Organizational Context

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is the world’s largest humanitarian network with 191-member National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The IFRC works to meet the needs and improve the lives of people in vulnerable situations before, during and after disasters, health emergencies and other crises.

IFRC is led by its Secretary General, and has its Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. The Headquarters are organized into three main Divisions: (i) National Society Development and Operations Coordination; (ii) Global Relations, Humanitarian Diplomacy and Digitalization; and (iii) Management Policy, Strategy and Corporate Services.

IFRC has five regional offices in Africa, Asia Pacific, Middle East and North Africa, Europe, and the Americas. IFRC also has country cluster delegation and country delegations throughout the world. Together, the Geneva Headquarters and the field structure (regional, cluster and country) comprise the IFRC Secretariat.

The IFRC New York Delegation, in New York, USA reports to the IFRC’s department for Global Relations, Diplomacy, and Digitalization located in Geneva, Switzerland.

As a Permanent Observer to the UN, the Delegation of the IFRC to the UN represents the interests of the IFRC and its 191 National Societies to the UN system and UN Member States. The primary mission of the Delegation of the IFRC is to persuade relevant leaders and decision makers to act in the interests of people in vulnerable situations throughout the world, and consistent with humanitarian principles.

Job Purpose

All local staff receive salaries and benefits according to the respective labour laws of the State of New York. Additional benefits are outlined in the local staff terms and conditions and are in compliance with the overall IFRC Staff Terms & Conditions, however the local labour law takes precedence over these.

The latest salary scale revisions for the IFRC New York Delegation were made in 2017. As a result, it has been decided that the IFRC Delegation in New York aligns the remuneration to ICRC (including the grading system), plus an additional 6% to the ICRC base salaries in lieu of the Pension Scheme. With this option the intention was to anchor the IFRC pay bands’ midpoint higher than the ICRC ones to compensate for the lack of proper Pension Scheme. Health insurance was not taken into account as primes and coverage are linked to individual situations (e.g. age, family situation, etc) which would made the comparison difficult between the IFRC and ICRC health plans.

The lack of formal job grading and remuneration systems in such a small structure is not unusual.

Nevertheless, due to apparent inconsistencies in staff salaries (partly linked to inflation) raised by the IFRC NY Delegation itself in 2023 and a lack of clarity the positioning of their remuneration package vis-a-vis to the local market, a comprehensive salary review is required for the Delegation. Without a proper job grading and remuneration system, the organization struggles to understand the relative worth of its different jobs, both internally and externally – i.e. when compared to the local market. Furthermore, without a well-designed and fit-for-purpose remuneration system, the organization struggles to evaluate both the internal equity and the external competitiveness of its local staff salaries. Subsequently, the Head of Delegation is limited to take un-informed decision when it comes to remuneration related questions, be it recruitment or later stages of the staff members’ life-cycle. Last, but not least, it is obvious that the lack of these systems might hamper the Delegation’s capacity to attract, motivate and retain valuable and talented staff members.

The objective of this consultancy is primarily to:

• Conduct a Job Evaluation for the existing Jobs (4 jobs) in NY office.
• Review the classification of the jobs and propose a grading and remuneration system aligned with comparable humanitarian organizations in NY.
• Analyse the IFRC salary scale in line with the internal strategies through review of the market specific benchmark data for NY office.
• Recommend a salary scale for NY delegation.

The consultancy will be conducted with a firm who is familiar with the job classification methodology used by IFRC but also knowledgeable and having experience with the local market specifics in the humanitarian/aid sector.

Job Duties and Responsibilities

Project objectives

The objectives of the consultancy are subject to, but not limited to the following items:

– Job evaluation and review of job descriptions

– Design and/or introduction of a fit-for-purpose grading and remuneration system

– Salary benchmark data review (public and private sector and international organizations in the US and specifically NY)

– Proposal for a new salary scale for locally recruited staff

– Proposal for a new compensation package for locally recruited staff

– Recommendation for a universal salary calculation methodology which can be applied for all positions in NY office.

Job Duties and Responsibilities (continued)

Desired outcomes

Establish a grading and salary scale and system for staff under the national scheme that is comparable with other comparable humanitarian and non-humanitarian organizations active while aligned with the Federation’s strategic taking into consideration the overall applicable IFRC policies on salaries and benefits.

Method of delivery and reasons for selecting that method

• Job mapping (review of job descriptions/classifications, structure and current salary scale)
• Salary benchmark data review for NY
• Recommendation for the salary scale and salary calculation methodology

Support to be provided to the consultant

Consultation with the IFRC HR functions (and others if required):

• Review of the IFRC organization structure and classified jobs
• Job descriptions
• Existing salary scale for locally recruited staff

Timeline and reporting

It is anticipated that this review will take up to 4 to complete. The review commencement date will be agreed with the company awarded the contract for this work.

Education

Required:

• First-level university degree in relevant area, or an appropriate combination of education and professional experience.

Preferred:

• Advanced university degree in HR or business management, or equivalent experience

Experience

Required:

• A minimum of 10 years of experience in job evaluation and classification methodologies in US market.
• Previous experience in designing and implementing grading and remuneration systems, preferably in the humanitarian or aid sector.
• HR experience in a multicultural, international, matrix organization (IO, NGO, corporate).

Preferred:

• Familiarity with the specific labor laws and regulations in the State of New York, particularly related to salary structures and benefits.
• Experience in conducting salary benchmarking studies for both public and private sectors, with a focus on international organizations in the United States and, specifically, New York

Knowledge, Skills and Languages

• In depth understanding of cutting-edge compensation and benefits.
• Strong analytical skills to assess the existing job roles, job descriptions, and salary structures.
• Excellent communication skills to interact with stakeholders, present findings, and make recommendations
• Knowledge of the humanitarian/aid sector and an understanding of the unique challenges and requirements associated with such organizations.
• Fluent spoken and written English required.

Competencies, Values and Comments

Values: Respect for diversity; Integrity; Professionalism; Accountability.

Core competencies: Communication; Collaboration and teamwork; Judgement and decision making;