting your application.
If you were previously a volunteer consultant and are interested in serving again or would like to contact the program team, please get in touch with us at volcon@tns.org.
Former TechnoServe employee Nick Villele has opened a new “philanthropub” in Washington, DC. The unique business model donates all profits to charitable causes.
TechnoServe works to help farmers in San Martin, Peru increase productivity and improve the quality of their crops, promote value-added processes such as organic certification and foster related entrepreneurship and small business growth.
Bryan McCoy is the CEO of Yalelo Ltd, a commercial aquaculture business based in Zambia, and a director at Sustainable Development Capital. Bryan spent 6 months volunteering for TechnoServe in Swaziland and Tanzania.
Lauren Thomas co-founded a business to supply high-quality, affordable bicycles to rural Mozambicans.