Career advice  » Join the humanitarian sector »

Jobs in humanitarian aid and cooperation

  • Page updated onMarch 15, 2025
Cooperative work
Photo: Bruno Abarca

The first step in starting a career in humanitarian action is obviously up to the candidate. It is a matter of looking for a job in cooperation that fits your profile. The logical thing to do is to prioritize those positions for which you consider you have the training, experience and skills needed, in humanitarian or international cooperation organizations with whose principles and values you identify and feel comfortable. For this it is important to know not only the humanitarian system in general, but also the different organizations that exist and what kind of working conditions they offer.

Search for jobs on web platforms such as Reliefweb

It is easy to find job ads relevant to international health cooperation in databases such as ReliefWeb or Devex. Between 100 and 200 job offers in international cooperation are published every day on these sites, which can be filtered using keywords or categories of different types. In addition, these sites allow you to discover humanitarian organizations looking for talent that you may not have known about.

Job offers on the websites of NGOs and international agencies

On the websites of different NGOs and organizations it is possible to find more vacancies and more details about the organization, the work they do, the selection process or the working conditions. To do this, look for sections titled Jobs or Careers, usually at the bottom of the home page of their website. 

Some organizations, in addition to posting specific job positions (with exact geographic location, responsibilities and requirements) also allow the submission of applications for generic positions, so that they can pre-select professionals to whom they can offer specific positions when vacancies arise.

Linkedin and your network

Never underestimate the value of your network of acquaintances in the humanitarian and international cooperation sector. The humanitarian system is smaller than it seems and it is very common to proactively search for candidates among contacts and contacts of contacts. In networks such as Linkedin, in addition, lots of jobs that urgently need to be filled as soon as possible are shared.

If you have not yet had professional experience, your network of contacts may be still to be built. However, do not hesitate to open a Linkedin profile. As you start your training in public health and humanitarian action or your internships in NGOs and other organizations you will meet professors, professionals and other colleagues you can connect with.

Join the humanitarian sector

External links

en_USEnglish
es_ESEspañol en_USEnglish
Scroll to Top