Short-Term Consultant
Institution Building Strategist for Myanmar Consumers Union
Background
USAID’s Private Sector Development Activity is looking for a short-term freelance consultant, Myanmar or international to assist Myanmar Consumers Union with strategizing institutional building, developing a sustainability plan along with fund-raising strategies and implementation plan.
About USAID’s Private Sector Development Activity
USAID’s PSDA is a Yangon-based five-year project that runs from July 2015 to July 2020. It aims to accelerate inclusive economic growth in Myanmar throughout the country by supporting policy reform, better policy implementation, more effective private-public policy dialogue and enhanced public awareness for key economic development issues. Working with the Union government and parliament and private-sector and civil society groups throughout the country, it provides specialized technical assistance, support workshops and forums for policy dialogue and training, organize study missions and support strategic equipment purchases.
About Myanmar Consumers Union (MCU)
MCU was formed on November 18, 2012 with 15 EC members of different professional backgrounds with a vision to strive for a better world through consumer’s justice based on the principles of non-political, non-profit and not accepting funding from commercial or trading companies. After being founded and run by volunteer professionals with self-funding, the MCU was able to hire full-time paid staff and rent an office in 2016 after receiving a grant from USAID’s Private Sector Development Activity.
Responsibilities of Short Term Consultant:
- Assess and evaluate the existing institutional arrangement, structure and capacity of MCU against their activities, including their existing budget and fund raising strategies.
- Conduct research on how non-profit/non-government consumer organizations across ASEAN are financed; identify potential options for MCU to consider, keeping in mind what could or could not work for MCU.
- Identify potential sources of funding, both financial and in-kind technical or activity partners (donors, foundations, partnerships with MNC’s CSR activities, regional and/or international consumer organizations), and help MCU in reaching out to some potential donor organizations.
- Analyze how MCU’s membership can be increased and assess if membership fees can be a viable source of income for MCU. If so, help strategize how membership fees can be increased and if so, on what conditions.
- Help identify innovative ways to finance some specific activities in collaboration with partner organizations.
- Provide hands-on trainings to assigned MCU staff, perhaps to the marketing/communication officer or development officer.
- Help brainstorm a development strategy and develop a sustainability plan that will work within the context of Myanmar and be aware of the capacity of the MCU staff. The plan shall be owned and adopted by the MCU.
- Make recommendations on how MCU can adjust their organization structure and build staff capacity in order to implement the sustainability plan.
Qualifications:
The person hired as a consultant shall have the following qualifications:
- A bachelor’s degree or an advanced degree in economics, economic statistics, public policy, law or business from a recognized national or international university.
- Credible work experience in institutional building, especially running non-profit organizations.
- Knowledge in consumer protection in general and specific knowledge on consumer protection efforts in ASEAN.
- Have established professional networks with communities of consumer advocates from the ASEAN region.
- Work experience with non-profit consumer organizations in ASEAN and elsewhere is highly desirable.
- High degree of speaking and writing proficiency in both English. Knowledge of Myanmar language is desirable.
- Familiarity with standard software packages for producing written documents, data analysis, data charts, and data tables; other computer skills will be an added advantage.
- Myanmar or international candidate
Terms of the Consultant
The consultant will be based in Yangon and tasked to work closely with MCU’s leadership and USAID’s PSDA. Some domestic travel may be required. The consultant should be available to work up to 30 working days over the period of two months, possibly September- October 2018.
Applicants with the qualifications and experiences stated above are welcome to submit their CVs, cover letters and contact of 2 references to [email protected] no later than 20 August 2018.
