International Consultant – Sustainability Capacity Support for Business Support Organizations (BSOs) in ASEAN

Result of Service

• Output 1: Masterclass Training Package (Presentation of Masterclass structure by: 27 July, 2026. First content draft delivery by: 11 August, 2026. Final delivery date by: 10 September 2026). Complete Masterclass training package, including curriculum, training needs assessment, presentation materials, facilitator guides, exercises, case studies, and participant materials for all four modules. Modules will be presented to ITC for validation and will include several rounds of review and inputs by ITC. • Output 2: Delivery of Four-Day Masterclass (Delivery date: By 30 October 2026) The Consultant will deliver the four-day Masterclass to selected regional BSOs, in-person or hybrid mode, using interactive and practical training methods. • Output 3: Follow-up Advisory Support: (Delivery date by 30 November 2026) The Consultant will provide follow-up advisory support to participants, including a minimum of 3 individual coaching sessions per BSO (approximately 2 hours each), at least 20 cumulative advisory hours across all participating BSOs, and technical guidance resulting in each BSO producing a training implementation plan. Expected outputs include adapted training materials, training plans implementation, and at least one documented BSO or MSME outreach activity per BSO. • Output 4: Final Report and Recommendations (Delivery date by 30 November 2026) The Consultant will submit a final report summarizing the Masterclass delivery, participant feedback, advisory support provided, outcomes achieved, and recommendations for scaling and sustainability. . The report will also include key lessons learned from the Masterclass and advisory process, as well as an identification of residual capacity gaps among participating BSOs that may require further support.

Work Location

Home-based (with possible travel within the ASEAN region)

Expected duration

13.07.26 – 30.11.26

Duties and Responsibilities

The International Trade Centre (ITC), a joint agency of the United Nations and the World Trade Organization, supports developing countries in leveraging expanding trade opportunities within an increasingly complex global environment. ITC promotes sustainable and inclusive development through trade. About the project: EU-ASEAN Sustainable Connectivity Package (SCOPE) – Trade is a five-year project funded by the European Union (EU) and implemented by the ITC in partnership with the ASEAN Secretariat (ASEC), as well as ASEAN Sectoral Bodies and Working Groups aimed at addressing three important trade-related pillars which drive economic connectivity in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and between ASEAN and the European Union (EU) i.e., trade policy environment, digital connectivity, sustainable and resilient value chains. SCOPE Trade will improve sustainable connectivity between the EU and ASEAN, and within ASEAN with a focus on trade, economic connectivity and sustainable value chains through improved regulatory frameworks, dialogue and institutional capacities in key areas of trade and economic connectivity and implement the following expected outputs: • Output 1: Improved policies and regulatory environment for fair and sustainable market, trade and investment in ASEAN. • Output 2: Improved capacities of ASEAN for digital connectivity. • Output 3: Increased knowledge and capacities for ensuring environmental, economic and social value chain sustainability among ASEAN/ASEAN Member States institutions and the private sector. Under Output 3, ITC will implement Activity 3.3: Foster partnerships among business support institutions and build their capacities to integrate sustainability-related offerings into their services. This activity aims to strengthen BSOs by embedding sustainability into their institutional strategies and operations and by upgrading their service portfolios to provide sustainability-focused support to MSMEs. The support combines group training, tailored advisory support, and a Masterclass with a Train-the-Trainer approach for a core group of regional BSOs. The ToT model aims to enable regional BSOs to cascade sustainability knowledge and tools to national BSOs and MSMEs, ensuring scalability and longer-term impact across ASEAN. In this context, ITC is recruiting a dedicated Sustainability and BSO Capacity Development Consultant to provide technical assistance in designing and delivering sustainability capacity-building support to selected BSOs, including training, Masterclass design and facilitation. DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES/RESPONSIBILITIES The Consultant will work under the direct supervision of the Institutions and Ecosystems Program officer and in close coordination with EU-ASEAN SCOPE national project coordinators. In line with the project’s objective of supporting MSMEs through BSOs, the Consultant must ensure that all training modules and advisory support translate sustainability concepts into practical, actionable service offerings that BSOs can deliver to their MSME clients. • The Consultant will be responsible for designing and delivering a sustainability-focused Masterclass targeting selected regional Business Support Organizations (BSOs) (8–12 BSOs, to be confirmed by ITC) selected based on criteria including institutional mandate, sector focus, geographic representation, and organizational readiness in the ASEAN region. The Consultant will design a four-day Masterclass structured into four modules covering sustainability performance (encompassing ESG integration, responsible business conduct, environmental standards, and sustainability practices measurement) specifically for BSOs compiling structured Case Studies of sustainability performance in BSOs operations and best practices in the ASEAN region and Global BSOs. The Masterclass design will follow ITC guidelines and will be adapted to the ASEAN regional context. Prior to curriculum development, the Consultant will conduct a brief training needs assessment (TNA) with participating BSOs to identify existing knowledge gaps, institutional priorities, and MSME service contexts, ensuring that the Masterclass design is informed by and responsive to participant needs. Content modules should fit into 4 categories of operational BSO excellence (Leadership and Governance, Resources and Processes, Service Delivery, and Results Measurement). • Learning outcomes for each module should include: (i) Leadership and Governance – participants will be able to embed sustainability into BSO governance framework, organization’s strategy including risk assessment and priority setting.; (ii) Resources and Processes – participants will identify resource-efficient operational improvements aligned with sustainability standards; (iii) Service Delivery – participants will design sustainability-integrated services translatable to MSME clients; (iv) Results Measurement – participants will apply monitoring and evaluation frameworks to track sustainability performance The Consultant will develop the curriculum, session structure, and learning objectives, as well as prepare training materials and facilitation tools. Each module should include conceptual inputs, practical exercises, case studies, best practices and tools. • The Consultant will deliver the four-day Masterclass to selected regional BSOs. The sessions will be interactive and include presentations, case examples (a minimum of 3 structured case studies per module, drawn from ASEAN and global BSO contexts), group work, hands-on exercises, and facilitated discussions. The Masterclass may be delivered in in-person or hybrid format with follow up virtual sessions where required. • Following the Masterclass, the Consultant will provide advisory support to participants to support implementation and replication of training (with an expected target of each participating BSO developing at least one national training plan and reaching a minimum of 5 BSO members - in the case of umbrella organizations - or 10 MSMEs - for BSOs directly working with companies- through cascaded activities) to cascade knowledge at national level. This will include coaching sessions, technical guidance, and reviewing adaptation of training materials by participating BSOs. The Consultant will also support participants in planning and implementing national-level training activities. • Finally, the Consultant will provide final training materials and submit an implementation report summarizing activities, outcomes, and recommendations for scaling and sustainability of the initiative. Copyright Clause: The consultant has to ensure that she has obtained the necessary permissions with regard to intellectual property rights required to perform her services under this consultancy contract and for the subsequent dissemination by ITC in any form. Documentary proof is to be submitted to ITC. Should any license fee be due for the use of copyrighted materials of third parties, the consultant shall request the prior written permission from ITC. ITC champions workforce diversity, inclusion, gender equality and gender parity and considers all qualified persons - of all genders - equally, including those with disabilities, without discrimination or prejudice of any kind.

Qualifications/special skills

• Advanced university degree in Sustainability, Environmental Management, Business Administration, International Development, Economics, or a related field. • A first-level university degree combined with additional years of relevant experience may be accepted. • Minimum of eight years of relevant professional experience in sustainability, responsible business conduct, ESG integration, or sustainable value chain development. • Demonstrated experience designing and delivering capacity-building programmes. • Experience working with business associations, chambers, or other enterprise support institutions. Skills: • Strong sustainability expertise • Strong trainer and facilitation background • Experience delivering Train-the-Trainer programmes • Experience supporting MSMEs and Business Support Organizations • Experience designing training programmes • Experience working in ASEAN region preferred

Languages

• English: Advanced • Knowledge of ASEAN regional languages: desirable

Additional Information

Not available.

No Fee

THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CHARGE A FEE AT ANY STAGE OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS (APPLICATION, INTERVIEW MEETING, PROCESSING, OR TRAINING). THE UNITED NATIONS DOES NOT CONCERN ITSELF WITH INFORMATION ON APPLICANTS’ BANK ACCOUNTS.