It’s been about nine months since Donald Trump regained the U.S. presidential office and quickly ordered his government to freeze foreign aid, a decision that would soon drastically alter the global development recruitment landscape.
As the many Devex job board analyses conducted in the months since have shown, good news for sector job seekers has been sporadic at best. But our latest data deep dive into the U.S. market paints a more nuanced picture, with stronger growth trends emerging in some areas.
In this edition of Career Hub, I’m sharing some of what we learned in our new downloadable guide assessing the U.S. development job market. Plus, the best new job opportunities from Devex’s board, from leading organizations such as UNOPS, The Carter Center, and many others.
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Top full-time staff jobs this week
1. Partnerships Adviser — Liaison
UNOPS
Japan
2. Operations Manager
LifeNet International
United States
3. Associate Director, Development
The Carter Center
United States
4. Expert to develop AfCFTA Toolkits for Women and Youth-led MSMES
Cowater International
Worldwide (remote)
5. Director of People Operations
Luminate Group
United Kingdom | United States
6. Philanthropy Manager
International Institute for Environment and Development
United Kingdom (remote)
Devex Talent Solutions, our boutique recruitment agency, is assisting CARE in its search for a country director to be based in Rwanda. This opportunity is open until Nov. 20.
+ See more roles DTS is helping to fill.
Data download: Who’s hiring in the US?
As we continue assessing the state of development job opportunities across the globe, our latest careers guide took a deep dive into 2025 Devex job board data for roles based in the U.S. Roughly 5,000 jobs have been posted on Devex’s board, nearly 28% fewer than the same period in 2024.
Fallout from the U.S. funding cuts has been widespread, not only directly hitting key USAID partner organizations in hub cities such as Washington, D.C., where job openings are down roughly 50% year-on-year, but also several New York-based United Nations entities, such as the World Bank and UNICEF, both of which have posted around 35% fewer jobs on Devex this year.
But some smaller U.N. agencies and NGOs have bucked the general downward trend. For instance, the 85 jobs posted by the U.N. Development Programme’s U.S. office represent a 46.2% increase, while the North Carolina-based NGO Samaritan's Purse has posted the second most jobs of any organization this year, with its 339 jobs equaling a nearly 161% increase.
While opportunities remain significantly fewer across most subsectors and specialty areas, particularly project management roles (-53.7%), the strongest evidence yet that opportunities related to business development are on the rise has also emerged. The nearly 350 U.S.-based funding roles posted so far this year are about 150% more than last year.
Download: Assessing the US development job market (Career)
Explore more: Who's hiring in the health sector and what are they paying? (Career)
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Top consulting and short-term jobs
1. MSS Policy and Government Analyst
DT Global
Indonesia
2. Senior Program Officer, Market Dynamics (LTE)
Gates Foundation
United States
3. Senior Officer, Vaccine Delivery Enablement (LTE)
Gates Foundation
United States
U.N. Development Programme
South Sudan
5. Head, Pay and Entitlements Unit
World Intellectual Property Organization
Switzerland
6. Procurement Clerk
International Criminal Court
Netherlands
+ For more opportunities, check out the weekly Devex Jobs Alert newsletter on LinkedIn and Devex’s Job board.
Making your multilateral pitch
“We need to talk up front about our strengths [and] we need to listen.”
— Roberto Amorosino, former senior HR specialist, World BankHere are a few key takeaways from our recent digital event on how to stand out to large multilateral agencies, including the World Bank, in an ultra-competitive job market.
Visibility through networking. Amorosino underscored that networking shouldn’t be approached as a transactional activity undertaken only when one needs a job, but as an ongoing process of building relationships and exchanging ideas.
Tailored applications with context. “If I say [that] I have a strong experience with high-level contacts, stakeholder engagement, [and] I've done this for the last five years, this is not good enough,” Amorosino explained. “We need bullet points to say where, when, [and] how, [with] examples [and] stories.”
Don’t just talk, but listen. Amorosino advised candidates to actively listen to interview questions and tailor their answers accordingly, rather than relying on memorized responses. “Some people ignore the question because they are so prepared to talk about themselves that they ignore the question,” he said.
Watch: How to stand out when applying to multilateral agencies (Career)
Around the watercooler
News and views from around global development worth knowing about.
• Mott MacDonald shutters development arm. The massive U.K. contractor is understood to be winding down its dealings with FCDO. The decision has kick-started a termination process for all 500 staff in the unit worldwide. [Devex Pro]
• Global polio coalition braces for budget cuts. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative plans to cut its budget for next year by 30% from its original plan in the wake of foreign aid cuts. GPEI aims to create a “more agile surge structure,” with rosters of international experts routinely updated.
• Inside Trump’s assault on nonprofits. Many predicted that left-leaning nonprofits and foundations would be in the crosshairs of the U.S. president. Now that it’s happening, what do those attacks look like, and how can they be countered? [Devex Pro]
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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.
