Job Description

Senior Consultant - Economic Development
Shape the future of manufacturing in Africa by translating industrial strategy into measurable economic impact across macro, meso, and micro levels.
City of Cape Town or Durban (Hybrid) | Salary: R600,000 to R900,000 Annual CTC, based on experience

About Our Client

The company builds dignity and opportunity through sustainable, production-led economies, positioning Africa as a globally competitive manufacturing hub. They partner with leading firms on value chain transformation, governments on smart industrial policy, and industrial clusters on innovative sector-wide development. Their work spans research, policy, manufacturing performance improvement, skills development, and sustainability.

The Role: Senior Consultant - Economic Development

The role exists to diagnose complex industrial and economic challenges and advance South Africas reindustrialisation agenda through public-private collaboration. It contributes to the business by driving growth, competitiveness, and sustainability across sectors including automotive, chemicals, clothing, furniture, and agri-processing. The main focus areas include national industrial policy, sector strategy, and firm-level competitiveness using rigorous analysis and global best practice.

Key Responsibilities

• Apply a Masters degree and 2+ years of relevant experience to shape manufacturing-led employment creation.
• Diagnose complex industrial and economic challenges using rigorous analysis and applied research.
• Facilitate workshops that align diverse public and private sector stakeholders around action.
• Translate complex analysis into clear, compelling recommendations for strategy and policy.
• Manage projects to deliver measurable impact on time and within scope.
• Develop tools and programmes that strengthen localisation, sustainability, and competitiveness.
• Solve real-world problems in dynamic, multi-stakeholder environments.
• Use strong Excel and PowerPoint capabilities to produce high-quality, polished work.

About You

• Masters degree in a rigorous, analytical discipline (e.g. Economics, Development Economics, Engineering, Geography, Industrial Psychology, Commerce) from a leading university.
• Minimum 2+ years of relevant experience.
• Strong Excel and PowerPoint capability.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Purpose-driven and motivated by manufacturing-led employment creation with a systemic thinking approach.
• Organised, disciplined, and proactive with the ability to solve complex problems using data.
• Confident engaging with people from the factory floor to the boardroom.
• Collaborative team player committed to continuous learning.
• Consulting experience (nice-to-have).
• Experience within manufacturing sectors (nice-to-have).