Role purpose
The global labour market is undergoing a profound transformation. In low- and middle-income countries, millions of young people enter the workforce each year in contexts where formal employment growth is insufficient to absorb them. As a result, youth necessity entrepreneurship, defined as entrepreneurs having small, informal, and undercapitalised ventures, has become one of the largest, yet least strategically leveraged, employment systems globally.
Generation Unlimited (GenU) and Youth Business International (YBI) are jointly developing a flagship thought leadership report that reframes necessity entrepreneurship not as a marginal survival mechanism, but as a potential pathway to livelihoods, job creation, and inclusive economic transformation. The report will combine analytical rigour, youth-generated evidence, and implementation-informed insights to influence policy, financing, and ecosystem design at scale.
YBI, in close collaboration with GenU, will engage a Lead Consultant (or small consultant team) to develop this report. The engagement will be through a competitive process.
Key responsibilities
- Inception and Framing
- Research and Evidence Synthesis
- Youth Voice Integration
- Partner and Case Study Integration
- Drafting and Revision
- Finalisation and Launch Readiness
Submission of proposals
Important: Please download and review the Terms of Reference document for more information about the full scope of work before submitting a proposal.
Proposals for conducting this consultancy must be submitted in English to Miranda Page,
YBI’s Director of Strategic Communication, at miranda.page@youthbusiness.org by 10.00 am (GMT) on
23 February 2026.
Proposals must include:
- CV
- short cover letter outlining approach, relevant experience, and fee
- links or samples of similar reports/thought leadership work you’ve led or contributed to
Shortlisting and interviews will be conducted jointly by YBI and GenU, and the final selection will be agreed jointly. For any questions, please contact Miranda Page by email.