While the global development job market is still feeling the ill effects of USAID’s dismantling, Devex’s latest job board analysis reveals that demand remains in certain sectors and for particular roles.
In this edition of Career Hub, I’m sharing some of what we learned from digging into 19,000 job postings from the last several months. Plus, some of the best new job opportunities from Devex’s board, from leading organizations such as DT Global, International Development Research Centre, and many others.
Keep up to date with global development’s top jobs and expert career advice by signing up to Devex Career Hub. Get it in your inbox every Friday.
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What’s on recruiters’ most-wanted lists
To help assess the current state of the development job, Devex continues to analyze job board postings since Jan. 24, when the U.S. aid freeze was first announced. Our most recent data deep-dive looked into over 19,000 job postings from the last three months to help job seekers understand where demand remains.
Project and program management positions have long been the backbone of development hiring, and this remains true with over 2,000 roles posted in the past quarter. Current openings include a program manager for geo analytics at the World Resources Institute, supporting data-driven urban infrastructure work, and a project manager and team leader at Education Development Center, Inc., focusing on teacher training in Sudan.
There is also evidence of blended finance and DFI engagement’s growing importance, with over 600 finance and investment roles appearing on our board. There are currently open positions for a head of innovative finance partnerships at The Ocean Cleanup, tasked with developing new funding mechanisms, and an assistant manager of impact investing from Asian Venture Philanthropy Network.
For more in-demand spaces in today’s development landscape, Devex Career Account members can read the full analysis.
Read: What development roles are the most recruited for? (Career)
Explore more: Who's still hiring for short-term consultancy roles? (Career)
Top full-time staff jobs this week
1. Spécialiste principal·e de programme/Senior Program Specialist
International Development Research Centre
Senegal
2. Research Director
Research ICT Africa
South Africa
3. Senior Manager Health Nutrition & Economic Development
World Vision Australia
Australia
4. Senior Programme Manager [Adaptation]
UNOPS
United States
5. Senior Manager for Asia
Open Contracting Partnership
East Asia and the Pacific | South Asia (remote)
6. Procurement Officer
Population Services International
Kenya
Devex Talent Solutions, our boutique recruitment agency, is supporting the Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean in its search for an employee experience senior specialist and a senior change management specialist — both based in Colombia or Brazil. Applications for both jobs are closing on May 19. DTS is also assisting the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank in its search for a corporate procurement specialist based in Beijing.
+ See more roles DTS is helping to fill.
Post-USAID survival: Find your next fit
Our latest downloadable career guide pulls together our best resources to help those affected by the U.S. foreign aid crisis, such as financial and professional support options, job search and networking advice, and much more.
Included is a model for optimizing your job hunt from coaches Dan Freehling and Spencer Campbell. The first step of this involves what they call a “3 fit hypothesis,” which, referring to coaching clients they have worked with recently, is “the single most useful exercise that we've done with them,” Freehling said.
The idea is to identify a few hypothetical pairings, matching a type of job with a type of organization. “What you want to do for your three fit hypotheses is get very specific,” he said.
As an example, someone who has worked in global health with report writing and communications experience may decide that “I think a communications director at a biotech startup would be of interest. So this is a hypothesis at this point,” Freehling said.
While specificity matters, the idea isn’t to encompass all possible combinations, either, he added. The goal is to identify some examples of “what might be a fruitful path for you to pursue.”
To find out what to do next, Devex Career Account members can explore the complete guide.
Download: Your toolkit for navigating job loss and the U.S. aid crisis (Career)
Top consulting and short-term jobs
1. Finance Business Analyst (Reporting and Automation) (Fixed-term)
International Organization for Migration
Spain | Switzerland
2. Consultant: Development of report for the Liberia National Legacy Program
Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa
Liberia
3. REDD+ Safeguards Technical Specialist
DT Global
Papua New Guinea
4. Consultancy for Performance-Based Fundraising (Individual or Firm)
RET International
United States (remote)
5. Marketing and Communications Strategist
Desarrollo Multilateral Development
Belize
6. Resettlement Specialist
Steyn Reddy Associates
Worldwide (remote)
+ For more opportunities, check out the weekly Jobs Alert newsletter on LinkedIn and Devex’s job board.
Around the watercooler
News and views from around global development worth knowing about.
• UNAIDS losing half of its staff. The U.N. agency will need to reduce the current number of staff from 608 to around 280 over time. The program will also reduce its country presence from 75 to 36 countries.
• Food aid becomes food waste. Over 400,000 boxes of emergency food meant for malnourished children are trapped in American warehouses as USAID stalls under a gutted foreign aid system.
• DOGE déjà vu. After months of halted payments, some USAID partners briefly saw funding resume in March. Now, payments are stalling once more. “It feels like we’re going through round two of this,” says one affected programmatic lead. “How much more can we endure?”
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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.
