This presentation by Delphine Barringer Mills is about translating Africa's historic brain drain to brain gain.

1. DEVELOPMENT WORK IN AFRICA Harnessing the skills of the
diaspora as a way to give back

2. INTRODUCTION
oInternational HR and recruiting professional with a focus on NGO’s (humanitarian,
development, agriculture, health primarily) since 2002
oWorked in Sudan and Haiti with Doctors Without Borders, traveled extensively with
Land O’Lakes Int. Dev. Main area of expertise is in finding, recruiting candidates,
defining roles and responsibilities and elaborating proposals for new business (USAID,
USDA, Gates Foundation)
oCurrently pursuing an executive degree in management at Solvay Business School
oAbout to assume a new role as the Senior Talent Acquisition Advisor based in Europe for
Mercy Corps

3. MERCY CORPS
WHAT?
“We are a global organisation, 4,000 strong, powered by the belief that a better world is possible. We
help people survive and get back on their feet when natural disaster strikes, economies collapse or conflict
erupts. And where there are chronic threats to peace and progress, we partner with communities to
overcome obstacles and thrive.”
WHERE? 40 countries worldwide (HQ in Portland, Edinburgh, Geneva)
Learn more @ MercyCorps.org

4. CAREERS IN DEVELOPMENT VS. PRIVATE SECTOR
How are they similar?
o Complex organizations made up of consummate
professionals
o Technical and operational skills and abilities required
o Demand for positions and general competitiveness of
the industry
o Career-path options
How do they differ?
o Internal and external stakeholders
o The funding sources and allocation
o Employees typically looking for something more than a
“job” and motivated intrinsically.
jonestream.blogspot.com

5. WHAT TYPES OF
OPPORTUNITIES
EXIST IN NGO’S? Health / Public Health / Medicine/
Tropical medicine
Agriculture and food security
Gender, Youth
Conflict Management
Disaster preparedness andresiliency
Economic development/social
entrepreneurship
Education
Emergency response
Climate change and environment
Rural innovation
Water and sanitation
Rural marketing
Applied development research
International Policy
Program management
Finance/Financial management
Human resources management
Grants/contracts management
Fundraising
Monitoring and evaluation
Logistics
Procurement
Administration
Technical
Operational
Research

6. SKILLS ARE ONLY ½ THE BATTLE…COMPETENCIES AND
“SOFT SKILLS” ARE ARE THE KEYS TO SUCCESS…
“TRANSFERRABLE” skills
v Program and people management
v Budgeting and forecasting
v Grants management and resource
allocation
v Finance/Financial management
v Human resources management
v Data analysis and management
v Business Development
v Technical (see sample technical areas)
COMPETENCIES “soft skills”
v Team management (particularly of
multicultural teams)
v Adaptability / Flexibility
v Resilience
v Empowering others
v Openness to change
v Developing others
v Analytical thinking
v Written and oral communication
v Ethics
v Accountability
v Self awareness
v Work/life balance
v Problem solving
v Managing change
blog.politics.ox.ac.uk
www.telegraph.co.uk
Start with the skills but speak to competencies

7. DIASPORA AND DEVELOPMENT
Diaspora are relevant to development because they ….
o Innovate
o Get engaged
o Give back
o Invest
o Build human capital
o Link between the host country and the
NGO/organization
o Share the expertise, knowledge, and skills acquired
abroad with their communities of origin
Some resources: http://www.diaspora-centre.org/contact-us/www.diasporaalliance.org /
http://www.diasporamarketplace.org

8. EVALUATING FIT - IS THIS THE CAREER PATH FOR ME?
oThe operating model and policies:
oSectors
o“Fit”
oExpat positions
oPolicies
oCompensation
oPolicies
­ Career Development
­ What type of career opportunities exist within the organization?
What do YOU bring to the table?

9. FROM THE EMPLOYER PERSPECTIVE..
Exploring African expansion and not sure how to staff up and move forward…
o HR strategy will provide the roadmap
o Researchemployment regulations – hire local lawyer
o Purchase salary surveys (to benchmark positions)
o Evaluate cost – Expatriates expensive!
o Researchjob market and map locally available and unavailable skills and competencies
o Find local headhunter or firm

10. QUESTIONS?