I never thought I’d see this day. The dismantling of USAID. The freeze on all foreign assistance. The destruction of an entire industry.
I have spent 30 years working in international development—leading, writing, and implementing USAID-funded projects across the globe. I have seen budget cuts, shifting priorities, and political battles. But never a total collapse of foreign assistance as we know it.
I, like many of you, have been furloughed. I know the uncertainty, the frustration, and the fear of what comes next.
But here’s what I also know: The need for international development work is not going away.
🌍 USAID funding may be frozen, but global challenges are not. Conflicts persist. Humanitarian needs are rising. Democracy is under threat. The demand for expertise in governance, health, economic growth, and stabilization will not disappear—it will simply take a different form. Economics, like nature, abhors a vacuum.
📌 Foreign assistance will evolve. USAID may not return in its current form, but something will fill the vacuum—whether it is bilateral donors, private sector partnerships, regional initiatives, or new global funding mechanisms. When that happens, organizations will need pre-vetted, experienced experts who can deploy quickly.
📌 Firms will not rehire at full strength. The first wave of demand will be for short-term consultants (STTA), surge staffing, and technical assistance. Implementing partners may be cutting staff today, but when funding begins to move again, they will be scrambling to fill gaps.
And that’s why we need to act now.
Join Us Today:
I am creating a one-stop shop for interested and available international development professionals—a database that will serve as the first place organizations turn when STTA and consulting work starts flowing again.
🔹 Register your skills NOW. Do not wait for full-time hiring to return—position yourself for short-term work that will emerge first.
🔹 Your resume does not need to be perfect. This is about building our numbers so that when implementing partners begin hiring, they turn to us first. If needed, we can help refine resumes when the right opportunities arise.
🔹 This will be the fastest way to stay engaged in the industry. When funding begins to move again, organizations will scramble to hire consultants first, not full-time staff.
🔹 We are building a network to provide job postings specifically tailored to international experts and opportunities to transition skills into new career paths.
🔹 It’s free. It takes 5 minutes to enter your latest role, expertise, and availability—and it could be the key to your next opportunity.
👉 Click the “Join the STTA Network” link here and register today.
We cannot afford to sit still. If we wait, we risk being left behind. But if we take proactive steps now, we will be ready when firms come back looking for experienced professionals.
And if you know colleagues who are facing the same uncertainty, please share this. The more of us who prepare, the stronger our future workforce will be.
We have spent our careers working to build resilience in fragile states. Now, we must do the same for ourselves.