There have historically been two career paths professionals pursued in the field of international development: That of a specialist and that of a generalist. Specialists bring a deep expertise in a specific area like forestry, microfinance or reproductive health. Generalists, not necessarily experts in any one sector, bring the ability to effectively manage and implement development projects, honing their expertise in operations, finance and donor regulations.
As the global development field becomes more highly specialized — and many of the project management positions generalists once occupied are increasingly filled by local professionals — the role of the international generalist has been on the decline.
However, there is a new career path emerging for professionals who don’t necessarily want to pursue a specialization but want to play a meaningful role in global development: the “integrator.” Over the past few months, I have increasingly heard leaders across multiple development disciplines use this term to describe what has quickly become a critical role to achieving development results.
About the author
Kate Warren@KateDWarren
Kate Warren is the Executive Vice President and Executive Editor of Devex, where she leads a global team of journalists, event producers, and communications and marketing professionals to drive conversations around the most pressing and urgent issues of our time, including climate, global health, food security, philanthropy, humanitarian crises, and foreign aid funding. Through live journalism — via in-person and virtual events — along with insider news, analysis, podcasts, content series, and special reports, Kate and her team ensure the most important ideas, voices, and debates reach an influencer audience to drive impact and make progress on the Sustainable Development Goals.
