Who’s hiring in the health sector — and what for?

The Trump administration’s stop-work order on foreign aid, announced Jan. 24, has put immense pressure on the already struggling development sector. The move has intensified pressure on donors, implementers, and professionals working in health — one of the most heavily supported areas in development. To assess how the sector is responding, we analyzed Devex job board data to identify the top hiring organizations in health since the announcement. Our analysis covers job types, levels of experience, contract lengths, and locations of performance. In the two months following the stop-work order, only 6% of the Devex job board listed health-related jobs. In absolute terms, there were 762 health-related jobs from 162 organizations, a 49% drop from the 1,492 vacancies posted in the same period in 2024. The top-hiring countries were the United States, with 103 jobs; the Netherlands, with 35 jobs; India, with 35 jobs; Kenya, with 29 jobs, and Uganda, with 28 jobs. An additional 40 positions were listed with “worldwide” as the place of performance — typically indicating remote roles, unspecified locations, or openings across multiple offices. Of the total job opportunities, 412 vacancies — around 54% — came from just 10 organizations. Here’s the breakdown of these top 10 employers in the health sector since the aid freeze came into effect. World Health Organization Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland Year founded: 1948 Total health-related jobs posted since Jan. 24: 104 WHO is the U.N.’s lead agency for global public health. The organization saw a significant decline in hiring compared to the same period last year, when it posted over 660 roles. Despite WHO’s hiring freeze following the U.S. government’s announcement of the stop-work order, several opportunities for public health officers, project facilitators, health economists, and technical officers, mostly mid-level positions, can still be found on Devex. The top location for WHO vacancies was worldwide, followed by Egypt, Israel, Bangladesh, and Switzerland. Meanwhile, around 75% of the jobs were short-term contract assignments. View all current WHO jobs on Devex. UNICEF Headquarters: New York, U.S. Year founded: 1946 Total health-related jobs posted since Jan. 24: 95 UNICEF is a U.N. agency tasked with the protection and promotion of the rights and welfare of children around the world. Hiring was 43% lower than the same period last year, reflecting broader market trends. Among its most sought-after vacancies were nutrition officers and other health specialists in countries such as Uzbekistan, the U.S., Turkmenistan, Nigeria, and Kenya. Most jobs were short-term and targeted mid- to senior-level professionals. View all current UNICEF jobs on Devex. Clinton Health Access Initiative Headquarters: Boston, U.S. Year founded: 2002 Total health-related jobs posted since Jan. 24: 56 Primarily focused on HIV/AIDS, CHAI has expanded into other areas around health, including infectious diseases and women’s and children’s health. The organization has been actively recruiting these past weeks with most vacancies located in India, Malawi, Senegal, Indonesia, and Burkina Faso. Common roles included senior managers and senior associates for various health areas, almost all of which were full-time and mid-level. View all current CHAI jobs on Devex. Asian Development Bank Headquarters: Manila, Philippines Year founded: 1966 Total health-related jobs posted since Jan. 24: 37 ADB funds sustainable development projects across Asia and the Pacific. All of the health-related jobs Devex tracked from the multilateral bank were short-term and long-term individual consultancies, with India being the top job location, followed by China, Mongolia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. The bulk of the opportunities required senior-level expertise, followed by mid-level and executive-level careers. View all current ADB jobs on Devex. Médecins Sans Frontières Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland Year founded: 1971 Total health-related jobs posted since Jan. 24: 32 MSF — also known as Doctors Without Borders — is a nonprofit providing humanitarian and lifesaving services in over 70 countries. Compared to the same period last year, MSF’s health-sector job postings declined by over 25%. Recent vacancies included project managers and medical experts, with most positions at mid-level and structured as short- or long-term consultancies Top locations included worldwide, France, Switzerland, Belgium, and Sri Lanka. View all current MSF jobs on Devex. World Bank Group Headquarters: Washington, D.C., U.S. Year founded: 1944 Total health-related jobs posted since Jan. 24: 27 The World Bank Group is the largest development bank providing loans and grants to low- and middle-income countries for development, humanitarian, and social infrastructure projects. The organization saw a nearly 50% decrease in health-related postings year over year. Most current openings are long-term consultancies, particularly in social protection for health, nutrition, hygiene, and infection prevention and control. Top locations included the U.S., Grenada, Madagascar, Tanzania, and Somalia, with the majority requiring senior-level expertise. Our data showed that top hiring offices were located in the U.S., Grenada, Madagascar, Tanzania, and Somalia. Several consultants were sought out in different areas, such as social protection for health information, hygiene, nutrition, and infection prevention and control. Most openings were long-term consultancies, and more than half required senior-level expertise. View all current World Bank jobs on Devex. Samaritan’s Purse Headquarters: Boone, U.S. Year founded: 1970 Total health-related jobs posted since Jan. 24: 17 Samaritan’s Purse has over 50 years’ experience in the humanitarian aid sphere, particularly in crisis response and disaster relief. It also deploys health care professionals in over 30 countries through its medical missions. The jobs posted on Devex included openings for physicians, health program managers, and nutrition managers. Most of these were in the U.S., followed by Ukraine, Sudan, and Niger. The remaining were available in multiple locations. By level, the majority were entry-level, while by duration, more than half were full-time assignments. View all current Samaritan’s Purse jobs on Devex. European Medicines Agency Headquarters: Amsterdam, Netherlands Year founded: 1995 Total health-related jobs posted since Jan. 24: 17 EMA is an agency of the European Union overseeing the evaluation and supervision of medicines in the EU. Most of its job vacancies were for internships for different medical and laboratory positions — all of which were stationed in the Netherlands. View all current EMA jobs on Devex. Gates Foundation Headquarters: Seattle, U.S. Year founded: 2000 Total health-related jobs posted since Jan. 24: 16 Formerly the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Gates Foundation is the world’s largest foundation, with an annual development spending comparable to the biggest bilateral donors. Global health has always been among its top priorities, accounting for a quarter of its total charitable giving in 2023. Most of its job vacancies were senior-level posts, including senior program officers. We also tracked a number of deputy directors for different health programs, including maternal, newborn, and child nutrition health; tuberculosis; and HIV. The U.S. was the top hiring location, followed by Nigeria, the U.K., South Africa, Senegal, Kenya, and India. The vacancies were also mostly full-time. View all current Gates Foundation jobs on Devex. Vital Strategies Headquarters: New York, U.S. Year founded: 2003 Total health-related jobs posted since Jan. 24: 11 Vital Strategies partners with governments to help strengthen public health systems. Most of its health-related job opportunities were mid to executive level, such as senior managers and project directors. All of the posted vacancies offered full-time employment. The hiring offices were in the U.S., Ethiopia, and India. View all current Vital Strategies jobs on Devex. Ready to stand out from the crowd and get noticed by the recruiters who matter most? 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