USAID Jobs 2025: How to Get a Career with USAID
A complete guide to getting a job with USAID in 2025 — Foreign Service Officers, Civil Service, PSC contracts, and implementing partner positions explained.
USAID Jobs 2025: How to Get a Career with USAID
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is the world's largest bilateral donor, disbursing over $25 billion annually across health, food security, democracy, climate, and humanitarian programmes. Working for USAID means being part of US foreign policy — and having access to some of the largest and most complex development programmes in the world. Here's what you need to know about USAID careers in 2025.
The Three Main Pathways Into USAID
1. Foreign Service Officer (FSO) — Development
USAID's flagship career track. Foreign Service Officers rotate between Washington DC and overseas missions every two to four years. The FSO career is a long-term commitment — you are a US diplomat working across every country USAID operates in.
- Eligibility: US citizenship required
- Entry process: the Foreign Service Selection Process — a multi-stage assessment including the Foreign Service Officer Test (FSOT), oral assessment, and security clearance
- Career tracks: USAID has Development Officer (DO) and Supervisory Development Officer (SDO) tracks; specialised tracks in health, agriculture, and democracy also exist
2. Civil Service (Washington-Based)
Civil Service positions are permanent federal employment in Washington DC. These roles focus on policy development, programme oversight, budget management, and agency management.
- Apply via USAJOBS.gov
- Requires US citizenship and often prior relevant experience
- Less frequent international travel than FSO track
3. Personal Services Contractors (PSCs)
PSC contracts are the most accessible route for non-US-citizen professionals and for US citizens who want USAID experience without committing to the Foreign Service. PSC contractors work on specific programmes or missions, often as specialists in health, agriculture, democracy, or other technical areas.
- Posted on USAJOBS as "US Citizens" or "USAID/Washington" postings
- Also on specific mission websites and DevProcure
- Pay is typically competitive; PSCs do not receive Foreign Service benefits but get a project-based package
USAID Implementing Partners: The Wider USAID Ecosystem
The majority of people working on USAID programmes are not USAID employees — they work for the organisations that implement USAID-funded projects: DAI, Palladium, Chemonics, RTI International, FHI 360, Tetra Tech, Crown Agents, JSI, and hundreds of others.
Implementing partner positions are accessible to non-US citizens, often posted internationally, and cover every technical and operational function a USAID programme requires. These positions are aggregated daily on DevProcure.
Priority Areas for USAID Hiring in 2025
USAID's 2022–2026 strategy highlights several areas driving significant new investment and therefore new hiring:
- Global health: PEPFAR, malaria (PMI), maternal and child health, pandemic preparedness
- Food security (Feed the Future): agriculture, nutrition, market systems
- Climate adaptation and clean energy: climate-smart agriculture, clean power, climate resilience
- Democracy and governance: anti-corruption, civil society, electoral assistance
- Humanitarian response: BHA (Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance) is one of USAID's largest and most active bureaus
Find USAID and Implementing Partner Jobs on DevProcure
DevProcure aggregates USAID-funded opportunities from implementing partner postings, USAJOBS, and other sources alongside UNDP, UNICEF, World Bank, and 200+ other employers. Set up a free alert to receive new USAID-ecosystem opportunities by email.