We’re continuing to host weekly discussions with sector leaders and career experts about the ongoing challenges facing professionals amid the U.S. aid freeze fallout, including Monday’s digital event hosted by Devex President and Editor-in-Chief Raj Kumar.
The many topics covered include what areas of global development and social impact may emerge as growth opportunities for professionals looking to pivot or are in the early stages of their careers.
In this edition of Career Hub, I’m sharing some key insights from our recent live LinkedIn event on potential pockets of growth in a challenging development job market. Plus, check out our recently expanded selection of the latest and best job leads.
There is no getting around the fact that “this is perhaps the most challenging time for the international development job market in [the] United States,” said Bart Édes, professor of practice at McGill University, during last week’s live LinkedIn discussion. “And of course, it goes beyond the U.S.,” he added.
Whether you’ve already lost work, are a concerned recent graduate, or somewhere in between, it’s worth knowing what roles and social impact sectors may be in demand either soon or down the road. Here are a few to keep in mind as you recalibrate your development career path.
When it comes to longer-term growth areas for jobs in development, “I would include anything related to climate resilience and other climate-related positions,” Édes said.
“There is a lot of money going into climate tech, climate resources [and] climate innovation,” concurred Craig Zelizer, founder and CEO of PCDN.Global. In terms of the jobs themselves, “some are going to be engineering, some will be marketing, but there’s a lot where the skills could be transferable,” he added.
Many expect, or at least hope, that foundations and philanthropic organizations will help fill the funding void being left by deep government agency cuts. Social impact job hunting coach Stephanie Mansueto recommends “looking to some of the larger foundations as they start to try to move some of their endowments.”
“I would say philanthropy, but also innovative finance, and that means both in every aspect,” Zelizer added.
“There is a lot of money still going into high net-worth individual endowments, but also just people trying to figure out how to get as much capital as possible,” Zelizer said of the increased focus on both philanthropic activity and a broader emphasis being placed on fundraising in the sector.
“A lot of partnerships, engagement. Positions are becoming really valuable, especially as we see more private sector trying to generate funding to work in social impact for their initiatives,” Mansueto said.
Constant tech changes and upheaval point to possibilities,” Édes said in response to a question about AI. “Tech is increasingly infused into the development sector and changing how developed work is done.”
There is a lot of money being invested into “the good, the bad, and the unknown of AI,” Zelizer concurred. While AI is not going to be “a magic solution” for development organizations, “if you have not become upskilled in AI, at least learn how to use it yourself,” he recommended. AI safety is one emerging area worth exploring, Zelizer added.
LinkedIn live AMA on navigating social impact careers in Trump 2.0
What to do if you’ve lost your NGO job
Tracking the impact on development work during Trump’s first 100 days
Full-time staff
UNOPS
India
The Pacific Community (SPC)
Fiji
Charles Stewart Mott Foundation
United States
Socha LLC
West Bank
Health Volunteers Overseas
United States
UNOPS
Myanmar
United Nations Foundation
United States
Rainforest Foundation UK
United Kingdom (hybrid or remote)
Department for Business and Trade
Thailand
Global Citizen
United States (hybrid)
Senior and executive-level
The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market
Worldwide (remote)
Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership
United Kingdom
Education Above All Foundation
Qatar
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
China
DT Global
Timor-Leste
ClimateWorks Foundation
United States
Short-term contract
Caribou Digital
Eastern Africa (remote)
Speak Up Africa
United Kingdom | United States | Western Europe | Southern Africa | Central Africa | West Africa (remote)
Health Equity Matters (formerly Australian Federation of AIDS Organizations)
Malaysia
UNOPS
South Sudan
World Food Programme
Chad
Long-term consulting
Education Development Center, Inc.
Philippines
World Resources Institute
India
Danish Refugee Council
Tunisia
UNICEF
Bolivia
World Bank Group
United States
Internships
World Resources Institute
India
U.N. Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia
Lebanon
U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
Jordan
Médecins Sans Frontières
Switzerland
U.N. Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs
United States
Devex Talent Solutions, our very own boutique recruitment agency, is assisting Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN) in its search for a monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) coordinator to work remotely from Africa, Europe, or the United States. Those interested should apply by March 3.
+ DTS is also seeking candidates for a country director in Tanzania, with Trees for the Future (TREES) (closing March 7), among many others. See more roles DTS is helping to fill.
With an early curiosity about how people live and where things come from, Bhairav Raja embarked on a bold career journey. Here’s how he ended up following his passions to build a successful career in the sustainable finance and trade space.
Raja: I was always interested in international economic development, particularly in emerging economies. I was also born in Kenya and feel a particular empathy for and belonging to the African continent and its dreams for prosperity.
From an early age, I was curious about the differences in how people live and how the trade of goods and services function — like this cereal that I’m eating for breakfast is made locally, or, oh, look, the milk is manufactured in a different, pyramidic tetra pak compared to what you have in European or North American supermarkets.
Fast forward, I graduated and worked in London as an assistant journalist for the BBC World Service for a short time. I wanted to get a more professional grounding, so I joined Credit Suisse, an investment bank in London, at the heart of the financial services industry. This was back in 2006, right before the 2008 financial crisis. One day, I was in Canary Wharf and I had this realization: Instead of making wealthy clients richer, why not apply these mainstream financial principles on the other side of the coin, supporting the economic resiliency and growth of businesses and households operating in less favorable conditions?
So I decided to reskill and made the bold choice to leave my job and the comforts of all that, ignoring the cacophony of objections from family members. I went on a long journey, for which there was no track record or source of mentorship among family members and my immediate network.
Read more: Career advice from a sustainable investment and trade adviser
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