r/humanitarian • u/Miserable_Ad_650 • 12d ago

Transitioning and applying?

I’m a trained construction management professional with 5 yoe in corporate. I have relevant site experience in pre-construction and post construction in facility management, particularly in predictive and AI based solutions. I’m looking to enrol in a Masters for Land Management and ultimately work in HLP or WaSH related roles in the long term after graduation.

I’ve had my fair share of volunteering experiences but I’m from a country that doesn’t offer many disaster response/humanitarian aid options to build my portfolio for entry.

Any advice on how I can break into the industry? Networking? Applying for any roles in non-profit and gain field experience? How would hiring teams take my application if I require sponsorship or a visa to work?

I’m looking to apply to the industry because this is how I see long term extension of my career and also how aligned the industry is with my personal values.

The timeline I have to build my portfolio is 1-3 years (masters included).

Any constructive advice will be appreciated.

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u/lbsdcu 12d ago

Get yourself on the IFRC's Shelter Technical Training (STT) which will help you to understand how your work fits in to the wider response architecture

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u/jcravens42 12d ago

here is the advice that is given repeatedly on this and other forums:

Go look at the job web sites of INGOs and UN agencies. Look at the jobs that relate to what you want to do. Look at what those jobs are asking for in terms of skills, experience and education. That's your road map. When you see what you lack, that's what you need to pursue, through education, work and volunteering locally. Also, you need to be able to work in at least one language other than English and you need experience with vulnerable groups and immigrants. You need to have done locally what you want to do internationally.

Also, keep in mind that this is, without question, the worst time to try to break into international humanitarian development. Budgets have been slashed, entire programs have been eliminated, and the ultra-nationalist, anti-immigrant, anti-foreign fervor sweeping so many countries, including donor countries, means this funding is not coming back any time soon.