This document provides information about opportunities with the UK Department for International Development (DFID). It discusses DFID's goals of honoring commitments to international development and achieving the Millennium Development Goals. It also outlines DFID's priorities, including improving effectiveness through transparency, focusing on women and girls' education and health, targeting fragile states, and addressing climate change. The document shares details on DFID's staff and locations, as well as routes for joining the organization.

1. Opportunities with the Department for
International Development

2. Elaine Rowan
• Head of Resourcing
• East Kilbride
• Graduate Scheme
• Private sector HR & Recruitment experience incl travel,
finance and consulting sectors.

3. Mark Robinson
• Deputy Director, Research and Evidence Division
– Responsible for championing the use and take-up of evidence
– Member, ESRC Research Committee
– member, REF 2014 Sub-Panel on Anthropology and Development
Studies
• Previous roles: Chief Professional Officer, Governance,
Social Development, Conflict and Humanitarian, DFID
• Team Leader, Governance, IDS; Program Officer,
Governance and Civil Society, The Ford Foundation

4. DFID Background
• Two UK HQs 1,800 staff, 700 in London, 500 in Glasgow
(East Kilbride) and 500 in overseas offices plus 900 locally
engaged staff appointed in country offices
• 28 overseas offices

5. Coalition commitments on International Development
• ‘The Government believes that even in these difficult economic times, the
UK has a moral responsibility to help the poorest people in the world.
• We will honour our aid commitments, but at the same time will ensure
much greater transparency and scrutiny of aid spending to deliver
value for money for British taxpayers and to maximise the impact of our
aid budget.
• We will honour our commitment to spend 0.7% of GNI on overseas
aid from 2013, and to enshrine this commitment in law.
• We will encourage other countries to fulfil their aid commitments.’

6. Coalition commitments (cont.)
• ‘We will support actions to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.
• In particular, we will prioritise aid spending on programmes to ensure
that everyone has access to clean water, sanitation, healthcare and
education; to reduce maternal and infant mortality; and to restrict the
spread of major diseases like HIV/ AIDS, TB and malaria.
• We will recognise the vital role of women in development, promote
gender equality and focus on the rights of women, children and disabled
people to access services.
• We will use the aid budget to support the development of local
democratic institutions, civil society groups, the media and enterprise;
and support efforts to tackle corruption.’

7. DFID
• Domestic economic pressures place a special focus on DFID
activities
• We have to perform at an exemplary level, with a greater
focus on results-based aid, accountability and transparency
• DFID budget £11bn., 0.7% of GNI., 1.1% of public spending

8. Challenges and Opportunities
• Climate change – affecting the poorest countries
• Humanitarian disasters
• Conflict and problems faced by fragile states
• Trade - helping countries to create their own wealth
• Corruption & Human Rights
• Emerging powers – new partners and networks

9. Opportunities
• The Millennium Development Goals & shaping the post
MDGs development landscape
• Focus on women and girls
• Education
• Health
• Role of the Private Sector

10. DFID Priorities
• Improving UK aid effectiveness through transparency and
value for money
• Focus on lives of women and girls through education, choice
on family planning & preventing violence against women and
girls
• Targeting development policy in fragile and conflict states
through economic growth
• Climate change - encouraging low-carbon growth

11. DFID’s BUSINESS MODEL
• Focus on country-led approaches, value for money and results
• Encouraging developing country partners to take greater
ownership of aid
• Enhancing alignment with partner governments, stronger
relationships with other donors and more efficient and accountable
multilateral agencies
• Pushing for international commitments on aid effectiveness (e.g.
Paris Declaration, Accra Agenda for Action)
• Bilateral Aid Review, Multilateral Aid Review, Humanitarian
Emergency Response Review
• Employing local staff - one third of DFID’s staff are locally engaged

12. NEW WAYS OF WORKING
• Higher proportion of UK bilateral spend in conflict-affected
and fragile states, priority in fragile states
• Deepening cross-Whitehall engagement and joint analysis,
planning and implementation
• More emphasis on multilateral effectiveness and
partnerships
• Working with non-traditional aid actors: foundations and
BRICs
• Innovative partnerships with private sector, think tanks and
research institutions

13. CONFLICT: KEY ISSUES
• Violent conflict is reducing between states and increasingly
takes the form of civil conflict and societal violence (WDR
2011)
• States emerging from violent conflict are at risk of returning
to conflict
• Conflict undermines achievement of development goals,
retards growth and deepens poverty
• No single MDG has been achieved in a fragile state
• Effects of conflicts extend beyond national borders through
refugee movements and international terrorism

14. DFID’S APPROACH TO CONFLICT
• 22 out of the 34 countries furthest from reaching the
MDGs are in or are emerging from conflict – bilateral priority
• Fragile countries account for a fifth of the population of
developing countries, but they include:
–a third of those living in extreme poverty
–half of children who are not in primary school
–half of children who die before their fifth birthday
• Conflict and national interest / security

15. CONFLICT PRIORITIES
• State building and peace building: emphasis on capable and
accountable states and durable and lasting peace
• Conflict prevention: to mitigate and reduce causes of conflict
• Conflict response: to contain and reduce existing conflicts
• Conflict sensitive development: do no harm, recognition of
conflict impacts of development projects and policies
• Conflict as a cross-government priority: more joined up
approaches between development, diplomatic and defence
agencies with Building Stability Overseas Strategy (BSOS)

16. STAFF SKILLS AND CAPACITY
• Increase in governance advisory recruitment
• More advisers with political science skills
• Core technical competency in political and institutional analysis
• Specialised technical competency in political systems and
accountable governance
• Politics and political economy cuts across other specialised
competencies: PFM, PSM, anti-corruption
• Training courses in Political Economy on Analysis in Action
(PEAA) – 300 DFID staff
• Investing in research on governance and politics

17. Working With Us - Routes into DFID
• Civil Service Fast Stream
• Advertised vacancies – register via Civil Service Jobsite
• Graduate Development Scheme
• DFID Entry Scheme for Advisers (DESA) – requires relevant
Masters and experience

18. The DFID Graduate Development Scheme
• Launched in January 2012
• 53 graduates from 26 different Universities joined September
2012 across 30 different teams (24 Glasgow & 29 London)
• 51 joined from 25 Universities 24 in London & 26 in Glasgow
• Background – any degree discipline

19. Departments 2013 Graduates Joined in Glasgow
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Food & Nutrition
International Directors Office
AIDS & Reproductive Heath
Africa Results
Research Evidence & Evaluation
Climate & Environment – Low Carbon Development
Risk Control Team
H.R., Finance
Procurement/Value for Money
Civil Society
Conflict, Humanitarian & Security - Violence Against Women & Girls
United Nations & Commonwealth Dept.

20. Departments 2013 Graduates Joined in London
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Climate & Environment
Private Sector Development
Europe Dept
Global Partnerships
Asia Region Team
Conflict, Humanitarian & Security Dept
Africa incl Gender
Secretary of State & Permanent Secretary Offices
Middle East and North Africa – Yemen & Syria
Health Services
Governance, Open Societies & Anti-corruption Dept
Communications & PR
Stabilisation Unit

21. 2014 Graduate Scheme Application Process
Apply Online via www.dfid.gov.uk
• Select DFID from Civil Service Jobs
• Complete Online Application Form & Word doc attachment
Application Form 3 Competency questions:
Changing and Improving
Collaborating and Partnering
Delivering at Pace

22. 2014 Graduate Scheme Application Process
Application Form 3 Competency questions:
•Changing and Improving
•Collaborating and Partnering
•Delivering at Pace (all 250 words)
Don’t forget the Word doc attachment (no CVs) with the two 100 word
personal statements
After submitting application, invite to timed online Situational
Judgement Test

23. How to apply
• Graduate Development Scheme is open online now
• Closing date for applications: 25th February 2014
• Email enquiries to:
graduaterecruitment@dfid.gov.uk

24. DFID’s technical cadres