Pros
- Generally relaxed environment, lots of interesting projects, friendly colleagues, decent benefits including commuting and 401K. - As a [recently graduated] small business the junior staff wear many hats, which allows for more expansive skill development and often extra responsibility. It’s a great launch pad for a career in international development, so try to learn and accomplish as much as you can. - A recent competitive salary increase for Program Associates was a very welcome change, but other positions still need consideration.
Cons
Detached and schizophrenic leadership, dysfunctional bureaucracy, little company-wide communication or collaboration, dwindling ethics and integrity... Policies and procedures are archaic, inefficient, or nonexistent, and changes are made piecemeal and tone-deaf to context or practicality. Business model is primarily reactive with little strategy or innovation. Despite growth, IBTCI is unwilling to invest in improving the efficiency and capacity of their staff, systems, office, marketing... The CEO has been gradually losing touch, erratically swooping in with illogical requests and split-second decisions, or impromptu meetings that can last hours. Finance & Operations management excels in stalling decisions and has no interest in quality or long term pay-off beyond the price tag. No noticeable oversight/accountability or performance improvement for back-of-house staff which means that Associates end up doing a significant amount of work and QC for functions that they shouldn’t be better at than certain more specialized employees hired to do so. It's also just embarrassing when it reaches external relationships. The programs are rigidly divided into three practice areas which makes it difficult to work across sectors and creates unnecessary internal conflict, inefficiency, and barriers to knowledge management. For junior staff, the day-to-day experience and opportunities for travel and professional growth vary wildly depending on where you land. The cheapest route has repeatedly gotten us into problems down the road, but the lesson never sticks.