Careers

What you need to know about careers in international development

The career opportunities in international development are extremely diverse. It is a broad field that can take you in many different directions.

As the magnitude of career possibilities in this field can be overwhelming, it is helpful to begin thinking about the type of work that you will most enjoy and focus your academic career on preparing for that sector. You will find information regarding general career pathways below. 

Career Paths

International agencies and work in the field

• Non-governmental organizations
• United Nations organizations
• Multi-lateral and bi-lateral agencies
• Foreign service
• English as a second language instructors/research and travel

Community Organizing

• Grassroots non-governmental organizations
• Social and environmental justice campaign
• Local political reform and organizing

The Private Sector

• Sustainable development in cooperatives
• Community supported agriculture
• Micro-enterprises
• Big corporations
• Journalism

Other

• Art, culture and music
• Media and filmmaking
• Think-tanks
• Entrepreneurship

Sample Employers

Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs)

• African Development Bank
• Asian Development Bank
• EuropeAid
• Inter-American Development Bank
• International Finance Corporation
• International Monetary Fund
• Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
• The World Bank
• United Nations
• United Nations Development Programme
• UNICEF
• World Food Programme

United States Government

• Federal Reserve – New York
• Department of Energy
• Department of State
• Milennium Challenge Corporation
• United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
• US Treasury, Office of International Affairs

Development Consulting Firms

• Abt Associates Inc
• Chemonics
• Development Alternatives Inc.
• Emerging Markets Group
• Environmental Resources Management
• John Snow International Inc.
• Nathan Associates Inc.
• PADCO AECOM
• Research Triangle Institute (RTI)
• The Pragma Corporation

Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)

• Accion International
• Ashoka
• Asia Foundation
• CARE USA
• Catholic Relief Services
• International Foundation for Election Systems
• Management Sciences for Health
• Mercy Corps
• National Democratic Institute
• Oxfam America
• Pact
• Partners of the Americas
• Population Services International
• Save the Children
• Winrock International
• World Learning
• World Wildlife Fund

Foundations, Policy Institutes

• Bank Information Center
• Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
• Brookings
• Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
• Center for Strategic and International Studies
• Earthwatch
• Environmental Defense
• Ford Foundation
• Heritage Foundation
• Rockefeller Foundation
• Worldwatch Institute

Resources

Associations

• Association of Women in Development
• Interaction, the American Council for Voluntary International Action
• Society for International Development, Washington, DC Chapter
• Women’s Environmental and Development Organization

Online Resources

• IADB Listings - Inter-American Development Bank lists 1,500 volunteer organizations in Latin American, containing contact information and description of work.
• ASPA - The American Society for Public Administration lists public administration jobs and internships in the public, non-profit and private sectors searchable by state.
• Avue Central - A federal employment service used to apply for federal jobs and internships.
• AWID -The Association for Women's Rights in Development is an international organization committed to achieving gender equality, sustainable development and women's human rights. The website features job listings around the world in these fields.
• Directory of Development Orgs - Online directory of development organizations which contains over 47,500 listings by country and is a reference for development practitioners, researchers, donor employees, and policymakers.
• www.DevelopmentAid.org is a membership organization that brings together information for developmental professionals, NGOs, consultancy firms and donors. Organizations can post jobs, view profiles of jobseekers and freelance consultants as well as organizational profiles.
• Development Net - A gateway to job listings in international development, environment, information technology for development, relief and reconstruction, and consultancy assignments.
• Devex - A social enterprise bringing efficiency to international development through recruiting and business information services. Members find jobs, projects, news, and professional connections, on devex.com.
• FPA - The Foreign Policy Association provides job and internship listings on its website and in a weekly email newsletter from industries such as development, health, environment, education, humanitarian relief and more.
• Idealist - A project of Action without Borders and contains job and internship listings in economic development, social services, human rights, environment and more. Users can search for jobs by country, state and city.
• InterAction - An alliance of international development and humanitarian nongovernmental organizations.
• jobbydoo.com - identifies international development jobs and internships in all sectors of the market around the world.
• The Microfinance Gateway - Source of information and global jobs and internships in microfinance
• www.nonprofitjobs.org - Run by the Community Career Center, an on-line gathering place for non-profit employers and management personnel; the site allows users to search for non-profit jobs and internships regionally in the US and internationally.
• OneWorld - OneWorld International Foundation offers job and internship listings at non- profit and international organizations dedicated to harnessing the democratic potential of the Internet to promote human rights and sustainable development.
• Philanthropy Jobs - Lists US based non-profit jobs in fields such as economic development, education, healthcare and social services.
• US Department of State - Website for the US Department of State lists the categories of State department employees and how to apply for these positions.
• USAID - Features a list of vacancies and internships at the organization.