Industry Perspectives on the Impact of Restrictive Criteria for Senior Leader Job Descriptions

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In the international development industry, the stakes are high and contractors and NGOs alike do not have the incentive to play outside of the boundaries prescribed by donors like USAID through the solicitation process. This study builds upon earlier research conducted by the authors on the inclusivity of senior leader job descriptions in USAID tender documents. The brief explores the perspectives of experienced recruiters and program managers who work with medium and large contractors and international NGOs on the unintended impact of key personnel criteria with respect to the diversity of candidates they put forward for senior leadership positions.

Credit: Thumbnail illustration by Storyset

JESSICA RUST-SMITH

Senior Consultant

I work across markets, business and supply chains, impact investing, agriculture, and women’s economic empowerment. I am an experienced monitoring, evaluation, research and learning consultant and project manager with expertise in the use of mixed methods, theory-based approaches and data collection and analysis. I have been working in M&E for market systems development for 10 years now, and going strong.