Consultant - Economic Development

What do we do?

Our purpose is to build dignity and opportunity through sustainable, production-led economies. This means making Africa a globally competitive manufacturing hub. We do this by partnering with leading companies on value chain and business transformation programmes, with governments to develop smart industrial policies, and with industrial clusters to facilitate innovative and sustainable sector development programmes. Our teams innovate and deliver across the spectrum of industry needs, including research, policy development, best practice discovery, value chain and firm-level strategy and execution, manufacturing performance improvement, skills training, sustainability, decarbonisation, and SME development.

What's the role?

As a Consultant within BMA’s Industrial Development team, you will help shape the future of manufacturing in Africa. You will work across the macro, meso and micro levels : from national industrial policy to sector strategies and firm-level competitiveness, delivering projects that translate strategy into measurable economic impact.

In this role you will engage directly with both private and public sector stakeholders, supporting collaboration through public-private partnerships that advance South Africa’s reindustrialisation agenda. Your work will span a number of industries, including automotive, chemicals, clothing and textiles, furniture and agri-processing. To do this you will need to apply structured problem-solving methods to complex challenges, drawing on economic and financial analysis, applied research, stakeholder engagement, strategy development and global best-practice discovery.

In this role, you will be part of a high-performance team united by a shared purpose : powering growth, competitiveness and sustainability in South Africa’s industrial economy.

What will you be doing?

• Apply analytical rigour to diagnose economic and industrial challenges, interpret data and generate insights that inform policy and business strategy.
• Conduct applied economic research to support evidence-based decision-making for both public- and private-sector stakeholders.
• Design and facilitate workshops and engagements that align diverse partners around shared objectives and practical implementation pathways.
• Develop clear, compelling reports and presentations that translate complex analysis into actionable recommendations.
• Manage project plans, budgets and resources to deliver measurable impact on time, within scope and to BMA’s quality standards.
• Contribute to the development of innovative programmes, tools and frameworks that enhance localisation, sustainability and competitiveness across manufacturing value chains.
• Problem-solve in complex, evolving environments with intellectual curiosity, sound judgement and a commitment to real-world impact.

Who are you?

Requirements : Essential :

Minimum Masters degree in an analytical, at least partially quantitative, subject from a leading academic university (e.g. Economics, Development Economics, Engineering, Geography, Industrial Psychology, Commerce)

Beneficial :

What we offer :

Working at BMA comes with some important benefits :

BMA is an Equal Opportunity employer and preference will be given to Previously Disadvantaged Individuals as described in the Employment Equity Act.

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