The international development sector employs tens of thousands of professionals, many of whom are employed by international aid organizations and NGOs that are responsible for managing aid funds and implementing a plethora of aid projects. While some organizations employ hundreds of consultants and employees, others are limited in the number of positions they can offer and therefore select just a small workforce.
At DevelopmentAid, we have conducted a comprehensive analysis of the job opportunities listed on the world’s largest aid-focused platform, www.DevelopmentAid.org, as well as those announced by prominent donors, including the United Nations and the World Bank.
Below, we present the top 10 organizations in the development sector that hired the most people in 2024.
These organizations post a significant number of job opportunities on a constant basis, and we anticipate even more openings in the near future, so make sure to visit www.DevelopmetAid.org regularly to stay up to date with the latest job postings in international development or become a Professional member and receive alerts that are tailored exclusively for you.
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
Headquarters: New York City, USA
Nr. of jobs posted in 2024: 1,897
Highest daily fee according to DevelopmentAid expert members: around 440 Euros.
UNICEF works to fight for the lives and rights of children in over 190 different nations and areas. It works on a variety of social projects, such as water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), HIV/AIDS, immunization, food security, and education.
In 2025, the organization is appealing for US$9.9 billion to sustain its child-focused humanitarian efforts. These funds will help to provide 109 million children facing humanitarian crises with short-term life-saving assistance as well as finance long-term development investments.
FHI 360
Headquarters: Durham, USA
Nr. of jobs posted in 2024: 1,023
Highest daily fee according to DevelopmentAid expert members: around 620 Euros.
FHI 360 employs over 4,000 experts in more than 60 countries and currently has 253 active projects. One of the projects implemented in 2024 was Realizing Equitable Access, Retention and Completion in Higher Education (REACH) which targeted youth in Guatemala, Honduras, and Paraguay. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) financed the project, while FHI 360 launched it in partnership with several universities and non-profits. The project aims to increase access to market-relevant higher education and training for marginalized young people aged 17 to 29 so they can thrive academically, professionally and personally.
World Bank
Headquarters: Washington, D.C., USA
Nr. of jobs posted in 2024: 955
Highest daily fee according to DevelopmentAid expert members: around 498 Euros.
With 189 member nations overseeing its activity, the World Bank functions in a similar way to a cooperative. It offers grants, zero- to low-interest credits, and loans to developing nations.
In one of its latest projects, launched at the end of 2024, the organization approved a new initiative in Uttar Pradesh (a state in northern India) that aims to increase farmers’ incomes via improved agricultural yields, the use of digital technology and climate-resilient farming methods. In order to support these efforts, the project also hopes to draw on US$15 million in private funding.
World Food Programme (WFP)
Headquarters: Rome, Italy
Nr. of jobs posted in 2024: 886
Highest daily fee according to DevelopmentAid expert members: around 74 Euros.
The WFP employs 23,000 people and operates in more than 120 nations and territories. The organization distributed food to more than 100 million people in 2023 and provided around US$2.8 billion in cash-based transfers to approximately 51.6 million people.
UN Women
Headquarters: New York City, USA
Nr. of jobs posted in 2024: 784
Highest daily fee according to DevelopmentAid expert members: around 657 Euros.
One of the initiatives of UN Women is the release of a new Gender Alert about the effects of violence on women and girls in Sudan, where the situation continues to worsen with over 11 million people, the majority of whom are women and girls, already affected.
The goals of this project include strengthening the detection of community-based gender-based violence and intervention systems and creating secure areas for psychosocial assistance.
In addition, UN Women is collaborating with networks led by women who are pushing for the conflict in Sudan to end and helping to include women’s perspectives in ceasefire negotiations.
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Headquarters: New York City, USA
Nr. of jobs posted in 2024: 429
Highest daily fee according to DevelopmentAid expert members: around 407 Euros.
By 2025, the UNDP hopes to assist 100 million people to escape multifaceted poverty and vulnerabilities by implementing systemic change. Since 2022, 130 countries have received direct assistance from UNDP.
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
Headquarters: Rome, Italy
Nr. of jobs posted in 2024: 413
Highest daily fee according to DevelopmentAid expert members: around 547 Euros.
FAO operates in more than 130 countries globally whose members include 194 countries and the European Union.
One of its recent initiatives was the global analysis on salt-affected soils – the first in 50 years, which revealed that over 1.4 billion hectares of land have already been impacted by salinity (imagine an area twice as big as Australia), with an additional 1 billion hectares at risk due to the climate crisis and poor agricultural practices.
The FAO report was released at the International Soil and Water Forum 2024, which was hosted in Bangkok, Thailand. The report suggested techniques for sustainable soil management such as saline agriculture, bioremediation, and salt-tolerant crop breeding.
Action Against Hunger (ACF)
Headquarters: New York, USA
Nr. of jobs posted in 2024: 364
Highest daily fee according to DevelopmentAid expert members: around 382 Euros.
This organization employs over 8,900 aid workers who are committed to ending hunger and saving lives across the entire globe.
One of its latest projects is a cash assistance program launched in Wajid, Somalia. ACF employees who had worked in the country for decades and helped over 1.3 million people, saw a startling rise in food insecurity, a lack of access to drinking water, and unhygienic conditions with the most at risk being women and children.
Together with the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO), the organization has helped people in several districts of Bakool, a region of southwestern Somalia.
World Health Organization (WHO)
Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
Nr. of jobs posted in 2024: 307
Highest daily fee according to DevelopmentAid expert members: around 364 Euros.
The WHO consists of 194 Member States and operates in six regions from over 150 locations.
In December 2024, the WHO approved the establishment of a packaging and shipping facility for a HIV fast test, prequalified for professional use. This means that African countries and large global organizations such as the Global Fund and the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) can now purchase and use this test in efforts to combat HIV.
Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC)
Headquarters: Oslo, Norway
Nr. of jobs posted in 2024: 291
Highest daily fee according to DevelopmentAid expert members: around 250 Euros.
The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) serves as an independent humanitarian organization that assists those who have been forced to leave their homes.
Working in 40 countries, the organization focuses on six key areas: food security, education, shelter, legal help, protection from violence, and WASH.
In 2023, all 15,000 of NRC’s workers managed to assist nearly 10 million people throughout the world, specifically:
- Educational efforts that helped more than 1.2 million people.
- Food security initiatives that helped over 1.5 million people.
- Shelter efforts that yielded benefits for over 1.4 million people.
- WASH work that assisted nearly 3.4 million people.
U.S. executive order on foreign aid potential impact on the development job market
The White House paused all foreign aid projects funded by the U.S. budget by issuing an Executive Order on January 20th, 2025. The 90-day pause will be used to assess the “programmatic efficiencies and consistency with United States foreign policy” the document reads.
Nine days later, on January 29th, the U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, issued a waiver for life-saving humanitarian assistance during the pause in foreign aid disbursements, after aid groups across the globe warned that President Trump’s decision may put millions of lives at risk.
With thousands of aid activities funded by the U.S. across the world, the pause in fund disbursements will most likely be followed by project staff either on leave, furlough, or termination. Without funding, aid organizations are likely to freeze hiring, with thousands of development professionals in search of new roles within other donor-funded programs.
See also: Kenya’s 2024 humanitarian aid landscape: Impact of US 90-day aid suspension
To support U.S.-based organizations during this period, DevelopmentAid offers up to 90 days of free access to funding opportunities, donor insights, and strategic tools for diversifying funding portfolios. Contact us at usapartners@developmentaid.org to claim your access.
