THEMATIC AREA
Humanitarian work from the inside
Working in a humanitarian organization is a real career option, but very different from what many people imagine. This section explores what profiles are in demand, what types of jobs exist in health and international cooperation, and what this career actually entails, with its opportunities, demands, and contradictions.
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How are humanitarian careers for doctors, nurses, and public health professionals?
Health is one of the largest sectors in humanitarian action and development, and the profiles in demand go far beyond what most people imagine. The image of a doctor treating patients in a field hospital is real, but it represents only a small part of what a nurse, a public health specialist, a physician, an epidemiologist, a midwife, or a pharmacist, among others, can do within a humanitarian organisation.
This section approaches this question from three complementary angles. The first is the inner workings of humanitarian organisations: how functions are distributed and what this means for those working within them. The second covers the different types of health and development roles that exist, from direct clinical care to programme coordination and remote technical advisory positions. The third angle addresses everything that surrounds this career path, from salaries and working conditions to the rewards and contradictions that come with it.
- No two humanitarian organisations are alike. The context in which they were founded, their historical mandate, their country of origin, and their funding model shape their identity, values, and internal culture. This directly affects the experience of those who work within them.
- United Nations agencies, international NGOs, and local NGOs occupy very different positions within the humanitarian system. Furthermore, they have varying levels of bureaucracy, operational autonomy, and closeness to the communities with which they work.
- Functions within an organization are grouped into three broad categories: technical and programmatic roles, support functions (finance, logistics, human resources, communications), and strategic and governance functions. In small organizations, the same person may cover multiple functions.
- The degree of decentralization, the size of the organization in a country, and whether implementation is direct or through other partners largely determine what a specific position is actually like, beyond its title.
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- Clinical and healthcare positions are the most visible but not the most numerous among expatriate staff. National staff are usually better prepared for the majority of direct care. Foreign staff often help fill gaps where local specialists are scarce. More experienced staff also support supervision and training.
- Programme and project coordination roles, as well as team leadership positions in health, require training in public health and experience in project and organisational management. They also involve strategic planning and institutional representation functions.
- Technical advisory roles at headquarters and regional hubs combine field expertise with strategic support for teams in different countries. They often involve frequent travel and require specialization in areas such as nutrition or health systems strengthening.
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- Salaries vary widely across organisations, contract types, and whether staff are national or international. Expatriate packages typically include housing, insurance, and allowances, but usually come with high mobility. Many contracts are short or medium-term, particularly when tied to a specific project.
- Humanitarian work can be deeply satisfying, but idealizing it is dangerous. Bureaucracy, detachment from communities, ethical contradictions, and the gap between the sector's public narrative and its internal reality are common sources of frustration.
- The physical and mental health costs are real and frequently underestimated. Security restrictions, exposure to traumatic situations, burnout, social isolation, and the cumulative toll of continuous mobility take their toll in ways that the sector is only beginning to address seriously.
- High mobility opens extraordinary professional and personal opportunities, but it also strains personal relationships, complicates family life, and can make future reintegration into one's home community genuinely difficult after years abroad.
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What should be the first steps towards a humanitarian health career?
If you believe that work in humanitarian action and development in health is for you, it is time to take your first steps in that direction. One of them may be to explore recently posted job openings in NGOs and United Nations agencies and analyse whether your profile could fit them now, or in similar positions in the future, and what you would need to get there. At the same time, it is worth identifying the competencies and skills you need to develop, the training you need, or the path to gaining relevant experience, even through internships or volunteering.
When the time comes, understanding how selection processes work in humanitarian organisations will make a real difference. For all of this, in the humanitarian work section of Salud Everywhere you will find specific resources on job searching, CVs and cover letters.
If you want to go further, the other two major sections of the site offer what you need to understand the architecture and functioning of humanitarian system on its own, as well as specialized technical information in the main Health issues in crisis and cooperation contexts.