Sector

International Development  

• Zoey works within wide-ranging SDGs, Humanitarian Assistance, and Conflict Mitigation 

• Why this Path?  Zoey developed international experiences and concerns for global issues early in life, as her parents were in the U.S. Foreign Service. Zoey is inspired by connecting people to one another and working alongside other motivated impact-driven professionals to make the world more equitable for everyone.   

• What’s in the Sector’s Future? Zoey indicates that the sector’s future rests in working in partnership with all possible allies and using research and best practice to be intentional about approaches to the problem. Zoey suggests co-creating a strong plan with other key stakeholders, then tracking progress and soliciting feedback widely.  

Skills

Want to find out how Zoey landed the role he’s currently in? 

• Zoey credits landing entry level positions to her exposure to different cultures, environments, and language acquisition from a young age, so for international careers she encourages developing intercultural experiences and understanding. 

• A solid foundation in grants and contract management is critical to crafting strong relationships, but “If I were starting out in the sector, I would think carefully about the skillset that I developed as a facilitator, a collaborator, and a connector… You can develop a specific technical expertise, and be a project manager, or a diplomat, or a donor. That said, I think that a key skill is how can we all become better facilitators so that we can work on problems together… if you’re [also] coming from a place of privilege where you can make choices about how you engage [the sectors], then our privilege is to think really carefully about how we give space to others.”   

• Zoey, looking back at her career development and where she is now encourages young professionals to focus on their bravery and creativity. Looking at her own experience she reflects regret at not having more confidence in herself: 
  “I think that if I had been braver and trusted myself a little bit more, I would’ve gotten a little bit more creative. I think that there’s more space in organisations to hear that creativity!” 

Advice & Tips

What advice would you give to students and young professionals?

• Zoey advises professionals in the early career stages to put themselves in situations and hands-on work even if they are still discovering their career direction and developing specialisations. For her, this was critical in finding her path and getting a foot into the sector. 

• A key factor Zoey has valued in her career is gaining cross-sectoral perspectives from working in different positions. Having had a diverse career path working in different regions and in different capacities, she highlights an ability to provide multiple perspectives to a challenge:   

• “[Today], when I’m writing a project proposal and I’m not so happy with the donor’s response to a query, I know that there’s something behind that because I remember being frustrated by some of the rules and constraints that I experienced when I was the donor. Now that I’m on the other side, I can think, ‘what question do I need to ask to know what’s really going on?’ Being able to look at things from many different angles will make you a better professional. Even if you never saw yourself as a management consultant or maybe you never thought you’d work for an NGO, if you have the chance, give it a shot and see! And then you can head in the other direction if you don’t like it!”  

• Zoey’s story and reflections come together in her overall stress placed on growing nonlinearly as a person and as a professional, and how you can follow simultaneous paths through volunteering, employment, networking, all at the same time. Remaining flexible in how these paths and explorations may intersect is important for Zoey in assessing her own growth and being comfortable with change over time. 

Curriculum Vitae