2015: Where are the global development jobs?

An ongoing increase of project funding and private sector engagement in Africa means global development hiring on the fastest-growing continent won’t be slowing down this year. And as funders and implementers alike are putting more importance on measuring the results and impact of their work, the field of monitoring and evaluation has taken off. These are just a few of the trends backed up in a recent Devex “Career Trends in 2015” survey. In its benchmark survey, Devex sought the opinion of recruiters from development consulting firms, international NGOs, international organizations and local NGOs. Consulting firms made up nearly half of respondents, followed by international NGOs, international organizations — including United Nations agencies — and local NGOs. Respondents’ organizations were based in more than 25 different countries, from Colombia to Germany, though the majority are headquartered in the United States. After examining more than 100 responses, here are a few important 2015 career trend findings, along with thoughts from several respondents. 1. It’s all about Africa An increase of project funding and private sector engagement in Africa means global development hiring on the rapidly growing continent won’t be slowing down this year. When asked to choose the top three regions of hiring growth, nearly 80 percent of survey respondents identified Africa as the first region in which they predicted the most new hiring for their organization in 2015. Asia followed at 53 percent, while 37 percent of respondents identified the Middle East. “There’s a huge forward market for Africa right now,” said Kathryn Erskine, recruitment director at Chemonics, which has three divisions that focus on different regions in Africa. There is increased funding across all areas of technical focus on Africa, according to Katherine Wood, senior international development recruiter for U.S.-based RTI International. And the same goes for European-based recruiters working on proposals for the U.K. Department for International Development. “About 80 percent of our work is with DfID, and most of DfID’s work is in Africa,” explained Benjamin Salt, senior international recruiter for DAI Europe. There are other donors expanding there too, including the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and the Danish International Development Agency. The Millenium Challenge Corporation, too, is looking at getting involved in more land projects, Salt suggested. There are still many emerging economies in Africa, while a lot of Asian economies picked up more steam over the last decade, Wood said. While Africa is a fast-growing market, if DAI expands its market share with the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, then the implementing organization also expects to see an increase in recruitment in Asia. 2. All eyes on agriculture Agriculture and rural development was identified by 38 percent of respondents as the sector in which there will be the most new hiring in 2015 when they were asked to identify their top three sectors. Agriculture was followed by energy, environment and natural resources and monitoring and evaluation, tied at 30 percent. As funders and implementers alike are putting more emphasis on measuring the results and impact of their work, the field of monitoring and evaluation has taken off. DAI’s hiring tends to be within the finance sector, general private sector development, working with SME lenders in microfinance work, and a general uplift in governance and land regularization work, according to Salt. Most of its programs also have high M&E components, which Salt doesn’t see changing in the near future. Celia Kiene, a London-based recruiter for Coffey International, identified energy, environment and natural resources as a new hiring area for Coffey due to an increased focus in the sector overall. Erskine, meanwhile, was surprised that health didn’t make the list of top three identified sectors, since “there’s more of an immediate forward market in health.” Instead, she predicted health, agriculture and stabilization for Chemonics’ own work. Compared to these three, she noted, there are relatively few requests for proposals issued for energy. But as the sector moves toward becoming more evidence-based and results-focused, recruitment challenges follow. “It’s difficult to find people who are able to span project M&E and qualitative and quantitative aspects of it as well ... I could see that being an increased area of focus,” Wood said. Knowledge management too is increasingly important for donors including DFAT and USAID, and there are people who include this skill in their CVs — but identifying quality and technical capacity in that area can be a challenge, she explained. 3. All quiet at the home office? Budget cuts, the trend of decentralization and a focus on regional hiring doesn’t mean that the number of home office hires will decrease dramatically this year, according to survey results. More than 40 percent of recruiters said the number of home office hires would be the same compared to 2014; 34 percent identified higher levels of recruitment in this sector, while 25 percent said that hiring would be lower. These results accurately reflect what DAI Europe is going to be looking for this year, according to Salt, who added that the company will be expanding its European Commission team to take on a bigger project portfolio. Home office hiring will also remain steady at Chemonics, according to Erskine, especially since the company has a strong returnee program, where those who work in the field are guaranteed positions once they return home, provided they meet certain requirements. As for why such a high percentage of organizations thought home office hiring would change little in 2015, “I don’t think a lot of organizations have decentralized — some have even contracted and pulled work back to headquarters,” said Wood. “RTI is still in this middle place, some of it is decentralized depending on region and function, some is still back [in the U.S.].” Global bids mean more projects that require a significant core team based in home offices. What seems to be an “onslaught of global indefinite quantity contracts” will require home office workers to help teams to implement projects at country level, said Wood of RTI, although hiring will also remain level in-country. At Coffey, hiring will be higher in terms of project staff, and recent wins on the M&E side will mean additional hires for its evaluation and research practice. For many organizations, home office hiring will depend on projects won, Wood confirmed, but this could also change in response to an increased need for financial and compliance work, rather than program implementation. What sector or region wasn’t rated as high as you would have thought? Leave your comments below. Looking to make a career move? Visit our career center for expert advice on how to navigate your job search - all you need is a Devex Career Account to get started.