14 Amazing Coaches for Aid and Development Careers

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If you’re struggling to enter the humanitarian aid and international development industry, or are already working in aid and development and want assistance progressing your career, there are several career coaches who specialise in the sector. All with extensive career experience in humanitarian action and international development, these coaches can provide practical career advise as well as assist with mental wellbeing, keeping passionate and building a lasting and sustainable career in aid and development.

Copperfinch

Copperfinch specialises in building skills to lead sustainable social change and supports those working in the humanitarian aid and international development sectors to remain passionate, effective, and resilient.

The three founding directors of Copperfinch are all humanitarian aid and development practitioners as well as coaches. They have extensive experience working with donors, private sector, not-for-profit and social enterprises in the UK and the global south. Collectively they have delivered over 800 hours of leadership and careers coaching within the humanitarian aid and development sectors.

The coaching clients of Copperfinch include staff within UN organisations, development consultancies, freelance aid practitioners, and professionals wishing to enter the humanitarian sector.

Copperfinch believe the better we understand ourselves the better able we are to ‘be’ the change we wish to see in the world. Most of their clients are very driven professionally, but also understand the need to nurture their whole selves and to be available to those who need them. Clients of Copperfinch would describe their coaching style as warm, compassionate, structured, challenging, and transformational.

Robert Laude – The Aid Worker Coach

Richard Laude has over 10 years’ experience in the humanitarian aid and international development industry. He has worked in management positions in international aid organisations across Asia, Africa, the Pacific and Europe. He now uses that experience, skills and passion to career coach colleagues to develop successful, healthy and sustainable career in humanitarian aid and international development.

Robert Laude’s coaching assists with gaining clarity of how to move forward in the aid and development sector and how to find the right jobs in the humanitarian action and international development based on talents, qualifications and personality. His career coaching also works to reduce self-doubt, stress and frustration as well as assisting with professional progression and building aid and development careers in accordance with career plans.

As a career coach specifically for humanitarian aid and international development workers, Robert Laude uses his extensive understanding and knowledge of the aid and development sector to coach people in building their careers. Robert Laude is trained in systemic coaching according to the professional requirements of the renowned European Coaching Association.

Liz Griffin

Liz Griffin has over 25 years of experience as a leader and activist in humanitarian NGOs, international development, human rights and social justice across Africa, Asia, the Americas and Europe. She’s worked in leadership positions for NGOs, the United Nations and academic institutions, rising to the level of professor of international human rights law. She has been empowering, coaching and mentoring social justice, international development and humanitarian leaders for two decades as a professor.

With extensive career experience coaching for NGO, international development and humanitarian aid workers, Liz Griffin’s coaching works to empower extraordinarily committed aid and development workers to make bigger impacts, achieve incredible things and stay well. Liz Griffin sees career coaching as a thought-provoking creative process that inspires you to reach your maximum potential.

Liz Griffin is an International Coaching Federation qualified Professional Certified Coach (PCC) with over 2,000 hours of coaching under her belt. Career coaching with Liz Griffin is a self-reflective journey of personal and professional development which empowers you to gain greater self-awareness, identify solutions of challenges, take brave decisions and move forwards in creative, inspiring and healthy ways.

Impact Pool

Impactpool (previously UNjobfinder) was founded in 2015. ImpactPool is a social enterprise with headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden. Coaching for a career in humanitarian aid and international development with ImpactPool provides deep understanding of the dynamics of different aid and development agencies, job functions, hardship locations, recruitment criteria, and career paths. When career coaching for humanitarian and international development work with ImpactPool, clients learn what it takes to get into the aid and development sector, what transferable skills are needed and what a realistic entry level could be.

ImpactPool career coaching helps clients with identifying transferable skills for aid and development work in their current careers.  Career coaching with ImpactPool also helps with identifying common strategies to secure aid and development jobs as well as where to search for the right humanitarian aid and international development jobs. ImpactPool’s coaching can focuses on where the best humanitarian and international development career opportunities are as well as the most strategic contract types for specific career transitions.

ImpactPool provides a range of career coaching services tailored to different levels of humanitarian aid and international development professionals. Their services include coaching packages for professional development, application writing coaching, job search strategy, interview coaching, executive and leadership coaching package. ImpactPool was founded because of the clear need for a qualified, customer oriented and user-friendly career coaching service covering humanitarian aid and international development organizations.

David J. Smith

Based in the Washington D. C. area, David J. Smith offers career coaching for the aid and development sectors. His career has spanned college and university teaching, practicing law, teaching in the Fulbright program and working at think tanks, as well as career coaching and consulting. David J. Smith has also been featured in numerous publications including the New York Times, Baltimore Sun. He has also done a TEDx Talk.

David J. Smith’s offers career coaching for recent international development and humanitarian action college graduates as well as more senior professionals in the aid and development industry looking for change and in need of advice and mentoring. Working in one-on-one career coaching, David J. Smith offers insights and provides direction for humanitarian aid and international development career aspirations: both for those new to the aid and development sector as well those with many years of experience in humanitarian aid and international development.

David J. Smith is an official member of Forbes Coaches Council and contributes regularly to Forbes.com.  He has also taken course work through Coach Training Alliance. For those struggling to launch a career in humanitarian aid or international development or are in need of change of career and wish to move into the aid sector, David J. Smith offers tailored career coaching.

Katie Duckworth

Katie Duckworth coaches’ leaders, including in the humanitarian aid and international development sector, to rediscover the joy of their work, allowing them to be happy and impactful as they seek create a better world. Having spent over 20 years in the non-profit sector in both national and international charities, Katie Duckworth is well-placed to career coach for aid and development.

With career coaching focusing mainly on those in leadership positions, Katie Duckworth helps reconnect senior leaders with their mission. She has coached many amazing leaders in the humanitarian aid and international development sector striving for a better world and seen their working lives transform and their contributions multiply.

Supporting CEOs and senior leaders in the non-profit, humanitarian and development sectors, Katie Duckworth runs carefully tailored coaching programmes of 1-to-1 sessions and trainings on everything from career and personal development to leadership skills, helping leaders to increase confidence and find joy in these challenging times.

Alanna Shaikh – This World Needs Brave

Alanna Shaikh has been working in international aid, education and development for twenty years, mostly in global health. She is also co-founder of a tiny global health consultancy called Tomorrow Global. She is a senior TED fellow and has given four TED talks. Alanna Shaikh is an American currently based in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Working in partnership with her coaching clients, Alanna Shaikh helps them achieve their truest potential and focus fully on the things that are most important to them. She uses powerful questions, focused attention, careful challenges and habitual thought processes to help coaching clients find their ‘brave’. Alanna Shaikh also puts a special enthesis on helping coaching clients find their own answers.

Alanna Shaikh offers a wide range career services relevant to those wanting coaching for the humanitarian aid and international development sectors. Her programmes include mini-coaching – 15 minutes of high-speed coaching for people who want to test out the concept and single coaching sessions for clients who aren’t ready to commit to a longer coaching relationship. She also offers multiple sessions, annual coaching, in-person coaching and specific career development packages.

Performetric Coaching

Performetric coaching is ran by Julie Woloshin-Oseku. With 10 years of professional experience in the field of international development, human rights and democratization with the UN Mission in Kosovo and Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), ger passion lies with the empowerment of people working in the development and humanitarian aid sector.

Julie Woloshin-Oseku practices behaviour and solution-oriented coaching in line with the principles and ethics of the International Coach Federation. Her career coaching holds that through increased awareness, positive thinking, challenging and questioning, a client can unlock their full potential. She uses experiential learning through activities, video, audio, role play, and other tools.

Julie Woloshin-Oseku is a ICF Accredited Coach, Workshop/Team Building Facilitator, Multi-National Organizational Development Consultant and a Your Partner in Change. Her career coaching focuses on people development for increased performance through behavioural coaching, team building and organizational development consulting. She aims her coaching to build successful careers, including in humanitarian aid and international development.

Talent Tech

Talent Tech, ran by Matanat Rahimova, coaches those who want to land a dream job international development and humanitarian aid but find the process confusing and complex.  Matanat Rahimova helps with what it takes to get engaged with international development and humanitarian organizations. Talent Tech also coaches those already working in humanitarian NGOs and international development organizations and want to make a next move in their career but need help figuring out what the best path is.

Matanat Rahimova of Talent Tech has had a long career in humanitarian aid and development. Working in numerous field offices and headquarters in Europe, Asia and North America, she has worked with various UN affiliated organizations like UNICEF, UNDP, UNESCO, UNHCR, WFP, UNFPA, WB, ADB. Her career has also included working with intergovernmental organizations, CTBTO and OSCE in multiple domains including in social development, capacity building, nuclear non-proliferation and human resources.

Career coaching with Talent Tech is ideal for those wanting to identifying realistic job options and suitable organizations for their next career move in aid an development, as well as for those looking to identifying and align their experiences and transferable skills to humanitarian and international development work. Matanat Rahimova’s coaching can also help with providing strategies to become a stronger candidate and make action with confidence. Her coaching also provides a customised career transition roadmap that saves your time and speed up your job search process in the humanitarian aid and international development sector.

Sabrina Prioli

Sabrina Prioli has over 10 years of experience with humanitarian and development projects. She is a certified professional Co-Active coach that helps aid and development workers prevent burnout and build leadership methods. Her coaching aim is so that people can feel empowered and bring humanitarian and development projects closer to their goals. Sabrina Prioli helps humanitarian aid and international development workers prevent burnout, achieve goals and feel empowered.

Sabrina Prioli acknowledges that those working in humanitarian aid and international development face a lot of challenges, and stress is a common issue that can put their career at risk. Sabrina Prioli works with coaching clients to feel emboldened, fiercely taking care of themselves and others, connecting with the purpose of life and building up muscles of mental fitness to as to better respond to life challenges with positive rather than negative mindsets.

Sabrina Prioli also works with leaders in the international development and humanitarian aid sector to build self-awareness, self-authority, healthy relationships and achieve peak performances. Her career coaching helps aid and development professionals take responsibility for themselves and so better help the world. She works specifically so humanitarian aid and international development workers can maximize the impact they make, avoiding burnout and building purpose-driven leadership.

Humanitarian Careers now offers career coaching.

Want to become a humanitarian worker? Get tailored career guidance and gain an in-depth understanding of the aid sector through a 1-2-1 coaching programme.

Laetitia Antonowicz

Laetitia Antonowicz has worked internationally for 25 years: as a teacher first, for 7 years, and as a consultant in international development and humanitarian aid for 20 years. She has career experience in the civil service, international organisations and the private sector, as well as self-employment and entrepreneurship. Laetitia Antonowicz has worked in 40 countries, for 50 organisations on more than 100 projects, many with an international development and humanitarian aid focus.

Certified Professional Coach, EFC/MHD and Certified Coach & Mentor, ILM (UK Level5), Laetitia Antonowicz provides a range of career coaching programmes. She has shorter coaching packages focusing on facing new challenges, finding solutions to problems and defining goals or clarifying new projects. She also offers longer career coaching programmes focusing on acquiring new skills, adopting new habits and behaviours and sustaining change.

Laetitia Antonowicz coaching can focus on some of the issues those wanting to enter the humanitarian aid and international development sector face, including dealing with an evolving profession, transitioning into the aid sector and managing international mobility. She also coaches assisting people who wish to transition from other careers into humanitarian aid and international development work. Her coaching can include focusing on new responsibilities, making, managing or welcoming a personal or professional change and making living and working abroad a success.

Camille Lemouchoux-Heffer – Mind Your Mind

After studying Clinical Psychology and Public Health, Camille Lemouchoux-Heffer spent many years overseas as a humanitarian and international development worker managing multi-cultural teams in countries such as Indonesia, Sierra Leone, Colombia, DRC and Palestine.  Camille Lemouchoux-Heffer offers a range of coaching packages including individual coaching, team group coaching and training and consulting.

As a coach and trainer, Camille Lemouchoux-Heffer is dedicated to supporting those who care for others (humanitarian and development workers, nurses, doctors, social workers, volunteers, etc). Her coaching aims to help humanitarians connect to what is important to them, express their potential and discover their strengths in order to lead fulfilling professional and personal lives. Camille Lemouchoux-Heffer coaches to help humanitarians connect to their purpose, find motivation and strengths and achieve goals.

With over 20 years of humanitarian aid and international development field experience, Camille Lemouchoux-Heffer coaches’ people to get control over their lives, learn new skills, change certain behaviours and connect to purposes. She also coaches humanitarians to find strengths and motivation and develop potentials in order to achieve their goals, whether professional or personal. Camille Lemouchoux-Heffer coaches in French, English or Spanish.

Wild Cedar Consulting

Wild Cedar Consulting is ran by Lisa Robbins-Garland. After more than 12 years in the humanitarian aid and international development sector, Lisa Robbins-Garland became a trained professional Co-Active Coach and member of the International Coaching Federation. In her career she has led humanitarian and development projects around the world – supporting teams as a country senior leader and managed complex organizational change across 40 countries.

Wild Cedar Consulting offers a mix of career coaching programme lengths for people who want to join the humanitarian aid and international development sectors. Her coaching is also ideal for those already in the aid and development sector who are looking to progress or overcome challenges. Coaching with Lisa Robbins-Garland can bring clarity, reignite passions and help those nervous about changes.

Lisa Robbins-Garland at Wild Cedar Consulting offers career coaching packages of 6, 8 or 10 sessions. These include 90-minute first coaching sessions to establish goals followed by sessions of 60 minutes, where important topics can be explored related to coaching goals. She also offers a final session to reflect on progress and solidify what’s next. Short month-long career coaching packages are also available.

Claire Mahon – Change-Maker

Claire Mahon, founder of Change-Maker Coaching & Mentoring, is an internationally award-winning human rights advocate and the founder of the Global Human Rights Group. She has worked as an advisor to world leaders including Presidents and heads of United Nations agencies, and has run a global consulting practice for over 20 years. She works with those who want to change the world, including in the humanitarian aid and international development sectors, by helping them to establish or deepen their careers.

Change-Maker Coaching & Mentoring works with those wanting to develop clarity, connection and confidence in their professional and personal lives. Claire Mahon’s coaching helps current, emerging, and aspiring humanitarian and international development leaders to build their full potential.  Change-Makers helps coaching clients with personal and professional progressions and growth, including ‘empowering women’, ‘playing big’, finding your true calling, and setting boundaries, as well as professional development and leadership challenges.

Change-Maker Coaching & Mentoring can also coach clients on job hunting or career transitioning for humanitarian aid and international development work. Claire Mahon provides coaching guidance on re-thinking how to write cover letters, polishing CVs, refining online job applications (including through the UN’s Inspira), and preparing for job interviews in the aid and development sector. Change-Maker Coaching & Mentoring has a great success rate for helping people get their foot in the door of humanitarian aid and international development work, and getting to the next stage of their aid and development careers.

Duncan

Duncan is the founder of Humanitarian Careers. With over ten years experience in the aid industry across fifteen countries, Duncan set-up Humanitarian Careers to help people launch their own career in international aid.