Consultant - Technical Advisor

Consultant - Technical Advisor

Description

Background:

Energy 4 Impact - Mercy Corps (E4I-MC) manages programs that increase access to energy and productive use of energy (PUE) for poor and vulnerable communities in Sub Saharan Africa (SSA), Asia and other developing markets. We work with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and end users to help them grow their business, trial new business models and technologies, and raise new capital.

Purpose / Project Description:

The Consultant will provide advisory services on Powering Renewable energy opportunities (PREO), Kenya Cold Chain Accelerator

 (K-CCA), Energy catalyst (ECAP) and potentially other programs as well. 

Consultant Activities

The Consultant will conduct activities as listed below:

Enterprise

‑

focused technical assistance to companies

• Market analysis, business strategy, and business‑planning support.
• Supply‑chain design, last‑mile distribution, and operations optimization.
• Financial modelling, unit‑economics analysis, and investment‑readiness preparation.
• Capital‑raising support, including investor engagement, pitch preparation, and data‑room development.
• Sales, marketing, and business‑development advisory to improve customer acquisition and revenue growth.
• Technology and product development support (design, testing, iteration, performance assessment).
• Team, leadership, governance, and board strengthening for growing companies.
• Regulatory and compliance guidance relevant to enterprise expansion in energy‑access markets.

Learning

• Supporting companies to generate robust impact evidence by guiding them on field‑trial design, KPI definition, and monitoring
• Conducting market diagnostics, sector mapping, and competitive landscape analysis.
• Designing and executing field‑based and desk‑based studies, including surveys, FGDs, KIIs, and site assessments.
• Analysing technology performance, commercial viability, and customer‑level impact.
• Producing case studies, learning briefs, research reports, and knowledge products.
• Supporting the translation of evidence into programme design, policy recommendations, and investment decisions.

Specific to PREO

• Prepare and organize monthly project meetings with grantees
• Support companies constructively
• Monitor progress against KPIs
• Track and update risks
• Oversee implementation timelines
• Coordinate TA and communications

Consultant Deliverables

The Consultant will be responsible for delivering:

PREO

• Field‑trial impact‑evidence & KPI framework
• Supervision of TA assignments for PUE SMEs done by contractors (e.g., feasibility studies, go‑to‑market strategies, technical evaluations)
• Draft public reports, social‑media content, and communication pieces for dissemination.

ECAP & K-CCA

• Market analysis & strategy pack
• Supply‑chain & last‑mile optimization plan
• Unit‑economics & financial modelling toolkit
• Capital‑readiness & investor‑engagement toolkit
• Sales, marketing & business‑development acceleration plan

Timeframe / Schedule:

• 1 April 2026 – 31 March 2027

The Consultant will report to:

• Head of Programs, Energy 4 Impact

The Consultant will work closely with:

• Energy 4 Impact Director of Programs and Advisory
• Energy 4 Impact Advisory, finance and communication Team

Required Experience & Skills:

Experience

• Experience working in a fast-moving entrepreneurial environment and an understanding of the unique challenges faced by local businesses.
• At least 5 years’ experience in early-stage business building and capital raising
• Experience in some of the following areas
• Agriculture (productive use applications such as solar irrigation, cooling, processing and e-transportation)
• Electrification (solar home systems/mini-grid/stand-alone systems, grid expansion and densification). We are particularly interested in those with a background in electric engineering, technical system design, business modelling, advice to SMEs etc
• Clean cooking (supply, distribution, financing, advice to SMEs)
• Last mile distribution (end-user financing, retail and distribution strategies, after-sales service, etc)
• Climate-smart and renewable energy technologies and related financing systems
• Experience supporting M&E framework, good understanding of KPIs

Qualifications

• Graduate or Postgraduate Degree in Business Management, Economics, Finance, International Development, Energy, Environment, Climate Change, Engineering or other relevant subject.

Skills and Knowledge

• Strong understanding of the off-grid market, entrepreneurial space, and impact investing sectors, preferably in an African context.
• Strong capacity to provide support to early-stage companies
• Ability to manage multiple client engagements and meet deadlines.
• Strong network in energy access space, including SMEs, investors and donors.
• Ability to mentor clients and help them develop commercial or technical solutions.
• Ability to critique and develop financial models.
• Strong written and oral communication skills as well as ability to write high quality products.
• Fluent English.

Personal qualities

• Team player.
• High energy.
• Problem solver.
• Attention to detail and a focus on results.
• Ability to think outside the box, to see the big picture and connect the dots.
• Ability to work calmly under pressure.
• A can-do and collaborative mindset.
• Ability to prioritize and multi-task.
• Ability to work with diverse teams in a muti-cultural environment.
• Willingness to travel internationally
• Passion for working in the development and impact sector.

Team Engagement and Effectiveness  

Achieving our mission starts with how we build our team and collaborate. By bringing together individuals with a variety of experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives, we strengthen our ability to solve complex challenges and drive innovation. We foster a culture of trust and respect, where every team member is valued for their contributions, empowered to reach their full potential, and motivated to do their best work.

We recognize that building a strong and effective team is an ongoing process, and we remain committed to learning, improving, and growing together.

Equal Employment Opportunity  

Mercy Corps is an equal opportunity employer committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion or belief, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristics protected under applicable law. 

Safeguarding & Ethics  

Mercy Corps is committed to ensuring that all individuals we come into contact with through our work, whether team members, community members, program participants or others, are treated with respect and dignity. We are committed to the core principles regarding prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse laid out by the UN Secretary General and IASC