The top local employers in East Africa

In this article, we look at the number of development opportunities in East Africa, and who the region’s main employers are. Employment in the development sector has seen significant shifts across the globe this year, particularly since the decision of the Trump administration in the U.S. to cancel a significant amount of USAID funding, and East Africa is no exception. Devex data suggests that since Jan. 24, when the first USAID stop-work order was announced, there have been 2,326 opportunities in East Africa. That’s a drop of over 30% compared to the 3,323 opportunities in the same period last year. Despite ongoing funding cuts, strategy and policy shifts across the region, recruitment remains active with large and local organizations stepping up in different areas in the global development scene. Below, we highlight the top multilateral organizations and notable local organizations recruiting within the region. We also identified what common level of experience, contract duration, sectors, and job titles these organizations search for. The top multilateral employers hiring in East Africa 1. United Nations Environment Programme Headquarters: Nairobi, Kenya Year founded:1972 Total jobs posted since Jan. 24: 358 UNEP informs, enables, and inspires nations and people to improve their quality of life while safeguarding the environment. UNEP primarily advertised mid-level opportunities — jobs with a preferred or required four to six years of experience — and short-term contract positions. Job titles such as project management officers and finance and budget assistants are the most commonly advertised since Jan. 24. View all current UNEP job openings on Devex. 2. U.N. Human Settlements Programme Headquarters: Nairobi, Kenya Year founded: 1978 Total jobs posted since Jan. 24: 201 The U.N. Human Settlements Programme, or UN-Habitat, promotes urbanization as a positive transformative force for communities, reducing inequality, discrimination, and poverty. UN-Habitat commonly recruits mid-level opportunities and short-term contract positions. Program management officers and urban development experts are the most common roles since Jan. 24. View all current UN-Habitat job openings on Devex. 3. African Union Headquarters: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Year founded: 2002 Total jobs posted since Jan. 24: 83 The African Union promotes unity and solidarity among African states, coordinating and intensifying cooperation for development. The AU has primarily released fixed-term staff, short-term consultancies, and volunteer roles since Jan 24. Financial, health, and ICT-related job opportunities, such as technical officers, procurement specialists, and finance officers, are the most common job roles. View all current AU job openings on Devex. 4. U.N. Office at Nairobi Headquarters: Nairobi, Kenya Year founded: 1996 Total jobs posted since Jan. 24: 19 The United Nations Office at Nairobi provides joint and common services to other U.N. agencies in Kenya. UNON mainly advertised mid-level opportunities and internships since Jan. 24. Finance and budget assistants and team assistants are the most common job titles. 5. U.N. Economic Commission for Africa Headquarters: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Year founded: 1958 Total jobs posted since Jan. 24: 14 The U.N. Economic Commission for Africa is a regional arm of the U.N. promoting economic and social development and fostering intra-regional integration for Africa’s development. UNECA primarily released mid-level opportunities for full-time staff and short-term positions. Program officers, procurement assistants, and economic affairs officers are the most common job roles since Jan. 24. View all current UNECA job postings on Devex. Other employers hiring in East Africa 1. AGRA Headquarters: Nairobi, Kenya Year founded: 2006 Total jobs posted since Jan. 24: 49 AGRA, formerly the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, is an institution focused on scaling agricultural innovations, helping smallholder farmers toward better livelihoods and improved food security. AGRA mainly advertised senior-level opportunities and short-term consultancies since Jan. 24. Agriculture, rural development, and social/inclusive development-related jobs, such as monitoring and evaluation experts and food systems specialists, are the most common job titles. View all current AGRA job openings on Devex. 2. The Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry Headquarters: Nairobi, Kenya, and Bogor, Indonesia Year founded: 1978 Total jobs posted since Jan. 24: 49 The Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry, or CIFOR-ICRAF, is a scientific research organization that addresses local challenges while providing solutions to global problems for forests, landscapes, people, and the planet. CIFOR-ICRAF primarily released mid-level opportunities and long-term contract positions. Administrative and environment-related opportunities, such as technical advisers, field technicians and research assistants, and associates, are the most common roles since Jan. 24. View all current CIFOR-ICRAF job openings on Devex. 3. Intergovernmental Authority on Development Headquarters: Djibouti, Djibouti Year founded: 1996 Total jobs posted since Jan. 24: 16 The Intergovernmental Authority on Development, or IGAD, is a regional economic community that promotes development strategies and macroeconomic policies, and programs within the region. IGAD commonly released senior-level opportunities and long-term consultancies. Based on the job board data, economic, governance, and research-related opportunities are the most common job types since Jan. 24. View all current IGAD job openings on Devex. 4. TradeMark Africa Headquarters: Nairobi, Kenya Year founded: 2010 Total jobs posted since Jan. 24: 15 TradeMark Africa is an aid-for-trade organization focused on increasing sustainable and inclusive intra-African trade and exports worldwide. TMA primarily advertised mid and senior-level opportunities and long-term consultancies. Agriculture, research, and infrastructure-related opportunities, such as research assistants and quality infrastructure experts, are the usual job offers. View all current TMA job openings on Devex. 5. Kenya Red Cross Headquarters: Nairobi, Kenya Year founded: 1965 Total jobs posted since Jan. 24: 12 Kenya Red Cross is a nonprofit organization focused on sustainably promoting the well-being, health, and resilience of communities. Kenya Red Cross most commonly recruits entry-level opportunities, internships, and full-time staff positions. Training research interns and multimedia interns are the most common job titles since Jan. 24. View all current Kenya Red Cross job openings on Devex. 6. African Wildlife Foundation Headquarters: Nairobi, Kenya Year founded: 1961 Total jobs posted since Jan. 24: 12 The African Wildlife Foundation is a global conservation organization focused on solutions to create opportunities for people, but not at the expense of wildlife. AWF primarily advertised internships and full-time staff positions. Administrative, environment, and governance-related job roles are the most common since Jan. 24. 7. Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund Headquarters: Nairobi, Kenya Year founded: 2008 Total jobs posted since Jan. 24: 12 The Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund is a nonprofit development organization that provides patient capital to small and growing businesses, combining knowledge and insights to inform future interventions and decision-making. AECF mostly recruits for mid-level opportunities and full-time staff positions. Job roles in the economic and finance sectors, such as investment officers and portfolio officers, are the most common since Jan. 24. View all current AECF job openings on Devex. 8. African Population and Health Research Center Headquarters: Nairobi, Kenya Year founded: 2001 Total jobs posted since Jan. 24: 10 The African Population and Health Research Center is a research-to-policy institution focused on developing strong research leadership and evidence-informed decision-making across sub-Saharan Africa. APHRC mainly advertised fellowships, entry, and mid-level opportunities. Research assistants and officers are the most common job roles. View all current APHRC job openings on Devex. 9. African Society for Laboratory Medicine Headquarters: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Year founded: 2011 Total jobs posted since Jan. 24: 6 The African Society for Laboratory Medicine is a nonprofit organization focused on improving clinical and public health outcomes by enhancing professional laboratory practice, science, and networks in Africa. ASLM has mostly released mid-level job opportunities, such as project officers and technical officers, in the global health sector since Jan. 24. 10. Amref Health Africa Headquarters: Nairobi, Kenya Year founded: 1957 Total jobs posted since Jan. 24: 5 Amref Health Africa is a nongovernmental organization focused on transforming the health of communities in Africa by catalyzing and driving community-led and people-centered primary health care systems. Amref Health Africa has primarily released short and long-term consultancies related to global health since Jan. 24. View all current Amref Health Africa job openings on Devex.