Hiring trends for development roles in the Ukraine response

As Russia’s military offensive against Ukraine continues, global development organizations are continuing to ramp up their efforts in and around the country. Since the beginning of the invasion, we’ve been tracking postings on Devex’s job board that are related to the conflict, identifying nearly 200 opportunities that were advertised between Feb. 24 and April 20. There has been no shortage of interest in these roles from job seekers, which may be partly due to the extended commitments that many organizations are making amid the crisis, according to Dorsey Davidge, director of talent acquisition at International Medical Corps. “There is a lot of hiring going on, and more candidates are getting multiple offers,” Davidge, who is currently based in Ukraine, told Devex. “Because of the scale and duration that's expected from the work that we're going to be doing here, it's different than when we've worked in other emergency situations that have typically been a shorter time frame.” An analysis of key data points from these job postings provides a snapshot of the recent hiring landscape for development professionals looking to make a direct impact in the region — including the organizations that have been most actively recruiting, the locations of opportunities, and the specialty areas most in demand. Where are the jobs located? Roughly 33% of the positions were based fully within Ukrainian borders, while a total of 38% included at least some time spent in the country. Many of the other opportunities were in neighboring countries that have seen an influx of refugees, led by Poland and Moldova. But opportunities were also available outside of the conflict region, as agencies have added staffers to other offices as part of their Ukraine response. UN Human Rights — the leading United Nations entity on human rights — posted 13 jobs in Austria, while other organizations offered opportunities in the United States, as well as the United Kingdom, Denmark, Belgium, and elsewhere in Europe. Which skills and experience are in demand? In addition to project management and institutional development — which tend to be the leading subsectors for roles on Devex’s job board in general — 24% of the opportunities dealt with humanitarian aid. Response program managers, coordinators, and directors were among the advertised positions in this field. The human rights and governance subsector was a top specialty area sought by organizations, as was global health. More than half of all positions were offered in the form of short-term contracts, while a quarter were advertised as full-time staff roles. In terms of career level, 44% called for midlevel experience and 29% were aimed at entry-level candidates. Who is hiring the most? 1. International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Top location: Hungary. Top subsectors: institutional development; project management. Nearly all of the 16 positions offered by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies were based in Hungary, where its teams have been running three health service points at the Ukrainian border, as well as reception and collection centers to welcome refugees. Several jobs were intended to support logistics and human resources, and roles included risk management and security positions. Nicole Robicheau, IFRC’s communications team lead for its Ukraine response, emphasized to Devex the critical role support services play in its operation. “One side people may not think of is in addition to all the roles who are involved in hands on humanitarian assistance, there are support services behind them. So profiles such as logistics and procurement, fleet management, HR, finance — these are all important parts of any response,” she said. View all openings at IFRC. 2. International Medical Corps Top location: Ukraine. Top subsectors: humanitarian aid; global health. International Medical Corps has been providing supplies and training for health care facilities and first responders in Ukraine as part of its mission. It has teams in Poland and Moldova as well. “We have warehouses around the country and are bringing in medical supplies and distributing them as needed,” Davidge said. Mental health and psychosocial support is also being provided. All but four of its 16 postings on Devex’s job board were at the proposal stage, meaning they were dependent on funding that had yet to be secured, but Davidge told Devex that sufficient funding has since been obtained — with more likely on the way. Additional positions are expected to be posted soon, and International Medical Corps is planning on expanding its Ukraine operations to more cities. View all openings at International Medical Corps. 3. HelpAge International Top location: worldwide. Top subsectors: institutional development; humanitarian aid. HelpAge International, an international NGO promoting the rights of older people, has operated in Ukraine since 2014. According to HelpAge, citizens aged 60 and above make up one-third of all people who are in need of assistance in Ukraine. “Prospective candidates have the chance to be part of continuing to build a more inclusive humanitarian response in a country that has the largest proportion of older people affected by conflict than any other country in the world,” Justine Tordoff, head of human resources at HelpAge, told Devex. HelpAge’s early response was focused on the country’s Donetsk and Luhansk regions, and it has since launched a program in Moldova to support refugees. “Current opportunities include advisers in humanitarian and advocacy, health and cash and markets, and managers for areas including humanitarian programme and humanitarian finance,” Tordoff said, adding that more roles will emerge as the NGO continues with its mission. View all openings at HelpAge International. 4. UN Human Rights Top location: Austria. Top subsectors: human rights and governance; institutional development. In this analysis, all of the positions from UN Human Rights, also known as OHCHR, were based in Vienna and related to the U.N. commission of inquiry on Ukraine. A majority of the postings were for human rights officers, with some requiring expertise in criminal law and gender rights. View all openings at OHCHR. 5. Chemonics International Inc. Top location: Poland. Top subsectors: project management; funding. The 13 jobs advertised by Chemonics International Inc. stemmed from the Partnership Fund for a Resilient Ukraine, a multidonor-funded program managed by the U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and launched in early February. Several of the openings were for officers and managers specializing in procurement and funding. View all openings at Chemonics.