As the seat of government of the United States, Washington D.C. is also, not surprisingly, one of the most important cities in the country — and the world — for global development.
Just a stone’s throw away from the White House, Congress and Supreme Court are foreign aid agencies U.S. Agency for International Development and the Millennium Challenge Corporation, as well as two major multilaterals — the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank. The city’s vibrant global development scene also boasts a high concentration of nonprofits and development-focused consultancies and think tanks, many of which are based in the district’s Dupont Circle area. A few minutes’ drive can land you in neighboring Maryland or Virginia — home to another large number of development organizations.
Washington D.C. is also a center for education in international development. It is perhaps best known for its top-notch graduate degree programs from the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service (Georgetown University), Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (Johns Hopkins University), Elliott School of International Affairs (George Washington University), and American University’s School of International Service among others.
We’ve rounded up some of the largest global development employers in Washington, D.C. below. A combination of implementing NGOs and development consulting firms, they operate across a wide range of sectors from health and infrastructure to food security and democracy and governance. Check out our jobs page to find other development jobs in the U.S. capital and its environs.
