Advice from the pros: Working for USAID

The U.S. Agency for International Development hires for a range of technical, managerial, and operational roles to further U.S. interests overseas while tackling global challenges — such as poverty, disease, and climate change — in low- and middle-income countries. In addition, USAID contracts organizations through its procurement process to run projects that often include additional roles such as chiefs of party, grant managers, and program officers. For those who are interested in working directly for USAID or on one of the agency’s funded projects, here’s some firsthand career advice from those who are or have worked in some of these key positions. What’s your advice for other professionals interested in a role like yours? The country representative Anne Dix, Botswana country representative, USAID: “Learn to work with different types of people, learn to communicate what you do, advocate for the less fortunate, practice at home what you preach abroad, and try to understand why people make the choices that they do. Don't solve problems for others; develop their sense of agency [or control]. Know what your standards are, but be flexible when better outcomes can be achieved by modifying your intended course of action. More practically, at least for the foreign service, I would say don't try to join right out of school. Get some years of service, either with an underserved community in the U.S. or overseas. I think it's foundational for anybody who is trying to understand where people are coming from and what it's like to work on the ground. If you can, also seek opportunities to work with local NGOs and other organizations so once you become a project manager, you better understand how they do their work or what is in their realm of possibility. Experience with local academic institutions and governments [can also be helpful] to understand how decisions are made.” + Read more. The chief of party Kate Heuisler, former chief of party of a DAI project funded by USAID in Cambodia: “I think you really have to be a great listener, you have to be a great communicator, and you have to be decisive. So often, that is what people really want: educated, thoughtful, and quick decisions when they're needed. However you can build that skill set within any job, that'll really help you as you move towards any senior leadership position. Also remember that you're only as good as the makeup of your team. … You are only there [in a leadership role] because of the team that helps you get there, and you're only going to be successful if you can keep them motivated, keep them invested in a strategy, [and] listen and adapt to what they need.” + Read more. “I would say don't try to join right out of school. Get some years of service, either with an underserved community in the U.S. or overseas.” --— Anne Dix, Botswana country representative, USAID The humanitarian policy expert Lauren Post, senior adviser, USAID Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance: “Something that I regretfully didn't do and that I do encourage other people to do … is to spend some time overseas working with humanitarian programs, if you can. You'll better understand the challenges the people affected by the crisis and your colleagues, frankly, are facing, and what issues can be unlocked at a local level versus a national level versus an international level to really change and improve people's lives. I know that's not a reality for everybody, and I'm ... somebody who didn't do that, so I don't think it's a necessity. But I do think that it does help frame your job in a helpful way. Something that I did … and that I tell people is: Don't be afraid to work in the private sector. There's a lot to gain there. You can learn a lot about the efficiencies of the private sector and a business, better understand the ways the private sector could potentially help in humanitarian contexts in a really meaningful way — rather than just a corporate social responsibility agenda — and get a sense of how the private sector thinks.” + Read more. The IT specialist Rahul Shrotriya, IT specialist, engineering management at USAID: “First and foremost, keep your IT skills in a back pocket, but take pains to understand the business of development, know your systems users, and be aware of their work. Your users are your customers [so] you have to … understand what it takes for them to do their work, understand their pain, [and] know how the IT system should respond. And think about all the latest technologies that you have the skills for and then see how you can use those.” + Read more. The grants manager Amy Kirk, former grants manager of a Tetra Tech project funded by USAID: “It's a role that I would say certainly is not for the lighthearted. It is very intense sometimes. It requires a lot of project management, attention to detail, [and] ability to multitask. But I feel like if you're passionate about seeing a positive difference in the world and you have some curiosity and creativity, it's a really exciting position. It really is a role that rewards you with endless learning and opportunity because [for example] I would consider myself a generalist — [as] I don't have a technical focus — [but the role] has allowed me to participate and be a part of programs across all different sectors and learn about [those].” + Read more. Advice from the pros is a new Devex series highlighting experienced professionals working across the global development sector and their advice for succeeding in this field.