International Development and Programs (Development Work) - International Development and Programs (Development Work)

An interesting online library with useful management and HR resources for development workers is provided by People In Aid. The not-for-profit was established by agencies in the humanitarian and development sector in 1995 and provides its members HR and management support services .

The organization is perhaps best known for its "People In Aid Code of Good Practice" in the management and support of aid personnel.

USAID has published an informative, user-friendly guide to USAID’s Automated Directives System (ADS).

Each USAID project, whether it is implemented under a contract or cooperative agreement, is (under most circumstances) required to follow branding guidelines. USAID's framework legislation, the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended, section 641, requires that all programs under the Foreign Assistance Act be identified appropriately overseas as "American Aid."

The World Bank has developed an impressive collection of toolkits for financial and private sector development for policymakers and reform leaders.

USAID announced in the beginning of September 2010 that it will soon launch a new Development Experience Clearinghouse (DEC), pending USAID's Bureau for Legislative and Public Affairs (LPA) approval. This may be the last step before the new DEC goes online. 

As with any federal agency, USAID uses the fedbizopps.gov website to solicit organizations and individuals for technical and project implementation expertise.

In addition to base salary rates (click here how to calculate these), USAID follows the allowances and benefits set by the Department of State Standardized Regulations (DSSR) and volumes 3 and 14 of the Foreign Affairs Manual (FAM) and volume 3 of the Foreign Affairs Handbook (FAH).

We are often asked the question whether USAID does have a maximum pay rate for contractors. The answer is YES: The standard that USAID uses as the "USAID contractor salary threshold" (CST), formerly know as the "maximum daily rate", is the equivalent of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) maximum rate of pay for agencies without a certified SES performance appraisal system.

Since technical assistance programs often introduce new laws, systems, regulations, etc. in developing countries, these programs inevitably have to manage stakeholders affected by the program. It is often useful to identify power brokers, stakeholders who are central to the network of influencers and the connections among those affected by the program. 

Many technical assistance projects start in what we call "red zones." These are project implementation areas where the acceptance of an intervention by counterparts is low and where the complexity of the environment is high.

Building the capacity of project staff is a critical, but unfortunately often overlooked aspect of technical assistance delivery in developing countries.

To introduce new industry, educational, safety and other standards, reformers can apply a variety of strategies that fall in two broad categories of reform:

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In 2004, USAID produced the award-winning documentary – “INSPIRING SUCCESS: Rediscovering the Marshall Plan Productivity Program”.