15 years of DevelopmentAid’s Career Center: the people behind the impact

At the heart of DevelopmentAid lies a department that champions the careers of international development professionals – our Career Center. As we celebrate its 15th anniversary, we look back at how the Career Center has grown and highlight the team members who make it all happen.

To mark the occasion, we’re offering 15% off all memberships and services for experts.

How it all started

Launched in October 2011, the Career Center began with a practical purpose: helping experts to solve the main challenge of finding opportunities as well as information about organizations working in international development.

Career Center Director Irina B. remembers initially there was a much smaller range of jobs, a CV Broadcast service that reached fewer recipients, and just one single membership package available for experts. Over time, the team expanded access to more information by adding the details of individual consultancies, contract award tracking, and shortlists.

Despite that expansion, although the team were aware of the challenges faced by experts, their interaction with the platform was not 100% predictable. Its further development was therefore driven by listening, learning, and responding to their needs. For example, Irina explains that CV tailoring was introduced because experts asked for this service.

Personal support behind the tools

Today, the Career Center combines access to opportunities with the tools and services that help experts to strengthen their applications and boost their visibility. Membership options include various levels of access to jobs, consulting assignments, organization information, and personalized alerts. Coupled with integral CV Tailoring, Cover Letter Tailoring, and CV Broadcast services, members can benefit from a wide range of instruments to improve their visibility.

Individual conversations with Career Advisors can help experts to make the most of these resources.

For Ana C., that begins with understanding the person behind the profile. “Every expert comes with a different background and different goals, so I always try to personalize my approach rather than simply going through a standard presentation.”

Eugenia B. sees particular value in helping experts to understand which opportunities are relevant to them. “Sometimes a conversation with an advisor can save an expert a lot of time and help them to see an opportunity or direction they might otherwise miss.”

Mariam N. encourages experts to explore the CV Broadcast service, which introduces their profiles to relevant organizations and potential employers. As she puts it: “Visibility is as important as having a strong CV.”

Relationships that grow over time

Behind the Career Center is a long-standing, experienced team whose relationships with various experts often span years.

“When you support someone for years, you see their career evolve – new roles, new countries, new goals and sometimes completely new directions,” Eugenia shares, adding that even the members she first met five years ago still constantly get in touch with questions, requests, or good news.

For Ana, that continuing trust is one of the most rewarding parts of the role. “Some of the people I first spoke with several years ago still contact me when they need help or when they are looking for a new opportunity.”

Those conversations also shape the advice experts receive. Mariam explains:  “Feedback and conversations have reminded me not to make assumptions based simply on someone’s CV or job title. I now ask more questions first and make my advice as relevant and practical as possible for that particular person.”

Looking ahead

The team continues to see experts becoming more deliberate in their searches for jobs and assignments and increasingly comfortable using digital tools. As Iulia C. observes: “Experts are more informed and seek tailored services, data-driven insights, and effective ways to stand out.”

The latest addition to the platform is an AI-powered tool to search for jobs and tenders. Irina explains that experts can now describe their ideal opportunities in full sentences, then save the resulting AI searches or use these to refine their alerts.

Looking further ahead, the team envisions a community where experts and organizations can communicate more directly. While the Career Center’s design continues to evolve, its purpose is nevertheless well-known and remains constant: helping professionals to build connections and feel supported throughout their careers.

Fifteen years on, those connections remain at the heart of the Career Center. As Ana puts it: “Even a small piece of guidance at the right time can sometimes make a big difference.”

Celebrate our 15th anniversary with 15% off CV Broadcast and CV Tailoring services, and all memberships for experts. Explore the membership options and discover how the Career Center can support your next career move.