Devex Talent Solutions
A One-of-a-Kind Recruitment Agency From Devex
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What makes us different
Devex Talent Solutions is the boutique recruitment agency of the largest global development media platform
There are many recruitment agencies, but only one DTS. For over two decades, we have brought deep expertise in global development and an unmatched network to serve our mission-driven community.
DTS is particularly known for sourcing underrepresented talent – especially women and developing country nationals, including for fragile and conflict affected settings.
And because we understand the budget constraints of our community, DTS search rates are typically half industry standard prices. That’s one reason more than 80% of DTS clients come back for additional search services.
DTS has completed more than 1,000 searches for clients including:
7/10
largest international NGOs
5
UN agencies
4
multilateral development banks
12/20
largest implementing partners
Global Development Search Services
Executive Search
When a leading European international development consultancy needed a US Managing Director, Devex Talent Solutions was there.
- DTS brought our extensive network to bear, including our USAID expertise
- We identified candidates with leadership, business development, and implementation skills
- Our top candidate was selected for the role and she is currently leading the organization’s growth in the US
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Candidate Sourcing
For an international NGO seeking local experts, DTS was the source.
- There is strong and growing competition for highly qualified local experts
- Through our Candidate Sourcing service, DTS provides a shortlist of highly qualified, interested, and available candidates for a low fixed fee
- We have been a key partner in this effort, working with the NGO’s in-house recruitment team to fill 11 of 11 positions
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Custom Solutions
A major international organization had a specialized recruiting problem. DTS had the solution.
- A multi-billion dollar donor agency needed to create a panel of technical experts to review proposals
- Diversity on many dimensions was a top priority
- DTS has now become a key partner to this agency over several years
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Specialists in Diversity Recruiting
Diversity is our speciality
Talent is equally distributed but opportunities aren’t. That’s where DTS comes in.
- Our global team has deep expertise and an unmatched network, essential for recruiting a full range of diverse talent, including people living with disabilities and LGBTQ+ talent
- We have a strong track record in diversity recruiting, especially for women and local talent, including in fragile and conflict affected regions
- It’s part of our culture and an important way we’re different
Diversity Recruiting in Conflict Zones
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For a UN Agency, DTS Tackles Under-representation
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Recruiting Women for Humanitarian Posts
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We don’t just check the box. We ensure the recruiting process delivers diversity."
Katrina Roxas - Executive Search Director, DTS
What candidates have to say
DTS has played a key role in growing my career and stepping into a higher leadership function. I have also been really impressed with DTS's knowledge of what is a very niche organization and subsector!"
Rémi K., placed as Executive Director at an International Nonprofit
Collaborating with DTS was an exceptional experience and left a lasting impression on me. It truly stands out among my interactions with other organizations throughout my 38-year career in the development field. I fully recommend DTS’ recruitment services to anyone working in our space".
Ahsan H., placed as Senior Regional Director at an International NGO
DTS stands out for their commitment to provide equal opportunities to candidates. This allows candidates to compete for positions in a level playing field and assists hiring organizations to shortlist the most qualified candidates for their vacancies".
Gerry B., placed in a senior role at an International Organization
I greatly appreciate DTS’s professionalism, responsiveness, and commitment to laying a solid foundation for collaboration between applicants and their client organizations".
Kim S., placed in a senior role at a Multilateral Development Bank
Our Team
Part of the larger Devex platform, DTS offers the high-touch service only a boutique recruitment firm can
Katrina Roxas
Executive Search Director
Alexandre Cabaret
Senior Director, Partnerships
Kate Warren
Senior Advisor
Based in Washington, DC, Barcelona, and Manila, Devex Talent Solutions has a team of over 15 full-time staff and 30 consultants
We leverage the network and expertise of 150 Devex full-time staff around the world.
Case Study: Executive Search
Devex recently assisted a leading European international development consultancy firm in selecting a candidate for its newly minted U.S.-based managing director role. The role was a pivotal one for the firm, since the new hire would be responsible for leading strategy in its U.S. market expansion.
In addition to leading the expansion into the U.S, the job requirements of the managing director also included acquiring and implementing USAID and other agency contracts, coordinating and managing acquisition processes, and acting as a liaison between project teams and partners based across continents.
To fill this role, Devex launched an extensive search using our network of over one million global development professionals, in combination with a strategic advertising package on both Devex.com and external platforms. Our search yielded a longlist of 16 high-level candidates with extensive experience in new business development. Of these, 11 candidates—six men and five women—were presented to the organization’s CEO and stakeholders for review. Seven candidates were selected for the final shortlist, and four were invited for a face-to-face interview. Ultimately, one of Devex’s candidates was placed in the role, where she is currently leading the organization’s strategic growth in the U.S.
Case Study: Candidate Sourcing
Another repeat client—this one an international nonprofit—has solicited Devex’s support in nearly a dozen talent searches since 2021.
The positions the organization has sought to fill have been varied, and included nutrition and gender experts, research and operations specialists, and capacity building professionals. Using a strategic search approach, Devex has taken full advantage of our wide network of development professionals and our deep experience within the development and humanitarian response space. We supply candidates on a rolling basis, with a particular focus on passive candidates, and ultimately deliver a final short-list of highly-qualified, interested and available potential employees.
Of the 11 total searches conducted, Devex has successfully positioned 11 development professionals across the project’s target countries in the region, including Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Kenya.
Case Study: Custom Solutions
Back in 2016, Devex worked with a major international organization to find a diverse array of senior global health experts to join a technical review panel. Our recruitment efforts included everything from the initial stages of advertising and sourcing to shortlisting expert candidates from varied backgrounds, nationalities and genders.
Our efforts resulted not just in 117 candidates being placed on the technical review panel; it was also the beginning of a fruitful partnership with the organization. Devex has continued to work on the project since, conducting similar searches in 2019 and 2022.
Our approach for sourcing top candidates has continued to evolve along with the needs of the organization. In 2022, the strategy was built out to include pandemic preparedness and response as an additional core area of expertise required of candidates. There was also increased emphasis on experience in cross-cutting themes like innovative health approaches, prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment, and challenging operating environments.
Despite the added requirements, Devex collected 1,470 applications from among 130 nationalities, with women comprising 40% of the applicants. Of these, 543 candidates were longslisted and 81 were recommended by the recruitment panel, with an additional 35 under the reserve list.
Case Study: Diversity Recruiting in Conflict Zones
The Devex Talent Solutions team has been working with one of the world’s largest humanitarian organizations since 2017. Since our initial project launched six years ago, we’ve continued to provide the organization with bespoke end-to-end recruitment services.
Our offerings have included support in the form of personal outreach and sourcing strategies; specifically, we’ve produced a sponsored article; created banners and blocks; and conducted campaigns via social media and targeted emails. Additionally, Devex performs screenings, coordinates assessments and interviews, and conducts background checks.
In total, our team has screened over 68,900 applications for careers ranging from support services like human resources to specialized functions like food security. One of the goals of the organization is to improve the ratio of women candidates from underrepresented countries. To date, we’ve sourced a total of 568 candidates, with 338 coming from developing countries. Of those, 462 of the candidates we’ve submitted are women, 263 of whom are from developing countries.
Case Study: For a UN Agency, DTS Tackles Under-representation
Following Devex’s previous success in filling high-level UN positions, in 2022, another UN agency asked Devex to find senior-level women candidates from underrepresented countries. In particular, the search was to be conducted within the Asia-Pacific region including Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.
The position the agency sought to fill aimed to promote gender parity at the senior level (P5-D2 UN, equivalent), and candidates were required to have at least 15 years of relevant experience for the D-2 and D-1 levels, or at least 10 years professional experience for the P-5 level. In addition to prior senior management experience, the agency also wanted to recruit those who had worked in conflict or post-conflict settings, ideally from high-priority regions.
Despite the selectivity of the requirements, Devex identified and contacted 406 qualified candidates. Of those, 42 were submitted to the agency for final consideration, with 20 from high-priority regions.
Case Study: Recruiting Women for Humanitarian Posts
One major challenge for diversity recruitment is securing women candidates for challenging humanitarian posts. In 2021, a major UN humanitarian agency partnered with Devex to find diverse candidates for Resident Coordinator positions. Only senior (P5 UN, equivalent) women-identifying candidates from program countries were eligible, with a focus on underrepresented nations.
Devex Talent Solution’s efforts yielded 218 candidates contacted, with a total of 33 candidates submitted to the UN agency for final consideration. From the perspective of the UN agency, this was a significant success. All candidates met or exceeded challenging minimum requirements: P-5 level experience and at least 12 years of international leadership experience, including country-level work in development, human rights, peace-building, and/or humanitarian fields.
Katrina Roxas
Executive Search Director
Katrina is the manager of Devex Talent Solutions, and is the lead recruiter for candidate sourcing services. Since joining Devex in 2011, she has earned a formidable track record of completing even the most challenging roles and recruitment projects, while also writing CVs for senior to executive level international clients.
Her eye for detail is evident even beyond the workplace, being an avid collector of unique jewelry pieces and is one of the go-to people for fashion and styling advice.
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Krystle Sevilla
Associate Director
As part of the Global Recruitment Services team, Krystle helps leading global development organizations find candidates for their really hard-to-fill positions, and works closely with industry professionals to create stand-out CVs that get them closer to their next job opportunity.
A dual citizen of the United States and Philippines, Krystle is interested in what's happening in development in the Asia-Pacific, and has previous experience supporting fundraising and events with a grassroots Filipino NGO, and a global Asia thinktank.
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Alexandre Cabaret
Senior Director, Partnerships
Alex joined Devex in 2011 following business development and project management experiences focusing on institutional development initiatives in the Western Balkans and education programs in North and West Africa. Based in Barcelona, Alex manages our relationships with organisations based in Europe and MENA as well as with U.N. agencies worldwide.
His work encompases all activities performed by Devex, from media partnerships at global conferences to developing digital content communication initiatives.
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Kate Warren
Senior Advisor
Kate Warren brings two decades of global development and digital media experience, covering and shaping the important conversations driving the Sustainable Development Goals. In her role as EVP and Executive Editor, Kate leads Devex’s special coverage including news events, Devex Pro, and other editorial initiatives tied to key moments on the global development calendar.
Kate is a frequent speaker and author on human capital, leadership, skills development and trends in the social impact and global development space as well as LGBTQ youth rights.
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