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Inter-American Development Bank

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Multilateral bureaucracy struggling to become a think tank - Senior Private Sector Development Specialist Inter-American Development Bank Employee Review

3.0
11 Feb 2021
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The bank is a great learning place for those who working with clients directly, and gives you access to funds to frame innovative proposals. Some colleagues are excellent, supportive people.

Cons

Poor management focused on short term goals; professional development is contingent to personal sympathies and hidden agendas that make it hard for professionals to be in a predictable career path. More specifically, the matrix system (countries/themes) subjects staff to contradictory instructions from two different tiers of supervisors, who have their own individual agendas. That undermines the success of any program. On top of that, the bureaucratic culture of the bank makes it hard to promote cutting edge programs, except for the work done at BID-LAB. Some colleagues are very uncooperative and extremely "territorial".

Explore other reviews about Inter-American Development Bank

5.0
28 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Excellent benefits, culture and opportunity to make a real impact.

Cons

There is bureaucracy across the organization. Vertical career progression can be slow.

2.0
3 June 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

You get to work with elitist Spanish speaking Latin Americans who are xenophobic for people that speak other languages, who have processes, paper pushing and career progression as major objective, not real development outcomes (eradicate extreme poverty & improve quality of life in LAC).

Cons

Bureaucracy. Outdated development agency. Abusive to and misclassifying contractors. People who don’t know what they are doing or talking about. Delivers trash projects and pulls impoverished countries further into national debt. Technocratic and too much focus on metrics, not impoverished people’s lived experience.

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