Who’s still hiring development roles in the global south?

The Trump administration’s move to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development — beginning with an aid freeze announced on Jan. 24 — has sent shock waves across the global development sector. With talks now underway about folding what remains of the agency into the U.S. Department of State, uncertainty looms large. As the United States remains the world’s largest donor of official development assistance, or ODA, these abrupt policy shifts are already affecting funding flows and program operations in aid-recipient countries. Yet, despite the disruption, several organizations continue to recruit talent to carry out their missions. From multilateral institutions to international NGOs, employers are still hiring for roles based in ODA-recipient countries — offering job seekers fresh opportunities amid the turbulence. To help you navigate this shifting landscape, we used data from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development on the current ODA-recipient countries, and identified the top organizations still hiring in those countries, as well as trends in sectors and locations specific to each organization. We also identified the most common type of role, including whether an organization mostly hires consultants or staff positions. Furthermore, we have highlighted where roles were predominantly entry level, mid level or senior. We analyzed 7,879 job postings in these countries. All data is from roles in ODA-recipient countries published on Devex’s job board since Jan.24. While hiring continues apace, it is reduced from last year. Devex data suggests that hiring has fallen by a total of 23% compared to the equivalent period in 2024. Top multilateral employers hiring in ODA-recipient countries 1. Asian Development Bank Headquarters: Manila, Philippines Year founded: 1966 Total jobs posted since Jan. 24: 902 The ADB is focused on utilizing financial tools and strategic partnerships to support sustainable, inclusive and resilient growth across Asia and the Pacific. ADB primarily advertised fixed-term staff roles with an initial term of up to three years, and consultancies with a three-month to two-year duration. Over the past months, senior roles made up 40% of job postings, with the Philippines, India, and Pakistan as its top hiring locations. ADB mostly advertised positions in the banking, finance and environment sectors, with job titles such as investment analyst and environment officer published on the job board. View all current ADB job postings on Devex. 2. United Nations Development Programme Headquarters: New York, U.S. Year founded: 1965 Total jobs posted since Jan. 24: 678 UNDP aids communities and countries in developing policies, leadership skills, partnerships, and institutional capabilities to eradicate poverty and reduce inequality. The main roles advertised were fixed-term staff positions, internships, and short-term consultancies. Most common were mid-level positions, while administrative and environmental were the most common sectors. Mexico, Brazil, and Nepal were the top hiring locations, with positions such as biodiversity, monitoring, and reporting specialist and project associates advertised. View all current UNDP job postings on Devex. 3. World Bank Group Headquarters: Washington, D.C. Year founded: 1944 Total jobs posted since Jan. 24: 592 The World Bank is the biggest financial institution focused on ending extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity by forming and working in close partnerships with multilateral institutions, private sector, and civil societies. According to the job board data, one- to three-year term staff appointments and short- and long-term consultancies were the most common types of role. In addition, India, Madagascar, and Mozambique are the top hiring locations since Jan. 24 — with banking, finance and administrative roles as their top sectors. Mid-level positions such as financial analyst and program assistant also made up 49.3% of World Bank jobs since Jan. 24. View all current World Bank job postings on Devex. 4. United Nations Children’s Fund Headquarters: New York, USA Year founded: 1946 Total jobs posted since Jan. 24: 531 UNICEF advocates for education, health, and nutrition services to reach every child, protecting children’s rights and safeguarding their futures. Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Kenya were UNICEF’s leading hiring locations among ODA-recipient countries. The most common roles were short and fixed-term consultancies. There were available opportunities in the social, inclusive development, and global health sectors, including roles such as strategy development consultant and social policy specialist. View all current UNICEF job postings on Devex. 5. World Food Programme Headquarters: Rome, Italy Year founded: 1946 Total jobs posted since Jan. 24: 309 As well as providing emergency food aid, WFP works to provide communities and countries with programs to promote good nutrition, improve food systems, adapt to climate change, and build resiliency. Based on Devex’s job board, the U.N. agency released fixed-term staff appointments and consultancies and job opportunities mainly in Chad, the West Bank, and Madagascar. According to past months’ data, administrative, agricultural and rural development focused roles such as program policy officer and program assistant are mostly promoted on the job board. View all current WFP job postings on Devex. 6. African Development Bank Headquarters: Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire Year founded: 1964 Total jobs posted since Jan. 24: 180 AfDB is committed to mobilizing financial resources to support the region’s sustainable economic and social development. Since Jan. 24, AfDB has most commonly hired for consultancies with durations between two months and two years, according to the Devex job board. The leading hiring locations have been Côte d’Ivoire, Burundi, and Nigeria. Mid-level positions and jobs within the banking, environmental, and natural resources sectors have been the most advertised opportunities. View all current AfDB job postings on Devex. Devex’s job board also contains openings from other employers actively hiring within the global development sector. Other employers hiring in ODA-recipient countries 1. Danish Refugee Council Headquarters: Copenhagen, Denmark Year founded: 1956 Total jobs posted since Jan. 24: 171 The Danish Refugee Council is a global nongovernmental organization specializing in programs related to forced displacement. DRC works to protect, advocate, and build sustainable futures for refugees and other affected communities worldwide. Despite the funding freeze directive from the Trump administration, which has affected DRC’s U.S.-funded humanitarian program and led to staff cuts, DRC remains a top employer within the humanitarian sector. DRC mainly released entry-level positions which made up nearly 57% of its job opportunities. Many roles were short-term contracts with nine- to 12-month durations, while others were full-time staff positions. The most common sectors were human rights and humanitarian aid while jobs were most often located in Turkey, Ethiopia, and Myanmar. View all current Danish Refugee Council job postings on Devex. 2. World Resources Institute Headquarters: Washington D.C Year founded: 1982 Total jobs posted since Jan. 24: 94 WRI is a global organization focused on providing research-based approaches to move society forward in protecting the environment. India, Brazil, and Indonesia are the top hiring locations, while finance and environment are the top sectors. WRI mainly released fixed-term consultancies with three- to nine-month duration, internships and full-time staff positions. Mid-level positions such as program associate made up nearly 44% of the job postings over the past months. View all current WRI job postings on Devex. 3. Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) Headquarters: Massachusetts, USA Year founded: 2002 Total jobs posted since Jan. 24: 73 CHAI is an international health organization engaged in improving health outcomes by partnering with governments and the private sector in low- and middle-income countries. India, Senegal, and Indonesia were the top hiring locations. CHAI mostly released mid-level positions, which made up 57.5% of all jobs in that period. Some 95% of its jobs were full-time staff roles. Technical adviser and country director are some of the health-focused roles found in WRI’s top hiring sector jobs. View all current CHAI job postings on Devex. 4. DT Global Headquarters: Arlington, Virginia, USA Year founded: 2019 Total jobs posted since Jan. 24: 52 DT Global is a global development contractor that works in partnership with local stakeholders to foster inclusive prosperity, social equity, and environmental stewardship. DT Global mainly released job opportunities located in Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, and Fiji. Notably, many of DT Global’s job opportunities are funded by Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, with long-term consultancies and senior roles in the administrative, climate, and health sector such as MEL officer and government and partnerships adviser advertised on the job board. View all current DT Global job postings on Devex. 5. One Acre Fund Headquarters: Kakamega, Kenya Year founded: 2006 Total jobs posted since Jan. 24: 34 One Acre Fund is an agricultural service provider focused on providing investments and training for smallholder farmers in Africa to build resilient and thriving communities. One Acre Fund primarily released full-time or fixed term staff roles, typically with two- to four-year durations, and the roles were most commonly located in Kenya, Burundi, and Nigeria. Positions in the administrative, finance, and ICT sectors such as audit manager and innovation specialist are part of the highly advertised sectors in One Acre Fund on the job board. View all current One Acre Fund job postings on Devex. Development professionals who are interested in working within the ODA-recipient countries can also look into other employers actively hiring such as Humanity & Inclusion, HIAS and Cowater International.