Presented by University of Leeds
When’s a job opening only kind of, sort of, a job opening? In global development, we call that a job opportunity in the proposal stage, and some of the sector’s most sought-after roles, such as chief of party, are often advertised with the caveat that an organization first needs to be awarded funding by USAID before it can actually hire you.
Of course, there’s more to it than that (because this is global development we’re talking about here). But that is fine because translating the development recruitment process into a language you can understand is kind of our thing here at Devex.
In this edition of Career Hub, I’m revealing some of the top nonprofits that work with USAID and what positions they’re looking to fill. Also, expert advice on how to navigate what can be a complicated recruitment landscape for USAID-funded roles. Plus, featured job postings from the likes of the World Resources Institute, Habitat for Humanity International, and plenty of more helpful information to guide you along the globaldev career path.
+ Join us on Jan. 23: Our next New Year’s AMA session opens the floor to all your questions about development CVs. To gain access to this and all digital events, advice guides, job board, and much more, sign up for a Career Account with a limited-time discount on an annual subscription or try it out with a free 15-day trial.
Top jobs this week
1. Senior Development Manager
World Resources Institute (WRI)
Netherlands | United Kingdom | United States
2. Outreach Coordinator
Albwardy Investments
Tanzania
3. Regional Safeguarding Advisor
Habitat for Humanity International
Costa Rica (Remote)
4. Monitoring, Data Analytics & Reporting Officer
Global Emergency Group
United States (Remote)
5. Project Management Specialist (Senior Humanitarian Program Advisor)
USAID
Philippines
6. Global Change Manager – Data & Analytics
Save the Children International
Worldwide | United Kingdom
Featured opportunity: Devex Talent Solutions, our very own boutique recruitment agency, is assisting Innovations for Poverty Action, or IPA, in its search for a Global Safety and Security (Sr.) Manager to work remotely from select locations, including but not limited to Kenya, Zambia, Mexico, the Philippines, and the United States. Those interested should apply by March 3.
+ DTS is also seeking candidates for a Strategic Programs, Associate Manager at the Sustainable Agriculture Network, or SAN, (closing Feb. 20) to work remotely. See more roles DTS is helping to fill.
Data download: Top nonprofits working with USAID
We recently looked at USAID’s largest partners and identified the kinds of jobs they offered over USAID’s last fiscal year — from October 2023 to September 2024. The agency obligated $5.8 billion to nonprofit recipients during this period.
Here are some of the top partner organizations based on an analysis of 2,675 job postings on Devex and some current opportunities to apply for.
RTI International
Total jobs posted over 12 months: 327
RTI is an independent research institute that addresses global challenges by delivering data through scientific research and analysis. RTI advertised roles related to media and communications, research, health, and water sectors.
Apply now
Deputy chief of party, operations (proposal) | 🇧🇩
Security Manager - Primary Education in Crisis Activity (PECA) | 🇪🇹
View all current RTI jobs on Devex.
Total jobs posted over 12 months: 282
World Vision is a Christian relief advocacy organization focused on empowering children, families, and communities and helping them out of poverty. Positions related to grants management, financial, and humanitarian aid were advertised on the job board.
Apply now
Chief of Party, Ghana (proposal) | 🇬🇭
View all current World Vision jobs on Devex.
Save the Children
Total jobs posted over 12 months: 140
Save the Children is a global organization that specializes in child-focused humanitarian response. Its postings included administrative, monitoring and evaluation, education, government relations, health, and social inclusion-focused roles such as MEAL directors, humanitarian advisers, and lead associates.
Apply now
M&E lead, USAID/Niger Resilience Food Security activity (proposal) | 🇳🇪
Resource transfer manager (RTM), USAID/Madagascar Resilience Food Security activity (RFSA) | 🇲🇬
View all current Save the Children jobs on Devex.
Read: Top nonprofit employers working with USAID (Career)
Explore more: The roles that USAID contractors typically hire for (Career)
Tipsheet: Applying for USAID contract roles
“Proposals are not the time that most organizations are going to do a lot of experimentation in terms of testing people out for new roles, so this is not where you’re going to … cut your teeth.”
— Susanne Barsoum, founder and CEO, KeyLime InternationalBefore you apply to one of the USAID-funded roles above, know that the process is often not as straightforward as it is for other positions and may be especially confusing for those who are new to development. We asked Susanne Barsoum, founder and CEO of KeyLime International, for some advice.
Understand the proposal stage. If you see “contingent upon award” or funding in a job posting, it means that “an organization is recruiting for potential consultants for when the project is awarded,” Barsoum says, adding that this “is not where you’re going to … cut your teeth in a new role, because they’re so short in duration and the stakes are really high.”
Are you eligible for the role? In terms of who will ultimately land a role, much will depend on what terms the employer agreed to with USAID, including whether an organization is able to “hire an in-country consultant, or an American, or a third-country national because USAID differentiates between those three types of consultants,” she says.
Read: What to know before applying for USAID consulting roles (Career)
Watch: How to land global USAID consulting roles (Career)
Members-only jobs this week
1. Executive Support Officer (Hybrid)
Faith-based international nongovernmental organization
United Kingdom
2. Programme Officer
United Nations agency
Italy
3. Climate Adaptation Senior Officer
International intergovernmental organization
Colombia
4. Protection Officer, Legal
Humanitarian nonprofit organization
Ethiopia
5. Technical Director, Consumer Demand
Nonprofit human development organization
United States (Remote)
6. Manager, Resilience
Network of global megacities
India
+ For more opportunities, check out the weekly Devex Jobs Alert newsletter on LinkedIn as well as Devex’s Job board.
Origin story: Driven to help from an early age
With an early awareness of the global food crisis, Qwamel Hanks knew what she wanted to do in her career from a young age. Here’s how she ended up on the front lines of addressing food insecurity as an institutional contractor at USAID.
Hanks: In my youth, I could not grasp how food insecurity still exists in our modern times, given the amount of food produced. It always really bothered me, and it felt like an injustice that was solvable. So, it was quite early in high school that I realized I wanted a career in global nutrition. However, my journey was not perfectly linear!
For my undergraduate education, I studied food science and human nutrition with a minor in business at the University of Florida. Once I graduated, I worked in domestic nutrition and food security for about five years. While this work experience gave me a good understanding of issues and solutions for nutrition in our country, I eventually realized that I needed to do more to transition out of the domestic field and into global nutrition. Thus, I relocated to Washington, D.C., and began a master’s in global health at George Washington University.
I believed that living in the nation’s hub for international affairs and attaining higher education would better position me for the right opportunities, which indeed proved true. I accepted a job with USAID while completing my graduate practicum in Ghana and have worked for the agency for almost six years now.
Read more: Career advice from a nutrition adviser at USAID
Around the watercooler
News and views from around global development worth knowing about.
EU staff on the move? The European Union wants to consolidate management of its foreign aid into 18 regional hubs and may pull all development experts from some countries in a move staff unions say could make its work less effective. (Pro)
WHO contractors under pressure. Funding challenges are impacting WHO’s workforce, according to a new report by WHO’s ombudsman, stating it’s creating stress for those on temporary contracts who are unsure if they will be able to continue working for the organization.
Rare good news for U.K. aid funding. Widespread concerns of a return to the devastating cuts made to the U.K.’s development budget at the start of the decade may be fading, for now, as FCDO will receive a boost because of higher U.K. gross national income.
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Sign up to Devex Career Hub for global development’s top jobs, expert career advice, and practical tips to help you do more good for more people.
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.
