North Star Skills for Development

Obama Foundation Leaders Program, ILO National Project Officer (Enterprise) – Tanzania, and Adidas Foundation grants for East African countries

Today, I am sharing a mix of opportunities that you may not have seen.

Hopefully, the Links below will work. If the click doesn’t work, just copy and paste into your browser.

Graphic announcing the Obama Foundation Leaders Program with 'Applications 2027 Open' and the tagline 'Lead Boldly. Inspire Change.'

**Obama Foundation Leaders Program Applications 2027 Open**
Leaders Program | The Obama Foundation
Applications for the Obama Foundation Leaders Program 2027 are open for emerging changemakers committed to creating positive social impact in their communities. The program brings together leaders from Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, and the United States for a values-based leadership journey featuring expert coaching, collaborative learning, and a global network of change-makers.

📌 **Key Highlights**
✔️ Leadership development program for emerging leaders aged 24–45 across eligible regions
✔️ Personalized leadership coaching, virtual learning sessions, and collaboration with global peers
✔️ Join a worldwide network of civic, nonprofit, business, and public sector leaders driving systems-level change
✔️ Strengthen your leadership skills while expanding your impact through the Obama Foundation’s global community

Apply now to become part of a global network of leaders dedicated to advancing inclusive, lasting change in their communities and beyond.

📣 #Job opportunity with the International Labour Organization in #Nairobi

Do you want to contribute to improved livelihoods and expanded economic opportunities for refugees and host communities? This is a great opportunity to become part of the PROSPECTS partnership programme, funded by 🇳🇱Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken that the ILO PROSPECTS implements in partnership with UNICEF, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, The World Bank Group and IFC – International Finance Corporation.
Check this out ⬇️
National Project Officer – Enterprise NOA (DC) Job Details | International Labour Organization

Adidas Foundation Grant

📢 Driving Gender Equality Through Sport – Moving for Change
💰 Grant making Entity: Adidas Foundation
🌍 Eligible Countries: Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda
💶 Total Budget: EUR 2,200,000
💵 Maximum Grant per Project: EUR 700,000
📅 Application Deadline: 21 August 2026
🔗 More Information: Request for Proposals for Moving for Change | adidas Foundation

Good luck.

World Food Programme – Jobs

When I checked the WFP recruitment page today, it showed 116 jobs available at different locations around the world.

See their jobs website page here:

Search for Jobs

If you don’t see the job you are looking for just now, you can join their Talent network to express interest in upcoming opportunities, and share your CV.

Join our Talent network

Good luck.

Looking to do business with the ADB?

I copied the announcement below from the bottom of the weekly list of consulting assignments I receive from the ADB every Sunday. I suggest you visit the Business Center link first.

Check out our online one-stop shop Business Center and learn more about ADB’s Procurement. Service providers can bookmark ADB’s Institutional Procurement Notices.

Good luck with your search.

Private Sector Development Opportunity with UNOPS

Check out the link below which takes you to a description of the challenging opportunity in Afghanistan.

https://careers.unops.org/careersmarketplace/JobDetail/3424

Text detailing a job highlight emphasizing an opportunity in private sector development, collaboration with a diverse team, and significant impact.

The job advertisement ends July 22.

Check out the link because it also shows other vacancies with UNOPS.

Good luck.

PS. I enjoyed my time with the ILO in Afghanistan.

Happy World Youth Skills Day

July 15th is World Youth Skills Day. The ILO and UNESCO coordinate and offer a number of events during the day. This year’s theme is Skills for a Shared Future.

This is what the UNEVOC says of today’s celebration.

Every year on 15 July, World Youth Skills Day celebrates the importance of equipping young people with the skills they need for employment, decent work and entrepreneurship. The day also provides an opportunity for dialogue between young people, technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions, the private sector, policymakers and development partners on the role of skills in shaping inclusive and sustainable societies.

What will it take to equip every young person with the competencies they need to thrive in a shared future?

The world of work is changing rapidly. Artificial intelligence, the green transition and growing social complexity are transforming how we learn, work and participate in society. To thrive in this changing landscape, young people need more than technical skills alone. They need a balanced set of competencies that combines technical, digital, AI, green, social-emotional and civic skills with the human qualities that technology cannot replace.

https://live.ilo.org/event/world-youth-skills-day-2026-skills-shared-future-2026-07-15

World Youth Skills Day 2026: Skills for a shared future | UNEVOC International Centre for TVET

If you have time, check the information out today. If you miss the events, there is usually follow-up recording.

Job Sites for Independent Professionals / Remote Workers

I clipped the picture below from a LinkedIn message available at the web link further down. These jobs are not the regular jobs I post on my BLOG but there is so much information provided on the site that it is something I thought to share. In part because I know there are many, many young professionals in developing countries that want to work remotely but may not know where to look for contracts. Well, this site certainly provides a wealth of possibilities.

I checked a few of the Job Boards and most of them work so I leave it to the reader to pick the ones that look most appealing and check them out.

BEST OF LUCK

Social media post from Startup Adviser detailing job resources for 2026, including a list of job boards and links for remote job opportunities and free resume templates.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/looking-for-job-in-2026-here-is-the-curated-share-7480582405091889153-dqKk/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_android&rcm=ACoAAAT6WVYBoOng7VOGUXAeFXrhWNx2_Umpivg

And don’t forget to check out my memoir, Overseas Adventures – From Afghanistan to Zambia and Points In-Between, available from my website or from AMAZON Canada.

UNESCO India Assignment

I worked with UNESCO for four years as Team Leader on the STEP Malawi project. It was a fantastic project in skills and technical education like this one coming up in India but the latter has a particular focus on young women.

The position is “Project Associate” to support the implementation of the UNESCO–NIKE “Kickstart Her Future – India” project.

Application Deadline is: July 26th

To see information on the STEP Malawi program use the following link.

STEP – Skills and Technical Education Programme – Malawi

I found the UNESCO India request interesting for several reasons. One, the request shows the level of detail that goes into requests of this type, and secondly it provides a link to the UNESCO recruitment page.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/call-for-applications-the-unesco-regional-share-7477247192085340160-LBgb/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_android&rcm=ACoAAAT6WVYBoOng7VOGUXAeFXrhWNx2_Umpivg

Good luck if you apply.

In my long career, I had several assignments in South Asia including one with the ITU in India. To read about my experience there, you can check out my book Overseas Adventures – From Afghanistan to Zambia and Points In-Between available from my website or from AMAZON Canada.

Positions Available with Save the Children

Promotional graphic for Save the Children recruitment, highlighting a Project Director position with remote and flexible work options, focused on leadership impact for children's lives worldwide.

Before you get excited, I checked the link for this ad and it does not take you directly to Save the Children (International) site, but rather to one cluttered with confusing ads. So I did not include that link.

To visit the real Save the Children site and check on available or upcoming vacancies see here.

https://www.savethechildren.net/careers

Good luck.

New Volunteer Postings Abroad with CUSO International

Ah, wonderful CUSO! The first agency through which I started an international career in development.

The web links in the boxes below don’t work (my bad) but you can at least scan the job titles and locations (for English, French and Spanish speakers).

You can find the full list of opportunities with CUSO at this active web link. Just cut and paste this link to your browser.

Cuso International – Current Openings

Cuso International is celebrating 65 years of connection, collaboration, and global citizenship this June, and you can be part of it too. Apply for our latest 3–12 month volunteer placements and join a global community working alongside local partners to advance gender equality, inclusive economic growth, and sustainable development. Tanzania placements focus on fundraising and mining, with more mining opportunities on the horizon. In Peru, contribute to project development, supporting local partners to identify opportunities and develop proposals. In Benin, a standout opportunity is the Business Engagement Advisor role, which also requires some work in Senegal, supporting private sector engagement and inclusive economic development. For over six decades, Cuso International has connected tens of thousands of volunteers with partners around the world, building skills, strengthening communities, and creating lasting change. Now, it’s your turn to be part of that story. Join us in celebrating 65 years by helping shape what comes next and apply today!

Volunteer Placements English fluency requiredResource Mobilization and Fundraising Advisor – Dar es Salaam, TanzaniaMining Business Development Advisor – Dar es Salaam, TanzaniaMining Technology Advisor – Mwanza, TanzaniaAdvocacy and Communications Advisor – Addis Ababa, EthiopiaBusiness and Policy Analyst – Addis Ababa, EthiopiaCurriculum Development Advisor – Addis Ababa, EthiopiaGender Equality and Social Inclusion Advisor – Addis Ababa, EthiopiaLivelihood and Enterprise Development Advisor – Addis Ababa, EthiopiaProject Management Advisor – Tigray, EthiopiaTVET Digitalization Advisor – Addis Ababa, EthiopiaCommunications Officer – Kingston JamaicaDigital Transformation Specialist – Kingston JamaicaMicro & Small Business Development Specialist – Kingston JamaicaOrganizational Development Specialist (Monitoring & Evaluation) – Kingston JamaicaResearch Officer – Kingston JamaicaSpanish fluency required Project Development Advisor – Lima, PeruConsultation and Human Rights Advisor – Tegucigalpa, HondurasFundraising Advisor (E-Volunteer) – Partner location: HondurasStrategic Partnership Advisor – Medellin, ColombiaBusiness Development Advisor – Bogota, ColombiaPrivate Sector Relations Officer – Medellin, ColombiaProject Assistant (E-Volunteer) – Partner location: ColombiaSocial Inclusion and Equity Advisor (E-Volunteer) – Partner location: ColombiaFrench fluency requiredConseiller(ère) en Engagement d’Entreprise – Cotonou, BeninConseiller(ère) en Entreprenariat féminin et innovation – Abomey Calavi, BeninConseiller(ère) en Environnement et Changement Climatique – Dangbo, BeninConseiller(ère) en Mobilisation de Ressources – Porto-Novo, BeninConseiller(ère) en entrepreneuriat / insertion économique – Yaoundé, CamerounConseiller(ère) en formation et développement des programmes – Yaoundé, CamerounConseiller(ère) en Suivi-évaluation – Yaoundé, CamerounConseiller(ère) en Technologies de l’Information – Yaoundé, Cameroun

View all current placements on our website

ILO SEEKS External Collaborator for Project in Uganda

Hello friends:

My former colleagues at the ILO have another wonderful opportunity to work with them. This time it is in Uganda. Sadly, in my career, I never made it to Uganda. The closest I got to was Malawi, but then I also worked in Nigeria and Ghana too and visited many more.

See their opportunity posting here. Just cut and paste the link to your browser.

📢 Call for External Collaborator | International Expert

The International Labour Organization (ILO) is seeking an International Expert to support Employment Services Delivery in Uganda.

The consultant will provide technical expertise for the design, preparation, facilitation and follow-up of an Employment Service Delivery Bootcamp in Uganda under the ILO PROSPECTS Programme. The assignment will help strengthen the operational effectiveness, coordination and adaptability of organizations delivering employment services to refugees and host communities.

🗓 Deadline: 22 June 2026, 12:00 GMT+2
🔗 Apply via UNGM: https://lnkd.in/e2hbP5_A

Please share with qualified experts in employment services, refugee livelihoods, labour market inclusion and capacity development.

#ILO #Uganda #EmploymentServices #Refugees #HostCommunities #PROSPECTS #DecentWork #Consultancy #UNJobs #DevelopmentJobs