Allan Gray Orbis Foundation invites suitably qualified graduates and early-career professionals to apply for the Associate Consultant – Programme Effectiveness position for 2026.
Vacancy Application Closing Date: 23 August 2026
Vacancy Location: Cape Town or Johannesburg, South Africa
Associate Consultant – Programme Effectiveness
The Associate Consultant – Programme Effectiveness role is designed as a development pathway towards a Senior Consultant position.
The role offers exposure to a wide range of consulting-style work, including project delivery, research, analysis, stakeholder coordination, measurement, strategy and change management.
Successful applicants will work on projects that may involve multiple entities and stakeholders while receiving mentoring and progressively taking on more complex responsibilities.
Vacancy Overview
Organisation: Allan Gray Orbis Foundation
Entity: AGGPA
Position: Associate Consultant – Programme Effectiveness
Reference number: AGO260807-1
Department: Programmes
Employment type: Permanent
Location: Cape Town or Johannesburg
Province: National
Closing date: 23 August 2026
Application method: Online
Purpose of the Role
The position is intended to provide an early-career professional with broad exposure to Programme Effectiveness work.
Depending on the project, the successful candidate may:
- Manage smaller projects from start to finish.
- Support complex multi-stakeholder initiatives.
- Conduct research and analysis.
- Prepare draft materials.
- Coordinate stakeholders.
- Capture key decisions from meetings.
- Contribute to strategy and measurement work.
- Support change-management initiatives.
The role requires someone who can quickly understand new projects, work with limited context and manage different priorities.
Key Responsibilities
The successful candidate will be expected to support and deliver work across several areas.
Own Project Delivery
Responsibilities include:
- Running smaller improvement projects.
- Managing project activities from scoping through to delivery.
- Working with mentoring support from the Programme Effectiveness Lead.
- Monitoring project progress.
- Taking ownership of assigned deliverables.
Support Complex Initiatives
The role may involve supporting more complex projects by:
- Conducting research.
- Completing analysis.
- Preparing draft documents.
- Supporting senior colleagues.
- Coordinating activities across multiple stakeholders.
- Helping organise multi-entity initiatives.
Writing and Synthesis
The successful candidate will be expected to prepare clear written material, including:
- Reports.
- Briefings.
- Workshop material.
- Research summaries.
- Decision-support documents.
Strong writing and synthesis skills are therefore important.
Project Coordination and Stakeholder Engagement
Responsibilities include:
- Tracking project activities.
- Capturing meeting discussions and decisions.
- Coordinating stakeholders.
- Supporting entity Champions.
- Maintaining communication across project teams.
- Helping ensure agreed actions are followed through.
Career Development
The position offers a pathway towards a Consultant role.
Successful candidates will gradually take on:
- More complex projects.
- Greater responsibility.
- Increased stakeholder engagement.
- More independent project delivery.
- Higher-level analytical work.
Minimum Qualification Requirements
Applicants must have:
- A relevant degree.
- A strong academic record.
The advertisement does not specify one compulsory field of study.
Experience Requirements
The following experience will be a strong advantage:
- An internship.
- A graduate programme.
- One to three years of experience in consulting.
- Strategy-related experience.
- Professional services experience.
The wording indicates that this experience is a strong plus rather than a strict compulsory requirement.
Required Skills
Applicants should demonstrate:
- Strong analytical skills.
- Strong writing ability.
- Ability to manage their own work.
- Reliability under time pressure.
- Meticulous planning.
- Strong organisational skills.
- Curiosity.
- Ability to ask useful questions.
- Willingness to learn quickly.
- Ability to work with ambiguity.
Core Competencies
The role requires competencies in:
- Analytical Thinking.
- Learning Agility.
- Research.
- Written Communication.
- Project Coordination and Delivery.
- Stakeholder Engagement.
- Entrepreneurial Thinking.
Advantageous Experience
The following will be advantageous:
- Experience at a consultancy.
- Experience at a strategy firm.
- Exposure to the philanthropic sector.
- Exposure to the development sector.
- Familiarity with Monitoring and Evaluation.
- Familiarity with impact management.
- Multi-country experience.
- Comfort using AI tools in professional work.
These are advantageous rather than mandatory requirements.
What Type of Candidate Is Suitable?
The role is suited to candidates who are:
- Analytical.
- Structured.
- Comfortable working with uncertainty.
- Interested in consulting-style project work.
- Able to learn quickly.
- Strong communicators.
- Organised.
- Motivated by long-term impact in Africa.
- Comfortable working across different projects and stakeholders.
Required Application Documents
The advertisement does not provide a detailed list of compulsory supporting documents.
Applicants should prepare:
- An updated CV.
- Academic record where requested.
- Qualification certificate.
- South African ID or other identification where requested.
- Any additional documents required by the online application portal.
Only documents specifically requested on the official recruitment system should be treated as compulsory.
How to Apply for Allan Gray Orbis Foundation Associate Consultant Position 2026
Applications must be submitted online.
Applicants should use reference number:
AGO260807-1
Vacancy Application Closing Date
Applications close on:
23 August 2026
Applicants should submit their applications before the deadline and ensure that all information is accurate and complete.
Important Application Notes
Applicants should note that:
- The position is permanent.
- The role may be based in Cape Town or Johannesburg.
- A relevant degree and strong academic record are required.
- Internship, graduate programme or early professional experience is advantageous.
- Strong analytical and writing skills are important.
- The role includes project delivery and stakeholder coordination.
- Consulting or strategy exposure is advantageous.
- Monitoring and Evaluation experience is advantageous.
- Comfort with AI tools is advantageous.
- The role offers a development pathway towards more senior consulting responsibilities.
- Meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee selection.