Is it growing harder to find a development role overseas?

Facing a bleak job market at home, some global development professionals based in the United States and other donor countries may be considering their career opportunities overseas. These positions once typically came with a relocation package and other attractive perks. However, such roles are increasingly scarce. After months of budget cuts across the sector, organizations are looking to save money on hiring, leveraging local talent instead. According to Fatema Z. Sumar, Harvard Kennedy School adjunct lecturer in public policy and executive director at the Harvard Center for International Development, the old model, which involved expensive contracts for overseas hires, is declining. While international staff were traditionally brought in to set up institutions or run humanitarian programs, foreign aid cuts have meant fewer such roles — or they’re being filled by local organizations and governments “looking to build from the ground up and not import Western models,” Sumar said. With a growing focus on local leadership and partnerships, Sumar said the role of international staff going forward is “less about being in charge and more about contributing to shared work that may increasingly sit outside the traditional foreign aid model.” For these professionals, it will require “approaching the work with humility, curiosity, and a willingness to support — not direct — change.” She suggested that international applicants consider opportunities focused on partnership, innovation, or technical support in cross-cutting areas, such as climate, migration, and digital policy. While some employers are advertising roles open to international candidates, such as chief of party or global consultancy positions, several told Devex they are prioritizing local talent. A spokesperson for CARE said in an email that while U.S. citizens may apply for any domestic or international positions that are open, the organization is “currently focused on hiring nationals and localizing for all roles/functions located outside of the United States.” Similarly, Patrick McConnell, deputy director of people at Médecins Sans Frontières U.K., confirmed that the global organization continues to focus on hiring locally — in 2024, 46% of MSF’s internationally mobile staff came from African countries. “This trend of more staff from Africa has been increasing over time, as we invest more in the career development of our locally recruited programme staff,” he told Devex in an email. Craig Zelizer, founder and CEO of Peace and Collaborative Development Network, or PCDN, cautioned that it will be a difficult time for U.S. professionals to compete with local talent. “There are certain sectors where, if an individual has exceptional skills and the legal ability to work, they may be able to compete [in the local market] — but it won’t work for a lot of people.” Securing a visa may be another hurdle for U.S. professionals looking to work overseas. A spokesperson for the World Bank Group confirmed that its ‘individual consultancy’ roles are open to U.S. professionals and candidates of all nationalities to apply. However, an assessment during the recruitment process can involve work visa eligibility, which is determined by each host country, the spokesperson noted in the email. The candidate’s familiarity with local conditions and proficiency in relevant languages would also be considered, they said. According to Zelizer, most development-related opportunities right now are in the private sector, in areas such as impact investing, clean energy, water, and health. Other sectors where there may still be hiring for overseas positions include security and counterterrorism, he added, as well as some opportunities around economic development. Steven Radelet, a professor of development at Georgetown University, noted that opportunities still exist for U.S. development professionals to work with the private sector in countries such as India and Indonesia, or in hubs such as Nairobi and Accra. These employers may be looking for people with expertise to help design products related to clean water, health, education, or improved food systems, he suggested. But in a competitive job market, finding any roles will largely come down to networking, said Daniel Head, founder and CEO of Head Global. “About 80% of jobs come from connections [so] sitting in the United States or [elsewhere] looking at a job board will be tough,” he explained. It will also be difficult for those who require visa sponsorship or a relocation package to compete for overseas roles, Head noted. Scaling back salaries and benefits In the past, U.S. professionals working overseas were often looking at a pay bump, Head explained. Many Americans serving as key personnel on overseas USAID projects were earning six figures, he said, along with allowances such as housing benefits and danger pay. But funding cuts mean organizations are now looking to save money by hiring cheaper talent, particularly for overhead positions and fixed-price contracts. For U.S. professionals, there may still be opportunities with regional offices, such as those based in Europe, but they will be hiring at local pay scales, suggested Head. In addition to scaled-back salaries and perks, job seekers should also consider where and how much tax they may end up paying. U.S. citizens and permanent residents remain subject to U.S. taxation on their worldwide income, even while living and working abroad, Andrejs Pilajevs, principal at Cerity Partners, explained in an email. This means they must continue to file an annual U.S. tax return and report all income, including earnings from foreign employment and investments. However, he also noted that the U.S. tax code includes provisions to reduce or eliminate double taxation, such as the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion, or FEIE, the Foreign Tax Credit, or FTC, and applicable tax treaties. Whether an individual becomes a tax resident in the host country and is therefore required to file local tax returns and pay taxes locally depends on the number of days they spend there, as well as other residency criteria set by that country, Pilajevs said. Many countries tax worldwide income, including passive income from U.S. sources such as investments or rental property, so “coordinating between U.S. and local tax obligations is critical to avoid penalties and maximize available tax relief.” Failing to understand local tax rules, such as exit taxes, wealth taxes, or pension treatment, can lead to surprises that may undermine long-term financial goals, Pilajevs cautioned. While competition is tough for the limited development roles being hired in Washington, D.C., U.S. professionals are still likely to find more job opportunities at home than overseas, according to several of the experts. “There’s a much bigger pool of jobs if you’re a United States citizen in the United States,” said Head, who noted that in addition to organizations overseas working with smaller hiring budgets, U.S. professionals might not be seen as the asset they once were, given that USAID is no longer the largest global funder of aid.