There are a lot of development professionals looking for jobs these days, and this demand is being matched with a steady flow of career advice on platforms such as LinkedIn. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but according to coaches Spencer Campbell and Dan Freehling, many of these well-intentioned tips can do more harm than good when not part of a more holistic strategy.
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During a recent digital event, Campbell and Freehling explained their “hunt like a hero, apply like a scientist” model, which is based on what they've learned while supporting hundreds of job seekers. It is based on two truths: The job search requires both undergoing a personal transformation and finding your place in the market.
In this edition of Career Hub, I’m sharing key insights from this event on how to apply like a scientist and land your next development role. Plus, discover top new job opportunities on Devex’s board from leading organizations such as UNOPS, Resolve to Save Lives, and many others.
+ Join us on April 10: Devex is hosting a digital event to help development professionals learn about the roles and social impact sectors that are growing in demand. Register now.
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Top full-time staff jobs this week
1. Chief Executive Officer
Nova Ukraine
United States (remote)
2. Manager – Programming, Partnerships, Learning and Innovation
The Pacific Community
Fiji
3. Vice President of Advancement
Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School
United States
4. Senior Project Manager (Health Infrastructure and Procurement)
UNOPS
Guatemala
5. Principal Advisor, Food Policy and Environment
Resolve to Save Lives
United States | United Kingdom | France | Nigeria (remote)
6. Transport Specialist
Asian Development Bank
Philippines
Devex Talent Solutions, our very own boutique recruitment agency, is supporting the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean in recruiting a human resources business partner in Trinidad and Tobago. Those interested need to apply by May 1.
+ DTS is also seeking candidates for a counsel/senior counsel for public sector operations with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, closing May 2, among many others. See more roles DTS is helping to fill.
Reset and refocus your job search
During a recent digital event, coaches Spencer Campbell and Dan Freehling presented their “hunt like a hero, apply like a scientist” model. Here are three of the key elements for how to find more success with your job applications moving forward.
Identify potential fits. The first step is to match types of jobs with types of organizations. While specificity matters, the idea isn’t to encompass all possible combinations, either, Freehling said. The goal is to identify some examples of “what might be a fruitful path for you to pursue.”
Validate with networking. The next step is to determine which potential fits might be worth pursuing — and this is where networking comes in. For each one, they recommend talking to people “who are in and around that hypothesis, who are professionals, who are in and around that world,” as Freehling described it.
Refine and apply. The final step is to “use all of this information in context to refine our materials and make targeted applications,” Campbell said. “Then we are attentive to what happens. We analyze our results, and we use that to go back on this loop again and again.
Watch: Hunt like a hero, apply like a scientist (Career)
Explore more: How development professionals can turn fear into career growth
Funding freeze fallout: Who is hiring health talent
To assess how the global health sector has responded to the Trump administration’s stop-work order on foreign aid, we analyzed Devex job board data to identify the top hiring organizations in the sector since Jan. 24.
Overall, the 762 health-related jobs posted during this period represented a 49% drop year-on-year. This decline was also reflected across the organizations that have advertised the most jobs, including the World Health Organization. The 104 roles posted by the U.N.’s lead agency for global public health were far less than appeared during this period in 2024, which is over 660 roles.
The reduction in hiring was less steep for some other organizations, including Médecins Sans Frontières, also known as Doctors Without Borders. Compared to the same period last year, MSF’s health-sector job postings — 32 roles — declined by over 25%. Recent vacancies included project managers and medical experts, with most positions at mid-level and structured as short- or long-term consultancies.
Read: Who’s hiring in the health sector — and what for?
Explore more: Who is still hiring in the US? (Career)
Latest updates: Tracking Trump’s cuts to international development
Top consulting and short-term jobs
1. Consultant, Policies and Procedures
International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT)
Mexico
2. Women’s rights and diversity Advisor
Oxfam Quebec
Honduras
3. Expert in Export Development Training
Cowater International
Worldwide (remote)
4. Project Manager
Adam Smith International
Malawi
5. Consultant for Case Studies on Food Systems Transformation
Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition
Worldwide
6. Carbon Inventory and Finance Consultant
Pact
Kenya
+ For more opportunities, check out the weekly Devex Jobs Alert newsletter on LinkedIn and the Devex job board.
Origin story: Driven by European pride
Piotr Kowalczyk, EU policy officer at the Directorate General for Environment of the European Commission, recently spoke to us about how he came to this role, the challenges involved, and what skills aspiring professionals can focus on building to progress in their career.
Here he explains how he got started:
Kowalczyk: Coming from a multicultural family, with a French mother, a Polish father and Czech and Italian ancestry, I always felt an emotional bond with European integration and the concept of Europe in general.
It led me to pursue an MSc in Political Economy of Europe between Sciences Po, in Paris, France, and the London School of Economics, in London, United Kingdom. Upon completing my studies, I undertook a series of traineeships, including one at the European Commission. As there was no immediate job opportunity at the European Commission, I decided to move into management consulting.
Whilst working as a consultant, I took part in the competitive exam to become an EU civil servant, which I eventually passed. So, after four years of consulting, I joined the European Commission as an EU official in December 2021.
Read more: Career advice from a policy officer at the European Commission
Around the watercooler
News and views from around global development worth knowing about.
• Dreams deferred. The abrupt freezing of the Payne Fellowship, a key pipeline for underrepresented Americans in USAID’s foreign service, has left fellows stranded — without funding, jobs, or clear next steps.
• Will philanthropists meet the moment? Philanthropists must step up and do more to help the nonprofit sector, leaders from some of the world’s biggest foundations said at the Skoll World Forum — the annual gathering for social entrepreneurs.
• U.K. charities brace for crisis. U.K.-based small charities working on the front lines of the global south say they will have to pick up the pieces after the latest government aid cut.
+ To keep up to date with all the must-read global development coverage, be sure to sign up to the daily Devex Newswire.
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About the author
Justin Sablich
Justin is a contributing writer and editor who previously led Devex’s careers content strategy. Before joining Devex, Justin served as the managing editor of Springwise, covering sustainable and climate-tech innovation across all business sectors. He also spent over 13 years as an editor and writer for the New York Times, specializing in digital content production and strategy while producing written and multimedia content on a range of topics, including travel, sports, and technology.
