Consultant Economic Development

BMA; Durban; Hybrid; ZAR 500 000 - 700 000; Full time

Job summary

A leading consulting firm in Durban is looking for a Consultant to join their Industrial Development team. This role focuses on shaping Africa's manufacturing future through strategic projects that drive economic impact. You'll engage with public and private sector stakeholders to develop policies and strategies across various industries, applying strong analytical skills to solve complex challenges. Candidates should possess a Master's degree in a relevant field and have experience in management consulting and data analysis. This position offers significant growth opportunities and a collaborative work environment.

Benefits

Flexible workplace policy

Discretionary awards and bonuses

Collaborative working environment

Qualifications

• Masters degree in Economics, Engineering, Commerce or related analytical field.
• Management consulting experience is essential.
• Experience in manufacturing sectors is beneficial.

Responsibilities

• Apply analytical rigour to diagnose economic and industrial challenges.
• Conduct applied economic research to support decision-making.
• Design and facilitate workshops for stakeholder alignment.
• Develop reports translating analysis into actionable recommendations.
• Manage project plans and resources to achieve impact.

Skills

Strong Excel skills

Strong PowerPoint skills

Strong written communication skills

Strong verbal communication skills

Analytical problem-solving

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Minimum Masters degree in an analytical field

Job description

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 toapply 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?

• You are driven by purpose and motivated to make a tangible difference through manufacturing-led employment creation. You can see both the big picture and the on-the-ground realities shaping industry competitiveness.
• You thrive on solving complex, system-level problems using data, structured analysis and stakeholder engagement to build consensus and drive change.
• You are a self-starter who prefers action and delivery over theory. You are structured, organised and able to juggle multiple priorities with discipline and initiative.
• You have strong business acumen and professional communication skills, with an intuitive grasp of the commercial challenges and opportunities facing firms in South Africa’s industrial landscape.
• You bring a sharp eye for detail and take pride in producing high-quality, well-crafted outputs.
• You are socially agile and comfortable engaging across contexts, from factory floors to executive boardrooms, with professionalism and respect.
• You are confident and outgoing, with excellent verbal and written communication skills, and have no hesitation in picking up the phone or stepping into a meeting to move a task forward.
• You are intellectually curious and committed to learning, the kind of person who reads widely, asks questions and enjoys unpacking how industries and economies work.
• You are a team player who values collaboration, constructive dialogue and shared success.

Requirements:

Essential:

• Minimum Masters degree in an analytical, at least partially quantitative, from a leading academic university (e.g. Economics, Development Economics, Engineering, Geography, Industrial Psychology, Commerce)
• We are hiring at multiple levels.
• Consultant (+2 years of work experience)
• Senior Consultant (+4 years of work experience)
• Strong Excel and PowerPoint skills
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Management consulting experience

Beneficial:

• Experience working within manufacturing sectors

Working at BMA comes with some important benefits:

What we offer:

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• Private sector drive, social impact. We're a private company working to improve society through sustainable industrialisation. We like the balance between the pace of the private sector and the social value our work brings.
• Flexible workplace policy, allowing you to work from home, the office and/or at clients. We encourage you to strike the right balance between undisturbed deep work, collaboration and social engagement.
• Discretionary awards and bonuses. We recognise and reward performance. If you impress, you can grow quickly with us.
• Uniquely collaborative and fun working environment. We have a cool induction programme to rapidly immerse you in our world, and a rhythm of huddles which aligns the whole company, includes fun themes and games, and celebrates the wins we achieve every week.

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