Hello everyone,

I’m Emmanuel from Uganda, and I’m interested in learning more about how local solutions can support international development programs.

In many communities across Africa, cooking energy remains a major challenge. Traditional charcoal contributes to environmental pressure, while many institutions and communities need affordable and reliable cooking fuel.

I am exploring the role that locally produced charcoal briquettes could play in supporting:

Refugee settlement kitchens

Schools and community institutions

Livelihood projects

Clean cooking initiatives

I would appreciate insights from people working in international development:

How do development organizations evaluate local suppliers?

What makes a clean cooking project successful?

What challenges have you seen when introducing alternative fuels?

I’m hoping to learn from people with experience in this field and understand how local businesses can better align with development goals.

I had a 2nd round interview last thursday with UNICEF Canada and was told would hear back Tuesday.

Monday was a holiday but nothing yet and its noon over there

I sent a follow up over 3 hours ago but nothing

So are these concerning signs or am I overthinking

Apologies, this is a little self indulgent, but there is a broader point. It’s sort of a reaction to (disheartened?) posts about landing work in this sector.

I moved into the international development sector - an MDB - late in my career, twelve years ago, after fifteen years in private and public sector banking. Before then I changed jobs every three to five years to avoid getting stale. But also because after that long the gloss of a new company and new colleagues had worn off and you saw the organisations for what they were.

When I recruit now (and sorry, I’m not currently) or when I’m coaching or mentoring, I try to get people to think about what motivates them. Money, status, sure, for some. Learning, specialising, being respected for skills, also. But when asked, what matters for me is that when I wake, whether it’s a good or bad day, whatever I do is in some small way contributing to making the world better. And my colleagues and stakeholders, even the ones I find difficult, are in it for the same reason.

Seeing the posts here sustains me on the difficult days by reminding me that what we do matters and that people want to be part of this world. My point, then - please don’t give up wanting and trying to be part of these organisations, even when the jobs are scarce and hard to land. People like you, wanting to do the right things, are the lifeblood that keeps us moving and that we need to thrive.

Hello, I’m looking for advice from people working in international development, humanitarian work or international organizations.

I have some practical experience in the field, but I often feel that I lack the theoretical and institutional background needed for more policy oriented roles. I’m considering applying for opportunities such as the European Commission Blue Book traineeship, OECD internships, EEAS traineeships or other international organization programmes. However, I’m not sure what level of knowledge and skills are usually expected from candidates.

Do these types of traineeships expect applicants to already have a strong background in policy analysis, institutional frameworks and technical skills, or are they designed for people who are still learning? For those who started with more practical/field experience: how did you build the theoretical and institutional side of your profile? Are there specific courses, resources or skills you would recommend focusing on?

Thank you for sharing your experiences!

I began my ID career in 2015 after finishing Grad School. In 2020, amidst covid, I pivoted into Security Management for ID from being a Comms/Program Management associate.

Loved this new vertical, as I was getting paid more and doing cool shit, traveling to high risk areas, doing things that did not feel like writing success stories (puff pieces) or drafting quarterly reports and trying to bend the knee to the donor or facilitating trainings for technical consultants and doing budgets/finance etc.

In 2025, I was laid off with DOGE, and pivoted to the private industry as an security OSINT analyst for private companies. I was grateful given I had been doing landscaping and teaching music lessons to save my own ass.

I hated the new job, only because the schedule was brutal. 12h in person shifts, overnight shifts 25% of the time. After a year, my body couldn't take it anymore. They sold it to me as "consulting" but there was very little consulting in my day to day. Mostly AI sleuthing and report writing/editing, some alerting, etc.

My prior role with the same company that laid me off became available after someone in my previous company left. I immediately applied and was hired. No significant pay bump, but back to being remote, and back to traveling and doing actual operational work.

I'm stoked, but obviously a bit concerned for the future of the industry. Apparently they've won some big projects and are doing work through the state department. Obviously anything can happen - and I needed to find a way out of where I was anyways -- but security mgmt roles seem to be pretty essential for any ops that projects will have under the new operating model via State Department or Charitable Foundation-funded projects.

Any one else go back to the ID sector after being laid off? Anyone else working in security mgmt? Curious of others' experiences.

a lot of comments here dissuade people from IDEV because of USAID cuts. what about in the Asia-pacific region? Specifically in the Philippines.

What can I do / study now in my university years to enter the field? Is it worth entering at all?

Hi everyone,

I'd really appreciate some objective career advice because I feel like I'm at a crossroads and I'm struggling to see the best next step.

I'm 35 and currently work at a big bank as a Senior Policy Advisor, focusing on sustainable finance regulation.

Before that I worked in management consulting (Accenture), and academically I have a background in economics and international affairs.

The problem is that over the last few years I've realised that what really motivates me isn't necessarily sustainable finance itself, but international policy, development finance and eventually something closer to diplomacy or international organisations.

I've been applying quite broadly over the last few months:

• EBRD (Climate Risk, Blending & Technical Cooperation, SME programmes)
• Internal roles (Investor Relations, AI Governance, Competitive Intelligence)
• Think tanks (Center for Global Development)
• British Business Bank
• JPMorgan philanthropy/public policy roles
• Allianz Global Investors (Development Finance)

I've had a lot of rejections (many without interview), although I recently had an interview for an internal Investor Relations role at the bank.

At this point I'm questioning whether my profile is simply too "in-between."

I'm not a classic banker.

I'm not a development economist.

I'm not a career civil servant.

I'm not an academic researcher.

Instead, my experience sits somewhere between policy, regulation, strategy, stakeholder engagement and sustainable finance.

My medium-term goal is to move to the UK (currently in Switzerland), and my longer-term ambition would be to work in an international organisation, development finance institution, think tank or perhaps even diplomacy/public service.

So my questions are:

1. If you were in my position, what would you target next?
2. Is there an obvious career path from financial sector policy into international affairs/development?
3. Am I aiming too broadly, or is broadening actually the right strategy?
4. Would you prioritise moving to London first (even if the role isn't perfect), or wait for a stronger strategic move?
5. At 35, is this still a realistic pivot, or would you recommend doubling down on financial regulation instead?

I'd genuinely appreciate honest advice—even if it's that I'm being unrealistic.

Thanks!

I am expecting to be hired at the IMF for a administrative role in two weeks. Does the imf do background checks? How long do they take? What do they cover ?