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IMPACT Initiatives

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Get your experience and get out - Assessment Officer IMPACT Initiatives Employee Review

2.0
16 Dec 2019
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

IMPACT/REACH is an absolutely wonderful opportunity for junior professionals looking to get some experience in the humanitarian sector. You will be hired with little to no experience or even the required skill set to work on data-based projects. There is a lot of opportunity to be promoted quickly as most staff stay for only around a year and you can find yourself as one of the most experienced staff members after only a year and a half or so. Senior management often has little expertise with the technical aspects of the work which gives you a high degree of ownership and creative license depending on the project you work on. Other staff members are young and highly motivated. Though compensation is some of the lowest in the field (~US $2000 per month plus ~$500 in cash per diems) you have relatively few living expenses as healthcare, work-related flights, and housing are all covered. I really appreciated this experience as my very first job in the humanitarian sector and it set me up well to find a great job after due to the amount of responsibility I had.

Cons

Senior management is extremely young and inexperienced, which leads to issues with them feeling the need to assert themselves over junior staff, which in some cases leads to a quite toxic working environment. Staff are expected to work to the point of burnout and though management at all levels are aware of the issue and its existence in all global missions, nothing is done to address it and staff are often blamed for their own burnout. The workplace culture is one in which those who leave before 6pm are looked down upon. Because of the rapid growth mentality of the organization and the lack of knowledge of the technical aspects of the job by senior management, all missions are constantly taking on more than they can handle and are almost always understaffed. Despite the long hours and hard work, compensation is some of the lowest among all humanitarian NGOs. High turnover also means your friends and colleagues will leave often which can become emotionally tiring.

Explore other reviews about IMPACT Initiatives

2.0
25 June 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Depending on base, the work can be interesting. Quality of data/research varies, but is often well-presented. High career mobility (but varies, not based on skill/experience but on filling staffing gaps as they arise)

Cons

Chronically understaffed, often leading employees to work 70+ hours a week, at low wages. This is the standard, not the exception. -Very poor work-life balance, high rates of burnout. Poor benefits and living conditions. -HQ is out of touch, in every sense. They are not helpful when issues arise and expect the burntout staff in-country to handle everything by just working more and sacrificing their personal life and mental health. -You can request 'surge' support from HQ, but rarely will it happen. Even if your mission can afford the surge, they prioritise which missions they support based on how much money the mission brings to HQ and their political/financial interests. -They are primarily concerned with expanding their portfolio, not with implementing quality projects or filling information gaps. -Cult-like dedication required to the organisation and your complaints will be ignored or reframed to gaslight you. -High-skilled national staff rarely get opportunities to expatriate, however they pretend this is a goal of theirs. -HR/Finance units at HQ are understaffed and often don't even respond to your requests/questions. -They will lie shamelessly during recruitment process.

17
1.0
11 Apr 2019
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

If you need a job, this is a job. Get six months of experience and then move on.

Cons

- They are primarily concerned with expanding their portfolio, not with implementing quality projects. - There is no clear system of promotion. Some people get fast-tracked to higher management within six months and others are left doing the work of a manager but denied the promotion. This exists across multiple countries and programs. - They severely understaff their projects so everyone is forced to work around the clock. - They pressure employees to skip their vacations and expect people to work through burn out. - One senior manager grossly mismanaged a project and made considerable effort to cover up and then blame others for the problems he created. The same manager regularly made veiled threats that people would be fired. - They are closely aligned with ACTED as well who are among the worst of the worst. - One colleague who had been working with the organization over a year in a complex, understaffed program requested a raise and was told they were "being greedy." The fish rots from the head and I highly suggest you avoid any long-term career plans involving this NGO.

21
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