Devex Career Hub: Insider tips for pivoting into consulting

As more time passes since the onset of last year’s U.S. foreign aid cuts, more former USAID professionals are carving out new paths within and around the development sector.

In this edition of Career Hub, I’m sharing some insider tips on how to pivot into consulting, which we learned during our recent digital event with two pros who recently made the switch. Plus, the best new job opportunities on Devex’s board from CARE, Gavi, and other leading organizations.

+ Join us on March 3: Layoffs are reshaping global development, and senior titles no longer guarantee security. Join us for an exclusive session on how to strategically pivot and stand out in a competitive field. Hear from Alder Bartlett, former USAID senior program director and current COO at Oregon Housing and Community Services, as she shares her journey from a 16-year agency career to executive leadership. Register now.

This event is exclusively for Career Account members. Not yet a member? Start your free 15-day trial.

Top full-time staff jobs this week

1. Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer
CARE
United States

2. Finance Director
Zaria Group
Worldwide (remote)

3. Manager, Ethics & Compliance
Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance
Switzerland

4. Country Director (F/M)
Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation
Benin

5. Business Development Manager
GIST Research
United States | United Kingdom

6. Finance Associate
UNOPS
Denmark

+ See the full list.

Devex Talent Solutions, our boutique recruitment agency, is assisting the Sustainable Agriculture Network in its search for a strategic and results-driven corporate engagement director to lead private-sector partnership expansion and revenue growth. This is a remote opportunity, and the application is open until April 24.

+ See more roles DTS is helping to fill.

Turning layoffs into consulting careers

During a recent Devex event, Grace Tran, founder of Athena Insight Consulting LLC, and Taylor Williamson, director of Cadence Advisory, reflected on the challenges of their first year and on navigating the unpredictable nature of project- and client-based work. Here are some of the insights they shared:

Invest time in networking. One of the biggest challenges for both was securing their first clients. The best advice Williamson got was to “tell everyone that you know that you're consulting.” You never know where the next connection will come from, and the weak ties are often the ones that land you the most work, he said.

Stick to your niche. When considering an opportunity, the question shouldn’t be if you can do something, but whether the job fits your niche, Williamson said. Tran also cautioned against straying outside of your lane. She recalled taking on an assignment that didn’t align with her strengths, and she struggled to deliver the desired results.

Adjust your rates. For Tran, it was important to establish a minimum hourly rate that made any job worthwhile, along with varying rates for different client types. She said, “The reality is that you need to have a range of rates that you're willing to work with,” depending on the clientele.

Watch the event: How global development professionals turned layoffs into thriving consulting careers (Career)

Read: How to get started as a global development consultant (Career)

Top consulting and short-term jobs

1. Policy Analyst, Philippines
Cowater International
Philippines

2. Partnership and Localization Advisor (Country-Focused)
Danish Refugee Council
Kenya | Lebanon | Jordan

3. Grants and Partnership ManagerAVSI FoundationMozambique

4. Team Leader & Key Expert 1 – TVET Governance
British Council
Malawi

5. Consultant- One Health Laboratory Strengthening Advisor
Project Hope
Indonesia

6. Business Development and Events Manager (Hybrid)
Charities Aid Foundation
United Kingdom (remote)

+ For more opportunities, check out the weekly Devex Jobs Alert newsletter on LinkedIn and Devex’s job board.

The Trump effect: Grant writing post-USAID

With what feels like the fate of their organizations on their shoulders, grant writers are feeling a lot of pressure to perform amid a fiercely competitive funding landscape, according to those who recently spoke with Devex.

At the same time, many nonprofits now want grant writers to be “strategists,” according to Fatou Jammeh, founder of fundraising consultancy Fjammeh Consulting. “The role has shifted from ‘You give me what your programming is, I will write the proposal for you’ to [being] more involved … because they don’t have that much capacity,” she explained.

Yvan Tonkeu, freelance grant writer, added that the role used to be more about storytelling, but the need for greater impact per dollar means grant writing has become more data-focused. “You definitely need to be resilient and hardworking if you want to succeed in the grant industry environment,” he said.

To stay competitive, experts advised building a diverse skill set to increase your overall value to the organizations you’re trying to support.

Read more: What it’s like to be a grant writer right now (Career)

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Around the watercooler

News and views from around global development worth knowing about.

Retired former USAID staffers face pension delays. Nearly eight months after the first round of USAID officials were terminated, those who were eligible for retirement benefits at the time they were laid off have yet to receive their first pension check. Some are struggling to get by. (Pro)

USAID moves out, gangs move in. Colombia had been the agency’s largest aid recipient country in the Western Hemisphere. Now, in some communities, shuttered U.S.-funded youth programs have left a vacuum that gangs and armed groups are exploiting.

Global Fund’s fundraising shortfall. As bilateral aid shrinks and health systems strain, the Global Fund’s $10.78 billion allocation signals tighter resources ahead for countries already struggling to maintain services.

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