Also called: Development Foreign Service Officer, Development Program Officer
Manages foreign aid programs (health, food security, economic growth, disaster relief) for the US government or for the contractors and nonprofits that carry them out.
Development officers manage multimillion-dollar projects, like vaccine programs or helping farmers survive drought, working with local governments and NGOs. U.S. foreign aid has been cut back and reorganized recently, so many of these roles now sit at the State Department, NGOs, or contractors.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Master's degree, about 6 years after high school. Master's in international development, public health, or economics usually expected.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $60k – $150k.
Majors to look at: International Development, Economics, Public Health, Agriculture.
Shrinking. USAID was dismantled in 2025 and its remaining programs moved into the State Department, with deep cuts. Federal openings are scarce; most of this work now happens at nonprofits, the UN, the World Bank, and aid contractors.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. AI drafts proposals and monitors data; field visits and negotiating with local partners stay human, though budgets drive openings.
Classes: AP World History, A foreign language, AP Environmental Science.
Official data: O*NET occupation 11-9151.
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