On February 6, 2023, RFG joined with representatives of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) to host a careers information session for Robertson Fellows. The session began with a presentation by DFC Human Resources Specialists, Samantha Miller and Nicole Smith, which provided an overview of the agency’s mission and work, recent recruitment efforts and hiring priorities, and the various internship and employment opportunities within the agency.
In particular, the DFC aims to recruit approximately 200 new employees by the end of September 2023, including interns, full time civil service employees, and personal services contractors. The agency offers both paid and unpaid internships and recruits recent graduates through the Pathways Recent Graduate Program and the Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) Program. The presenters highlighted where such positions are advertised and offered recommendations for applying.
The session also featured a panel discussion with three DFC employees, Shirin Jamshidi, Director of Investment for the Asia and Middle East North Africa Team and International Economists, Alexander MacDonald and Sean Ramos. The panelists spoke about their experiences with the agency, including international travel and professional development opportunities, the skills needed to be a competitive applicant, and the nature of career progression at the DFC.
A number of Robertson Fellows and Alumni have interned and worked for the DFC. Most recently, RFG Fellow, Elisabeth Earley (UCSD, 2023) interned with the Office of Development Policy, where she worked closely with the Office’s Impact Management, Monitoring, and Learning division to review, clean, and verify data related to the agency’s efforts to promote women’s entrepreneurship, leadership, and workforce representation. Given the positive and enriching experiences of RFG Fellows and Alumni thus far, the Foundation was pleased to host this event in collaboration with agency representatives to promote DFC career opportunities for future RFG Fellows and Alumni.