Devex Career Hub: The Trump effect on USAID contract workers

After months of speculation on what Donald Trump’s return to power will mean for the global development community, some questions were quickly answered, while new ones have arisen.

Since being sworn in on Monday, the new president has ordered withdrawals from the Paris Agreement and the World Health Organization, frozen United States foreign aid for 90 days, and moved to terminate all remote working arrangements in the federal government.

USAID employees are also being told to rat out any colleagues who defy the new government’s new DEIA crackdown and “pause all public communications” across the board. Welcome to development work in Trump 2.0.

In this edition of Career Hub, I’m sharing what we know about Trump’s aid freeze and what workers should keep in mind during these uncertain times. Plus, featured job postings from the likes of Chemonics International Inc., Save the Children International, and plenty of more helpful information to guide you along the globaldev career path.

+ Special announcement! Starting Feb. 3, we’ll be sending Career Hub out twice a week. Our aim is to share more job opportunities in response to feedback we received in our recent newsletter survey while providing further career advice, news, and hiring trends. More on this in next week’s Career Hub and, in the meantime, feel free to let us know what you think.

Top jobs this week

1. Accountant
USAID
Germany 

2. Senior Development Manager
World Resources Institute (WRI)
Netherlands | United Kingdom | United States 

3. Outreach Coordinator
Albwardy Investments
Tanzania

4. Project Coordinator
Alinea International Ltd.
United Kingdom

5. Director, Uganda Humanitarian INGO Forum(HINGO) - Readvertised
Save the Children International
Uganda

6. Senior Specialist, Finance
Chemonics International Inc.
Philippines

+ See the full list

Devex Talent Solutions, our very own boutique recruitment agency, is currently assisting Corus International in its search for a Director, Ethics and Compliance. This role is based in Washington, D.C., but some remote work is an option. The position is responsible for leading and driving the organization’s global ethics and compliance program. Apply by March 5.

+ DTS is also seeking candidates for a senior global safety and security manager role with Innovations for Poverty Action, or IPA — closing March 5 — among many others. See more roles DTS is helping to fill.

Trump’s USAID freeze: What we know

Much remains uncertain about the future of USAID and its implementing partners with Donald Trump back in the White House, including who will run the agency and the exact nature of potential funding freezes and policy reviews. My colleague Michael Igoe reports that the executive order issued on inauguration day to pause foreign assistance spending came as a surprise to many development insiders and has spawned more questions than answers. 

Before the order, experts told Devex they expected minimal disruption in the short term to USAID-funded programs already in place. “Most implementers’ funding is set for a year or two, and that doesn’t get disrupted,” said George Ingram, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and former senior USAID official.

But the past isn’t exactly prologue when it comes to Trump and his governing approach, and some are concerned that the executive order may be used to disrupt funding from the 2024 fiscal year that has yet to be committed to specific projects or that it may affect pending payments to organizations that have already performed work on programs.

What we do know is programs related to issues that don’t fit into Trump and the Republican Party’s agenda are likely to be scrutinized, such as family planning and climate, so professionals tied to these projects should aim to closely track how this situation develops.

Read: Trump 2.0: Fears, hopes, and takeaways for concerned development pros (Career)

Your toolbox for uncertain times

As an already competitive global development job market embarks on a year clouded by additional uncertainty, it’s more important than ever to have a firm grasp of all the tools Devex offers for those seeking their next role.

This is why we kicked off our 2025 career event series with an “ask me anything” session opening the floor to your questions about Devex Career Account membership, covering hacks for optimizing your job board search, the vital role your Devex profile plays, and more.

Read: 3 insider tips for landing development roles on Devex

+ Join us on Jan. 30: Our final New Year’s AMA session opens the floor to all your questions about the 2025 job hunt. To gain access to this and all digital events, advice guides, job board, and much more, sign up for a Career Account with a special discount on annual subscriptions or try it out with a free 15-day trial. To learn more about member benefits, watch this recent event.

Members-only jobs this week

1. Emergency Response Program Lead - Global Emergency Response Team
Global nongovernmental, humanitarian aid organization
United States | United Kingdom | Netherlands 

2. Data Specialist, Humanitarian Planning and Prioritisation
Geneva-based think-and-do tank
Switzerland 

3. Individual Consultant: Procurement Consultant
African development institution
Tanzania 

4. Individual Consultant: Environmental and Social Safeguards Assistant
International financial institution
Mozambique 

5. Senior Business Development Coordinator (Hybrid)
Independent policy research institute
United Kingdom 

6. Project Manager
Intergovernmental, nonprofit organization
Uganda 

+ For more opportunities, check out the weekly Devex Jobs Alert newsletter on LinkedIn as well as Devex’s Job board.

Next stop: Where to work in the Philippines

Looking for a change of scenery? The Philippines has one of the most dynamic economies in Southeast Asia and is a hub for many key development organizations.

Devex’s job board has featured over 2,800 job opportunities based in the Philippines over the past 12 months. More than half of these came from the Asian Development Bank, which is headquartered in Mandaluyong City. ADB has been hiring for a wide range of roles, but finding consultants to support project coordination and operations in its headquarters was a particular focus.

Devex Career Account members can find out what other organizations are worth exploring for development opportunities in the Philippines.

More regions to explore:

• Top development employers in India (Career)

• Top development employers in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Career)

• Top global development employers in Haiti (Career)

Around the watercooler

News and views from around global development worth knowing about.

• Trump’s U.N. pick makes priorities clear. United States Rep. Elise Stefanik voiced strong support for the World Food Programme and UNICEF while singling out UNRWA and WHO as agencies that the U.S. should not support.

• Future of food aid under Trump. While global food security and nutrition have long enjoyed bipartisan support, Republicans now have a majority in both the House and Senate and they’re decidedly more aligned with Trump’s “America First” agenda.

• Devex at Davos 2025. Reporting live from Davos, catch up on reactions to the start of Trump’s second term and more from the World Economic Forum annual meeting.

+ To keep up to date with all the must-read global development coverage, be sure to sign up to the daily Devex Newswire.

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.