Podcast Summary: Humanitarian Frontiers – "Building the Human Infrastructure"

Host: Chris Hoffman
Guests: Kate Wilson (Managing Director, Impact Futures Global), Sean Burke (Strategy Lead for Health and Public Service, Nonprofits for Accenture)
Date: April 12, 2026

Main Theme

This episode of Humanitarian Frontiers delves into the critical transformation of human resources (HR) in humanitarian and development organizations as they face a new technological era driven by AI and Edge Tech, compounded by a major funding crisis that hit the sector in 2025. The conversation explores how human infrastructure must adapt: balancing digital innovation, sustainable business models, and, critically, care for the humans at the center of humanitarian action. The discussion also covers retaining top talent, rethinking organizational models, ethical considerations in tech, and building cross-sectoral ecosystems to meet new realities.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Funding Crisis and HR’s Pivotal Role

Timestamps: [00:32]–[02:31]

• Context: Over 250,000 people lost their humanitarian and development jobs in 2025, a tremendous shock to the sector.
• Key Insight: Organizations need to fundamentally rethink their processes, offerings, and support for their workforce as funding returns and disruption from AI and edge technologies continues.

"As funding is scarce... as technology like AI is just disrupting how work is done... a lot of this needs to really come down to how are we as humans best enabling and empowering the humans that are on the front lines…"
— Sean Burke [02:31]

2. Keeping “Human” in Human Resources Amid AI & Tech

Timestamps: [02:31]–[05:28]

• Shift from “in the loop” to “in the lead”: AI should support, not supplant, field workers—real humans must remain decision-makers.
• Business & Operating Models: A deep reevaluation is needed of how people, processes, and technology interact in aid delivery.
• Well-being Front and Center: The trauma and stress faced by humanitarian staff demand HR models that prioritize not only capacity, but deep care for staff mental health.

"...it really should be challenging us to think about how HR is going to be more focused on the caring for those people who are doing this important, dangerous and really sometimes traumatic work."
— Sean Burke [04:31]

3. People, Process, Technology (and Products): Rethinking Hiring and Skills

Timestamps: [05:28]–[11:45]

• Intersectionality of Skills: Successful humanitarian staff aren’t just digitally literate, but are highly contextually and politically savvy, able to “read the room” wherever deployed.
• Long-term Sustainability: Even nonprofit efforts must articulate a clear, recurring business model, not just rely on “crisis mode” responses.
• Bridging Humanitarian and Development: There is a need for professionals who can operate in both crisis response and long-term systemic development.

“You have to have enough political savvy to understand what's going on. And you need to bring that into your product design.”
— Kate Wilson [09:55]

4. Attracting and Retaining Talent—Challenges and Solutions

Timestamps: [11:45]–[19:21]

• Retention is About More Than Purpose: While mission attracts talent, without real investment in staff development and wellness, burnout and attrition run rampant.
• Compensation Gaps: NGOs struggle to compete with private sector pay for tech talent, a particularly acute issue outside the U.S.
• Professional Growth & Wellness: Accenture invests over a billion dollars per year in its people; most NGOs can’t match this but must find ways (partnerships/ecosystems) to step up.

“Purpose can attract, but in some cases... because of the lack of care and of development of individuals... it's taken for granted.”
— Sean Burke [14:27]

• Diversity of Experience: Many humanitarian professionals work for numerous employers over their careers, unlike typical private sector trajectories.

5. Cross-Sector Collaboration & Ecosystem Building

Timestamps: [22:23]–[31:59]

• A “Humanitarian Reckoning”: The 2025 crisis has triggered not just opportunities for “reset,” but a genuine reckoning and invitation to reimagine aid delivery.
• Ecosystems over Silos: New models should focus on building true cross-sector value chains (NGOs, private sector, government) instead of merely transactional partnerships.
• Orchestration as a Core NGO Function: INGOs and multilaterals might best serve as conveners/orchestrators rather than implementors, aligning incentives, interests, and transparency among diverse actors.

“The new world is really going to be around who can move actors to work together in concert to achieve a common outcome... that role of orchestration is one that in this moment in time, people should be embracing more deeply.”
— Kate Wilson [29:24]

• Trust & Transparency: Building trust is vital to effective partnership, particularly in an era of shifting alliances and priorities.

6. Ethics, Technology, and Hiring

Timestamps: [33:25]–[37:54]

• Data & Digital Literacy: Staff need robust digital skills but also the contextual and diplomatic savvy to handle complex, high-stakes ethical decisions (e.g., data, privacy, AI risk).
• Talent as “Trisector Athletes”: Seeking individuals who understand technology, policy, and local context—a blend of technical, diplomatic, and user-centered design competence.

“I would always kind of look for kind of a trisector athlete, somebody who first and foremost really understands the technology ... combined with a set of skills that looks for, that's really curious about what's going to change...”
— Kate Wilson [34:33]

7. Training, Capacity, and the Future of Learning

Timestamps: [37:54]–[44:41]

• Continuous Learning: Training isn’t just for juniors—everyone must radically rethink and retool in the age of AI.
• Partnering for Capacity Building: Tech companies/providers and funders must share responsibility for skilling up humanitarian staff and investing in capacity building (not just “end outcomes”).
• New Talent Pipelines: Universities are no longer the sole, nor optimal, path for building needed skills; a broader talent pipeline is needed.

“The building of those skills and those profiles that, that we want to hire are going to come from a lot of different experiences that I think we also need to be open to.”
— Sean Burke [41:00]

8. Leadership and Local Ownership

Timestamps: [42:47]–[46:10]

• Centering Local Talent: Effective “orchestration” and leadership must often come from within affected countries, not external “hero” leaders.
• Behind-the-Scenes Leadership: Real change is enabled by those who can convene and coordinate diverse stakeholders, not just those at the podium.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Taken advantage of in some cases... that the mission outweighs the personal needs, both from a professional development standpoint, a compensation standpoint, as well as just the emotional and overall well being.”
  — Sean Burke [14:27]

• “I think in a humanitarian construct... I'm just burnt out. Like, I can't live at that level of stress... there's a special nuance and a special care that is required...”
  — Kate Wilson [21:04]

• “The opportunity right now is for people to be more transparent about what their interests and incentives are, but also be willing to give and not be so hung up on the power dynamics that often prevented that from happening in the past.”
  — Kate Wilson [31:05]

• “Trust, right. I think what we've seen is such an upheaval around the world... and... it is the value, it's the trust that sits in the middle. That's the center part of where the decisions are going to be made.”
  — Chris Hoffman [31:59]

Closing: Wishes and “Low-Hanging Fruit” for 2026

Timestamps: [48:02]–[53:17]

• Sean’s Wish & Advice:

  • Wish: More collective hope—shifting from “What if?” to “How might we?” mindsets, focusing on solving problems together, not in isolation.
  • Low-Hanging Fruit: Leaders embracing vulnerability; acknowledging “we can’t do it alone”; starting small, practical collaborations with competitors or partners.

• Kate’s Wish & Advice:

  • Wish: Investment in digital public infrastructure and a move away from fragmented, siloed systems—driven by country-level needs and ownership.
  • Low-Hanging Fruit: Avoid hype or gloom around AI; instead, focus on concrete use cases where AI and tech can directly address core humanitarian problems with careful evidence and appropriate design.

Segment Timestamps for Key Topics

| Topic | Start | End | |-------|-------|-----| | Opening & Setting the Stage | 00:10 | 02:31 | | Keeping Humanity in Tech/HR | 02:31 | 05:28 | | People, Process, Tech & Hiring | 05:28 | 11:45 | | Retention, Development & Talent | 11:45 | 21:04 | | Ecosystem & Orchestration | 22:23 | 31:59 | | Trust, Ethics & Tech Hiring | 31:59 | 37:54 | | Training, Capacity & Pipeline | 37:54 | 44:41 | | Leadership & Local Ownership | 42:47 | 46:10 | | Closing Wishes | 48:02 | 53:17 |

Final Thoughts

This episode is a vital conversation for anyone interested in the near-future of humanitarian action. The speakers urge a shift from crisis-mode ‘people first’ rhetoric to a strategic, deeply human-centered reinvention—one in which digital transformation, ecosystem-building, and authentic care for staff are no longer optional, but central to impact. Listeners are advised to start with practical, collaborative steps and to value both new tech and old trust equally as the sector finds its way forward.