For those with career aspirations in Latin America and the Caribbean, have you heard of HIAS? The Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society is a leading development employer in the region, and we recently spoke to its HR adviser for LACM about what types of candidates the organization is looking for to support its in-country programmatic work.
In this edition of Career Hub, I’m sharing some of what we learned from our chat with HIAS, as well as job board insights into the most active hiring organizations in Haiti. Plus, featured job postings from the likes of USAID, the United Nations Development Programme, and much more useful info to help you along the globaldev career path.
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1. Senior Manager, Communications
World Food Prize Foundation
United States
2. Finance and Contracts Lead | ATLPHD
Abt Associates – Australia
Timor-Leste
3. Senior Legal & Policy Analyst
Strategic Issues and Research Council
Kenya | Uganda
4. Digital Transformation Specialist
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Jordan
5. Human Resources Specialist
USAID
Bangladesh
6. Food Security & Agriculture Specialist
RTI International
United States
“On the cover letter … a candidate can describe their intentions and motivations. … I would recommend that candidates really utilize this when they have less experience.”
— Juan Manuel Díaz, HR adviser for the Latin America and the Caribbean region, HIASJuan Manuel Díaz, HIAS’ HR adviser for the Latin America and the Caribbean region, spoke to Devex about the profiles the organization is looking for to support its in-country programmatic work and emergency response roster. Here are a few key takeaways.
Experience working in difficult situations. For those looking to transition into development, keep this kind of experience in mind. “Where candidates don’t have field experience, we sometimes look for soft skills that show they could work in challenging situations,” Díaz said.
Stand out with a concise CV. “Most CVs are very long. I would recommend no more than one page for your résumé. Candidates also need to adjust their résumé according to the position they are applying for,” Díaz said.
Openings for entry-to-mid-level pros. HIAS is currently prioritizing officer and specialist roles. “A specialist is a mid-level professional, on the path to becoming a coordinator. Officer positions require between one and two years of experience — this can be any relevant experience such as an internship,” Díaz said.
+ Read the complete interview with HIAS’ Díaz (Career)
Explore more: Here’s what ADB recruiters are looking for in climate experts (Career)
Speaking of the Latin America and the Caribbean region, in our ongoing effort to highlight the top development organizations in key areas around the globe, we’ve identified those that have hired the most in Haiti over the past year. Here are some of the key employers to know about.
Haiti-based jobs posted over the past 12 months: 69.
U.N. organizations and agencies, led by UNICEF, have a massive presence in the country. Over the past 12 months, it has sought candidates to fill the roles of child protection officers and specialists for education, nutrition, and emergency activities in Haiti.
U.N. Integrated Office in Haiti
Haiti-based jobs posted over the past 12 months: 27.
The only entity among the top 10 organizations headquartered in Haiti, BINUH is the peacekeeping and political mission of the U.N. to help address Haiti’s security, political, and development challenges. It has recently advertised associate officer roles for procurement, public information, and security.
Haiti-based jobs posted over the past 12 months: 14.
The most active non-U.N. organization hiring in Haiti, Solidarités International, works to help victims of conflicts, epidemics, and natural and human-made disasters. Recent opportunities existed for program managers to work on monitoring and evaluation and grants management.
+ View all current opportunities based in Haiti on Devex
Read: The top global development employers in Haiti (Career)
1. Individual Consultant: Environmental and Social Safeguards
Multilateral development finance institution
Togo
2. Programme Director, Horn of Africa Programme
International organization committed to stopping violent conflict
Ethiopia | Kenya
3. Development Manager
International organization committed to stopping violent conflict
United Kingdom
4. Political Affairs Officer
Department of the U.N. secretariat
United States
5. Mental Health Supervisor
Nonprofit international development agency
Egypt
6. Budget and Programming Associate (Fixed-term)
U.N. humanitarian organization
Panama
+ For more opportunities, check out the weekly Devex Jobs Alert newsletter on LinkedIn as well as Devex’s Job board.
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For some development professionals, a career journey can start as early as childhood. Alexandra Payne, a food systems program officer at The Rockefeller Foundation, shares her story.
Alexandra Payne: My journey with food and food systems goes way back. Since I was a child, I had a deep love of food and cooking. My mom was a chef, so she introduced me to many foods — and to cooking — very early. My parents often host gatherings of diverse people, which was foundational in my view of how food could be used to bring people together.
Another thing that drove my career was my exposure to issues of segregation in places such as Milwaukee, where I grew up, and later in New Orleans, where I studied sociology at Tulane. These experiences were major drivers in pointing me to justice and equity work and understanding how food could be a tool for driving cohesion.
After college, I moved to New York. I quickly realized that working at a nonprofit wouldn’t cover my student loans, so I went into marketing. That shift was helpful as I started viewing communities as “customers” whose needs and lived experiences we should serve rather than passive recipients of programs.
Read more: Career advice from a food systems program officer
News and views from around global development worth knowing about.
Global health under RFK Jr. U.S. President-elect Trump’s pick to lead the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has a history of promoting misinformation and funding programs and activities fueled by conspiracy theories. What does this mean for the global health sector?
Can saving lives be profitable? Sustainable innovation is crucial for strengthening health systems, particularly in low- and middle-income countries in Africa. But investors have historically been hesitant to engage with Africa’s health care sector.
Culture as a weapon against the global food crisis. The Food Culture Alliance aims to mobilize food culture as a means of countering the private sector’s push toward poor consumer habits. Can it have a real impact?
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