Chemonics International Reviews

Pros

Very interesting work, intelligent staff, good work-life balance

Cons

None I can think of

Pros

You get exposure to how USAID funded projects are managed

Cons

The job posting for entry-level states that the person must have at a minimum a bachelor's degree however, they hire mostly people who have Master's Degree and more years of experience than what is requested. I am sure they know that the people who will apply are people who have graduated from their Master's (usually in International Development or Policy) but they still advertise the senior associate position as having a minimum requirement of a Bachelor's degree. The work you will be doing is basically assistant work. They say that they are competitive among other firms in the same industry but the truth is that they are competitive against non-profits.

Pros

This is truly a great company doing a fantastic service for the world providing humanitarian aid, the people that I work with are awesome there dedicated and their passionate about their job, our long hours that we do occasionally have to put in is done out of love to save people

Cons

Nothing really Much, There is a lot of bureaucratic red tape to get folks hired salaries approved

Pros

Some of the best and brightest co-workers you'll find are at Chemonics.

Cons

This company's recruitment structure is designed to attract bright, intelligent Type A personalities who are passionate about trying to make a difference - and then working them until they break, knowing that there are thousands more waiting in line behind them to fill their place. They will take advantage of your passion for improving the world, until you finally can't take it anymore. Corporate systems are inefficient and administratively burdensome, and leadership makes no effort to invest in sufficient staff input when developing these systems - then expects staff to deal with the fallout when the systems don't meet project needs. Project management teams are chronically understaffed, but still expected to deliver outputs as if they aren't. Bonuses and monetary awards are focused on winning new projects, but once those projects are won implementation quality is put onto the backs of young professionals struggling to pay rent. Many directors are too focused on travel and new business to provide quality oversight (with some notable exceptions of phenomenal directors), with project managers carrying the heaviest burden despite not being compensated appropriately. Every few years they provide 'equity adjustments' when they realize staff are making below median market rates - but then staff are denied annual increases for years afterwards because HR and Ops teams consider equity adjustments a 'raise' - completely negating the purpose of an equity adjustment and placing those staff right back under market rates within a year. Any raises or promotions I've received have been negated by the increasing monthly costs I incur for therapy for stress and burnout each month. Chemonics is not worried about staff retention, they'd rather deny a raise and have you quit and then spend tens of thousands more than your raise value on recruiting your replacement. Run for your life, multiple therapists have referred to this company as the most toxic work environment they've ever heard described.

Pros

Great learning organization for entry-level professionals

Cons

Easy to have staff overwhelmed with multiple requests

Pros

The people there are great to work with. They're innovative, thoughtful, and encouraging.

Cons

The only real downside is the low salaries for people with less experience.