Pros
-Clear hierarchy and path to advancement (Associate A & B , Manager A & B , Director A B & C, SVP) with matching salary grades -Reasonable salary increases every year and decent benefits -Structured opportunities to take classes for free and receive mentoring in new roles -Ability to move around and experience other parts of the company, either through horizontal transfers or through rotations. -Focus on "managing for results" means that employees help to design their own performance development plans in consultation with their managers -Lots of parties and events with free food -Company is growing even in this difficult economy
Cons
-Not a very diverse portfolio (seems that nearly all work is USAID-funded). Much more lip service is given to pleasing the "client" (USAID) and receiving high fees for work completed than to creating strong development results. -Heavy pressure to work long hours without additional pay. In addition to their "regular" jobs, all employees are expected to contribute an additional 25-30% of their time to new business roles. In practice this translates into working 25-30% more hours (many more than that in a busy week). -Past experience (languages, overseas experience, degrees, etc) counts for very little. What matters most seems to be familiarity with Chemonics' internal systems and not skill or experience in international development or management. Unless you have served for several years in a past managerial position at a large company, you will likely come in at the lowest possible level and salary grade and spend most of your first two years at Chemonics doing highly administrative work. Once you have "paid your dues," you can advance more quickly, but don't expect to start out at a level (or salary) commensurate with your experience or abilities.