Mission in Transition
For Those Whose Work Has Paused But Whose Purpose Has Not
You’re not imagining it
You might be throwing applications into the void and hearing nothing back.
You might have stopped searching altogether because the energy just isn’t there.
You might feel, as one person put it, like you’ve lost your purpose and don’t belong anywhere in a job setting anymore.
This is not a ‘you’ problem. It is a sector-wide rupture.
And yet—your sense of purpose has not gone anywhere.
What we’re hearing from people like you
- “It would be extremely helpful to speak with people who actually understand the gravity of what happened to us.”
- “Help me move past grief and anger and find new energy.”
- “I want to balance ever-present fear with rebuilding my confidence to pursue something that actually fits.”
- “It’s already great to know this is being set up, just knowing I can join a group going through the same thing makes me feel better.”
(From participants in our Career + Wellness Survey, January–February 2026)
We start with what matters most
Mission in Transition is a five-week, structured, cohort-based transition program designed to help experienced international development professionals pivot, rebuild momentum, and re-enter the market with clarity and traction. It is built for those whose work has paused but whose sense of purpose has not.
We do not start with résumés or LinkedIn profiles.
We start with what sits beneath them:
- Identity
- Loss
- Meaning
- Direction
- Connection
Because without those, the rest doesn’t hold.
What shifts during this program
Most career programs assume you’re emotionally ready to move. They skip straight to tactics: résumés, LinkedIn, networking scripts.
This one doesn’t.
Before we get to any of that, we make room for what you’re actually feeling: the anger, the fear, the “am I even good enough anymore.” Not because we’re a therapy group, but because we know from experience: until that gets acknowledged, nothing else sticks.
Once you’re on steadier ground, we’ll help you get clear on what you actually want next, find the language to explain what you offer to potential employers who don’t yet know what it’s worth, and activate a network: including the 29 other people navigating this alongside you.
We can’t promise the landscape gets easier. We can promise you won’t be navigating it alone, and that you’ll leave with more clarity about what you want, better language for what you offer, and a stronger network than when you started.
You won’t necessarily leave with a job offer. But you’ll leave with something that makes one more possible.
How the program works
This is a cohort-based experience (max of 30 participants) combining facilitated dialogue, clinical insight, and practical career strategy.
Structure
- 5 core modules (weekly beginning May 5)
- 3 Integration Circles (ongoing support every 3 weeks)
- 120-minute sessions
- Light between-session work (20–30 minutes/week)
Each session includes:
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Grounded conversation about what is actually happening in your life
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Emotional and identity-focused work (grief, uncertainty, meaning)
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Practical career strategy and networking support
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A clear, manageable next step
What we focus on (and what we don’t)
We focus on:
- Rebuilding professional identity after disruption
- Translating your experience for new contexts
- Activating and sustaining your network
- Moving from paralysis → direction → action
- Being in community with people who understand
We do not focus on:
- Résumé writing
- LinkedIn optimization
- Job application tactics
You will be pointed to resources for those.
This program is about what makes those efforts actually work.
The arc of the experience
Each module builds on the last:
- Identity — What has been lost, and what remains
- Mapping — What you want (and don’t want) now
- Translation — Making your work legible to new audiences
- Connection — Reaching out when it feels hardest
- Direction — Turning insight into a 90-day plan
Followed by Integration Circles focused on:
- Grounding
- Momentum
- Landing
What makes this different
Most career programs assume:
“If you just optimize your materials, things will move.”
But in this moment, many people are carrying:
Grief
Loss of identity
Moral tension
Exhaustion
This program acknowledges that reality—and works with it, not around it.
It also recognizes something else:
Many opportunities don’t come from applications.
They come from conversations.
So we start there.
Who this is for
This program is designed for:
- International development and humanitarian professionals
- Those impacted by the contraction of the aid sector
- People navigating prolonged uncertainty or career disruption
- Those who want both emotional grounding and forward movement
Participation and pricing
We offer three participation levels so you can choose the one that best reflects your current financial situation.
This is a community-based model. Those who are able to contribute at a higher level help make the program accessible to others.
All participants have the same experience, regardless of pricing level.
$600 – Solidarity Rate
Your fee covers your participation and helps bring in someone who can’t afford the full cost. Thank you!
$400 – Standard Rate
The core program rate.
$200 – Community Supported Rate
For those navigating real financial constraints right now. No explanation needed.
A note on access
If even $200 feels out of reach, submit an Expression of Interest anyway. Funds may be available to support you.
The team
This experience is held by three practitioners working in close integration:
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Melissa Pitotti has spent over 20 years inside the international development and humanitarian system as a U.S. State Department refugee officer, as a policy director at an NGO coalition called ICVA, and as an organizational culture lead at CHS Alliance. She knows this world from the inside, and she knows what it costs to leave it. She facilitates the sessions and holds the arc of the program.
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Bob Kleinschmidt is an executive coach who has spent 16 years helping leaders navigate complex institutional transitions, including moments where identity, authority, and direction all shift at once. His conviction: every job comes through a relationship, not an application. He brings the career strategy and the network activation work.
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Camilla Tibbetts, is a licensed clinical social worker who spent years providing mental health support to USAID specifically, including during the Afghanistan evacuation, COVID, and the foreign aid freeze. She has sat with this community in some of its hardest moments. She holds the emotional and clinical dimension of every session.
You are not expected to navigate this alone.
A note on participation
This is a pilot cohort, intentionally designed to learn and evolve.
Participants will:
- Help shape future iterations of the program
- Contribute to a shared “Forward File” of resources and insights
- Be part of something that extends beyond a single cohort
Expression of Interest
We are currently inviting a first cohort of participants.
This is not a first-come, first-served. It’s a short form, no commitment; just a way for us to get to know your situation.
👉 Complete the Expression of Interest Form by April 14
If cost is a barrier, submit anyway.
You’ll hear back with next steps once we’ve reviewed submissions.
Final thought
There is a particular kind of disorientation that comes when the work you believed in disappears.
This program does not rush past that.
But it also does not leave you there.
If your work has paused—but your purpose has not—
we invite you to step into this next phase with others.
If you have questions, please email MissionInTransition@konterragroup.net. This program is offered through the auspices of Aid Transition Alliance and is open to all members of the international development and humanitarian community.
What is the Aid Transition Alliance? In February 2025 four senior women leaders came together to establish an emergency initiative to support the USAID community — Aid Transition Alliance (AidTA). the project focuses on promoting mental health and wellness and providing career transition support for international development professionals, preserving critical development knowledge and strengthening communication and coordination across the sector. With the backing and fiscal sponsorship of Forward Global, Aid Transition Alliance officially launched in April 2025.