Mapping Business Support Organizations (BSOs) in ASEAN

The International Trade Centre (ITC) is recruiting a consultant to provide technical support for the identification, documentation, and analysis of Business Support Organizations (BSOs) in the ASEAN region. The consultant will map and analyze BSOs with a focus on semiconductor, fish and crustacean products, and plastics and rubber sectors to strengthen private sector development and regional value chains.

Responsibilities

• Conduct desk research and stakeholder consultations to expand ITC mapping of BSOs in ASEAN and identify sector-specific business support institutions operating at national and regional levels.
• Review and document institutional details including mandate, governance structure, services offered, and target beneficiaries of each identified organization.
• Analyze services and support mechanisms provided by organizations including capacity-building, market access, trade facilitation, export support, advocacy, certification support, financing facilitation, innovation support, and business advisory services.
• Analyze data to identify service gaps, overlaps, duplication areas, and opportunities for coordination and complementarities among ecosystem actors.
• Provide technical analysis and qualitative insights to assess the role and positioning of institutions within the ASEAN business support ecosystem focusing on institutional functions, sector-specific support, and coordination mechanisms.
• Assess the extent to which current services respond to the needs of MSMEs and private sector actors within targeted sectors.
• Identify institutional strengths, constraints, and opportunities for ecosystem strengthening and regional collaboration.
• Review existing ecosystem frameworks, sector strategies, and institutional arrangements relevant to ASEAN regional integration and industrial development priorities.
• Develop a clear and structured ecosystem map presenting relationships, functions, and interactions among identified organizations.
• Draft an analytical report summarizing key findings on institutional roles, service offerings, governance structures, gaps, overlaps, and coordination opportunities.
• Formulate actionable recommendations to improve ecosystem efficiency, collaboration, and service delivery for businesses in targeted sectors.
• Incorporate comments and feedback from ITC, ASEAN Secretariat, ASEAN Member States and relevant stakeholders into final deliverables.
• Support validation and refinement of institutional mapping and analytical findings.
• Ensure all deliverables meet ITC quality standards and reporting requirements.

Requirements

• Advanced university degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in economics, international trade, business administration, public policy, development studies, industrial development, regional integration, or a related field.
• Minimum of 5 years of relevant professional experience in private sector development, business ecosystem analysis, institutional mapping, trade and investment support, or related areas.
• Demonstrated experience working with business support institutions, chambers of commerce, business associations, trade support institutions, or industry ecosystem actors within the ASEAN region.
• Proven experience conducting institutional assessments, stakeholder mapping, ecosystem analysis, or value chain analysis.
• Strong analytical and research skills related to institutional ecosystem analysis and stakeholder mapping.
• Excellent ability to synthesize complex institutional information into structured analytical outputs and visual ecosystem maps.
• Strong understanding of ASEAN business ecosystems, regional economic cooperation, and private sector support mechanisms.
• Very good organizational, drafting, and communication skills.
• Ability to engage with diverse stakeholders across public and private sectors.
• Ability to work under minimum supervision with efficiency, competence, and integrity and in harmony with people of different cultural and national backgrounds.
• Ability to plan own work and use time efficiently, manage conflicting priorities, and work under pressure of tight and conflicting deadlines.

Skills

• Private Sector Development
• Business Ecosystem Analysis
• Institutional Mapping
• Trade and Investment Support
• Institutional Assessments
• Stakeholder Mapping
• Ecosystem Analysis
• Value Chain Analysis
• Analytical Research
• Synthesis of Institutional Information
• Visual Ecosystem Mapping
• ASEAN Business Ecosystems
• Regional Economic Cooperation
• Private Sector Support Mechanisms
• Organizational Skills
• Drafting Skills
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Time Management

Languages

English