On Monday morning, a flurry of suits, ties, and CVs streamed through the doors of the U.S. Agency for International Development in Washington, D.C. — attached to some 200-plus agency hopefuls at the Bureau for Management’s first-ever hiring fair.
The job candidates were there for 35 opportunities, many of which have typically been hard for the agency to fill. For years, USAID leaders have spoken of a “staffing crisis” centered around the agency’s contracting officers, the employees who award and administer USAID’s grants, agreements, and contracts. It’s a critically important role — but in recent years, the agency has struggled to retain that workforce.
“I don’t think anyone ever raised their hand in kindergarten and said, ‘Mommy, I want to be a contracting officer when I grow up,’” Jami Rodgers, director of USAID’s Office of Acquisitions and Assistance, told the room of candidates on Monday. “I know I certainly didn’t.”