Senior Consultants with field and country office experience

Senior Consultant (Field and Country Office Experience)
The Beneficial Knowledge Group (The BKG)

• Independent Consultant Roster
• Home-based in the US, Africa, or elsewhere abroad
• 10 Openings (consultant pool)

About The BKG
The Beneficial Knowledge Group (The BKG) is a Massachusetts-based consulting, training, and staffing firm that strengthens the systems, controls, and teams organizations rely on to deliver their mission. We serve government agencies, NGOs, universities, medical and research centers, and private companies in the US and internationally, including French speaking countries.

The Role
The Senior Consultant delivers BKG consulting services to client field and country offices, drawing on direct experience managing programs, field offices, and project teams. This is a crosscutting role: it spans all functional areas, including finance, procurement, human resources, logistics, operations, IT, grants and contracts, and administration, and is not specialized in or limited to any one area.

The role covers strategic planning, organizational development, change management, and stakeholder engagement at field level; project management, process improvement, risk management, and performance measurement and evaluation; and specialized assessments of internal controls, compliance, and field policies, manuals, and SOPs.

Working alongside the Engagement Lead and in tandem with the other functional teams, you will provide clear and concise findings, recommendations, and implementation guidelines for the final report. Not every engagement is a review: given this crosscutting profile, you will play a broader role in advisory engagements that help clients redesign, reconfigure, or transition to a new organizational model.

We seek mid-level to senior professionals with strong experience in international NGO field and country offices, and field leadership experience at the Manager or Director level, such as Program Director, Finance and Administration Director, Grants and Compliance Director, Regional Operations Director, or Country Director.

Key Responsibilities

Crosscutting role
• Serve as a crosscutting consultant across finance, procurement, HR, logistics, operations, IT, grants and contracts, and administration
• Link findings and recommendations across functions so that field and country office systems work together as a whole
• Support or reinforce any functional team as agreed, and help the Engagement Lead connect the work of the CPA Expert and Senior Consultants into one coherent result

Transformation and advisory engagements
• Lead or support work across several functions in engagements that help clients restructure, merge, decentralize, or adopt new operating models
• Design future field and country office structures, processes, and transition roadmaps, and guide leaders and staff through the change

Strategic and organizational advisory
• Facilitate country and field office strategic and operational planning, with clear goals, timelines, and accountability
• Review field structures, roles, reporting lines, and staffing models, and recommend improvements that build local capacity

Project, process, risk, and performance
• Evaluate and strengthen project management, including workplans, budgets versus actuals, burn rates, and startup and closeout readiness
• Map field finance, procurement, HR, logistics, and administrative processes, and recommend streamlined procedures
• Identify and assess financial, operational, compliance, and reputational risks in the field, in line with COSO and ISO 31000
• Develop indicators and monitoring systems, and evaluate field results, in line with the OECD DAC evaluation criteria

Specialized assessments
• Assess field internal controls, including segregation of duties, delegation of authority, cash controls, asset registers, and payroll controls, in line with COSO and OHADA Uniform Acts
• Review grants, commercial contracts, sub-agreements, and subcontracts for compliance, readiness for funder and regulatory reviews, and closeout, in line with 2 CFR 200, EU, UN, World Bank, and foundation rules, and national law

Coordination, reporting, and implementation guidance
• Provide the Engagement Lead with clear and concise findings, risk ratings, and recommendations
• Contribute to findings meetings as requested, and lead debriefing workshops with client staff when included in the engagement
• Develop practical implementation guidelines adapted to field realities, and when required, oversee and advise client staff on implementation; client staff remain responsible for carrying out the work
• Depending on the scope, lead a small BKG field team

Key Deliverables
• Work plan and working papers for assigned areas, agreed with the Engagement Lead
• Clear and concise findings and recommendations for the final report
• Implementation guidelines and, when included, field plans, manuals, or SOPs
• Debriefing workshop content, when applicable

Qualifications

Required
• 10+ years of progressive experience, including at least 5 years in field management or Director-level roles running projects, country offices, or regional operations in Africa or other international settings
• Direct experience working in the field or country offices of international NGOs, including program and operations management, compliance with donor requirements, coordination with headquarters, and work with local partners, authorities, and communities
• Extensive experience managing projects with strong finance, procurement, logistics, and operations components, from startup through closeout
• Demonstrated experience delivering advisory services such as strategic planning, organizational development, change management, process improvement, risk management, or evaluation
• Mastery of 2 CFR 200, EU PRAG, World Bank, Global Fund, and foundation rules, and OHADA and other national regulations in the countries of operation
• Full professional proficiency in English; ability to read French fluently and communicate in conversational French
• Bachelor’s degree or international equivalent (such as a Licence) in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, Public Administration, or a related field; Master’s degree or equivalent strongly preferred
• Availability to travel internationally, particularly across Africa, when engagements require

Preferred
• Experience with organizations in the US and/or internationally, including French speaking countries
• Knowledge of USAID and other US federal funders, the Gates Foundation and other philanthropic organizations, and multilateral funders such as the EU, UN agencies, and the World Bank
• CPA, ACCA, CIA, CMA, DEC, PMP, or PMD Pro certification, or international equivalent
• Hands-on experience with QuickBooks Enterprise, SAP, NetSuite, Oracle, Sage, Deltek Costpoint, or Salesforce in field environments

Engagement Terms
• Independent consultant on The BKG roster (1099 for US-based consultants, or equivalent status abroad), engaged per task order, from short-term assignments to long-term retainers. This is not an employment relationship.
• Consultants may accept or decline any assignment, control the methods, means, and hours of their work, and remain free to serve other clients, subject to conflict of interest and confidentiality requirements. They are not entitled to employee benefits.
• Compensation: a daily fee equal to the consultant rate negotiated and agreed in writing with The BKG for each assignment.

Travel, Per Diem, and Travel Costs
• International travel, particularly across Africa, is a strong possibility on most engagements, but it is not guaranteed.
• For each day of authorized travel, consultants receive a per diem at GSA rates within the US or U.S. Department of State rates abroad.
• Approved travel costs, such as airfare, ground transportation, visa fees, and required vaccinations, are paid or reimbursed by The BKG, in addition to the negotiated fee.

Equipment and Insurance
• Consultants provide their own work equipment, including a secure laptop, mobile phone, and reliable internet access.
• Consultants arrange their own health coverage (including medical evacuation), travel insurance, and general and professional liability insurance, and handle their own taxes and statutory obligations.

Code of Conduct
All consultants sign and comply with The BKG Code of Conduct. The BKG has zero tolerance for sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment. Client information is handled in strict confidence, and conflicts of interest must be disclosed before deployment.

How to Apply
Send the following in PDF format to staffing@thebeneficialknowledgegroup.com:
1. CV highlighting international NGO field and country office experience, field leadership, project management, and crosscutting functional expertise
2. Letter of motivation stating your expertise, language skills in English and French, expected daily fee (USD) as a basis for negotiation, availability, and willingness to travel
3. Three professional references with name, title, organization, and contact details

Subject line: Application: Senior Consultant (Field and Country Office Experience) | [Your Full Name]

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Selected candidates undergo technical screening and background verification. Roster selection does not guarantee assignment volume.

The BKG is an Equal Opportunity Firm.

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