The Trump administration’s move to dismantle USAID sent shock waves across global development. As uncertainty lingers around the sector, Devex is continuing to track the impact on the recruitment market by analyzing the latest data from our job board.
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.
In this edition of Career Hub, I’m sharing key insights from our recent look into the development job market in the global south. Plus, some of the best new job opportunities from Devex’s board, from leading organizations such as Socha LLC, Friends of the Earth, and many others.
Top full-time staff jobs this week
1. Director of Business Growth (Hybrid)
Zinc Network
United Kingdom
2. Deputy Director, Fundraising
MiracleFeet
United States (remote)
3. Communications Senior Officer — Digital and Content
UNOPS
Denmark (remote)
4. Program Manager — Global Advisory Services
Socha LLC
West Africa | Southern Africa | Eastern Africa | Central Africa
5. English Language Advisor
British Council
Ethiopia
6. Finance Manager
Friends of the Earth
Netherlands
Devex Talent Solutions, our very own boutique recruitment agency, is assisting Feed the Children in its search for a regional director for Africa (remote) and a senior director for monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning, which is a remote role that can be based anywhere in Africa or Washington, D.C. Those interested in either role need to apply by May 7.
+ See more roles DTS is helping to fill.
Funding freeze fallout: Assessing the impact
We’re continuing to track the extensive impact on development staff around the globe from the Trump administration’s dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development. Here are a few key recent developments you should know about:
• USAID foreign staff have been ordered to return to the United States by Aug. 15. For many, it's an uprooting of the lives they’ve built abroad and a feeling of abandoning the communities they’ve served. “It’s mind blowing,” one USAID worker stationed abroad tells Devex.
• The U.S. made another surprise round of cuts to services it had already decided to spare, in a move which sector leaders said was “a death sentence for millions.” The programs were primarily emergency food aid to Africa and the Middle East.
• With the job market impacted, many are unsure what it means for USAID feeder schools, the courses to train the next generation of development professionals, and the students relying on them. Devex contributor Rebecca Root speaks to insiders to find out.
Latest updates: Tracking Trump’s cuts to international development
Top consulting and short-term jobs
1. Resource Mobilization and Partnerships Adviser
International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance
Thailand | Australia
2. Individual Consultant: Finance Specialist
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
Uzbekistan
3. Senior Consultants — Program Quality and Delivery/Education & SBCC
Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad
United Kingdom (remote)
4. Individual Consultant: Consultancy for a COMESA-EAC Horticulture Accelerator Partnership and Board Advisor
AGRA
Zambia
5. Pillar Lead, Energy Minerals and Circularity, Energy Program
World Resources Institute
India
6. Team Leader
DT Global
Tonga
+ For more opportunities, check out the weekly Devex Jobs Alert newsletter on LinkedIn, our next early-week edition of Career Hub, and Devex’s Job board.
Who is hiring in the global south?
To assess the current state of development job opportunities in the global south, Devex analyzed data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development on the countries currently receiving official development assistance and identified the top organizations still hiring in those countries, as well as trends in sectors and locations specific to each organization.
While hiring has continued at a steady pace since Jan. 24, when the U.S. aid freeze was first announced, it has slowed compared to last year. Devex data suggests that hiring has fallen by a total of 23% compared to the equivalent period in 2024.
Of the 7,879 job postings analyzed, the Asian Development Bank led the way in terms of the most opportunities. ADB primarily advertised fixed-term staff roles with an initial term of up to three years, and consultancies with a three-month to two-year duration. Over the past months, senior roles made up 40% of job postings, with the Philippines, India, and Pakistan as their top hiring locations.
Read: Who's still hiring development roles in the global south? (Career)
Explore more: Who’s hiring in the health sector — and what for? (Career)
Around the watercooler
News and views from around global development worth knowing about.
• Lifesaving aid accidentally cut. The U.S. State Department admitted to mistakenly cutting lifesaving humanitarian assistance, while also stating that the U.S. “commitment to foreign aid remains” and defending the decision to cut programming in Afghanistan and Yemen.
• PEPFAR at a crossroads. While the flagship U.S. global HIV/AIDS initiative PEPFAR has saved more than 25 million lives since its founding in 2003, it has cost the U.S. about $110 billion. U.S. lawmakers are now debating how to cut costs without losing ground in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
• UNFPA chief stepping down early. Dr. Natalia Kanem, executive director of the U.N. Population Fund informed U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres and the agency’s executive board president of her plans to step down in July.
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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.
