The Busara Center for Behavioral Economics is an advisory and research organization focused on evaluation and implementation of behavioral interventions in understudied countries and populations. Busara's mission is to work with researchers and organizations to advance and apply behavioral science in pursuit of poverty alleviation. 

Responsibilities or duties

• Review literature, strategy documents, partner reports, and results data on entrepreneurship, enterprise development, financial inclusion, and MSMEs in Kenya.
• Analyze sector trends, key actors, and ecosystem dynamics, and benchmark Kenya’s context against relevant East African strategies.
• Conduct key informant interviews and stakeholder consultations with ecosystem actors, partners, and other informed respondents.
• Assess program relevance, coverage, and alignment with national priorities, with attention to youth employment, skilling, and participation by young women, PWDs, and refugee communities.
• Identify barriers, gaps, opportunities, and priority partnerships, delivery models, and sub-sectors to strengthen youth participation and outcomes.
• Evaluate how sector knowledge dissemination contributes to dignified and fulfilling work and improved financial outcomes for youth.
• Provide technical guidance on evaluation design, sampling, data collection tools, analytical frameworks, and enterprise-related theory of change and assumptions.
• Support the design and interpretation of POA indicators, with particular attention to enterprise-based pathways and progress.
• Assess participant experiences and outcomes related to enterprise establishment, growth, market access, productivity, resilience, financial inclusion, and business continuity.
• Provide technical input on enterprise finance and financial inclusion pathways, including access to finance, investment decisions, loan use, repayment, and progression dynamics.
• Support development of enterprise performance frameworks that reflect informal, emerging, and growth-oriented businesses.
• Interpret enterprise outcomes across participant segments, including youth-owned enterprises, women-owned enterprises, refugee-owned enterprises, persons with disabilities, MSMEs, and SMEs.
• Review quantitative and qualitative findings and synthesize evidence into actionable recommendations for program improvement, systems strengthening, and ecosystem development.
• Review and quality-assure inception reports, analytical frameworks, interim deliverables, strategic review outputs, and final evaluation reports.
• Produce a final report with findings, learnings, and recommendations, and a prioritization framework for Busara and Young Africa Works stakeholders.

Qualifications or requirements 

• Advanced degree in economics, finance, development studies, entrepreneurship, business administration, enterprise development, agricultural economics, private sector development, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience with one or more of the following: digital financial services, value chain finance, enterprise finance, or inclusive finance mechanisms.
• Proven experience analyzing financial inclusion or enterprise development outcomes for underserved groups, including youth, women, refugees, and persons with disabilities.
• Proven track record and consulting experience conducting strategic reviews, evaluations, or advisory assignments for donor-funded or foundation-funded entrepreneurship and enterprise development programs.
• Strong understanding of Kenya’s financial inclusion or MSME ecosystem, including informal enterprise dynamics, growth pathways, and relevant policy and regulatory landscapes.
• Strong analytical, report-writing, facilitation, and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to communicate technical findings to specialist and non-specialist audiences.

Experience needed

At least 8–10 years of experience in financial sector development, MSME finance, inclusive finance, enterprise development, entrepreneurship promotion, market systems development, private sector development, or livelihoods programming in Kenya or East Africa.

Experience working with youth entrepreneurs and inclusive enterprise development programs is highly desirable.

• Review literature, strategy documents, partner reports, and results data on entrepreneurship, enterprise development, financial inclusion, and MSMEs in Kenya.
• Analyze sector trends, key actors, and ecosystem dynamics, and benchmark Kenya’s context against relevant East African strategies.
• Conduct key informant interviews and stakeholder consultations with ecosystem actors, partners, and other informed respondents.
• Assess program relevance, coverage, and alignment with national priorities, with attention to youth employment, skilling, and participation by young women, PWDs, and refugee communities.
• Identify barriers, gaps, opportunities, and priority partnerships, delivery models, and sub-sectors to strengthen youth participation and outcomes.
• Evaluate how sector knowledge dissemination contributes to dignified and fulfilling work and improved financial outcomes for youth.
• Provide technical guidance on evaluation design, sampling, data collection tools, analytical frameworks, and enterprise-related theory of change and assumptions.
• Support the design and interpretation of POA indicators, with particular attention to enterprise-based pathways and progress.
• Assess participant experiences and outcomes related to enterprise establishment, growth, market access, productivity, resilience, financial inclusion, and business continuity.
• Provide technical input on enterprise finance and financial inclusion pathways, including access to finance, investment decisions, loan use, repayment, and progression dynamics.
• Support development of enterprise performance frameworks that reflect informal, emerging, and growth-oriented businesses.
• Interpret enterprise outcomes across participant segments, including youth-owned enterprises, women-owned enterprises, refugee-owned enterprises, persons with disabilities, MSMEs, and SMEs.
• Review quantitative and qualitative findings and synthesize evidence into actionable recommendations for program improvement, systems strengthening, and ecosystem development.
• Review and quality-assure inception reports, analytical frameworks, interim deliverables, strategic review outputs, and final evaluation reports.
• Produce a final report with findings, learnings, and recommendations, and a prioritization framework for Busara and Young Africa Works stakeholders.

• Strong analytical skills
• Report-writing skills
• Facilitation skills
• Stakeholder engagement skills
• Ability to communicate technical findings to specialist and non-specialist audiences

• Advanced degree in economics, finance, development studies, entrepreneurship, business administration, enterprise development, agricultural economics, private sector development, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience with one or more of the following: digital financial services, value chain finance, enterprise finance, or inclusive finance mechanisms.
• Proven experience analyzing financial inclusion or enterprise development outcomes for underserved groups, including youth, women, refugees, and persons with disabilities.
• Proven track record and consulting experience conducting strategic reviews, evaluations, or advisory assignments for donor-funded or foundation-funded entrepreneurship and enterprise development programs.
• Strong understanding of Kenya’s financial inclusion or MSME ecosystem, including informal enterprise dynamics, growth pathways, and relevant policy and regulatory landscapes.