A communications manager in Bangladesh

International development is as much a business as it is a labor of love, and chances are you won’t choose your next assignment based on the money. That said, compensation is an important part of human resources management, and comprehensive data on salaries and benefits is hard to come by. That’s why Devex is shedding light on the salaries and work of those holding jobs that international development organizations commonly hire for. It’s part of our mission to help aid professionals do good and make informed decisions about their careers. Today’s spotlight is on a locally-hired communications manager working for a research institute in Bangladesh. - Position title: communications manager - Seniority: senior level - Position type: full time - Year: 2013 - Salary: roughly $1,800 monthly - Benefits: health insurance - Sample tasks: edit and publish reports and communications materia as well as research notes and findings, head up branding and visibility activities, manage social media, multimedia production - Key qualifications for the job: managerial experience, willingness to learn new subjects, excellent English skills, local language skills a plus Bangladesh foreign aid job market Bangladesh continues to suffer from political instability after Sheikh Hasina was reelected for her second consecutive term as prime minister. The political unrest is viewed with grave concern by donors, which fear this instability could render development programs ineffective and are slowly reducing funds — World Bank data recently revealed a significant drop in foreign aid commitments, an almost 28 percent slip from $1.6 billion in 2013 to $1.2 billion in 2014. The country’s central bank, on the other hand, said in a report last month that overall foreign aid metrics has generally decreased. The report noted that aid disbursements in the latter half of 2013 decreased by over 31 percent to $557 million from $809 million the previous year. The Asian Development Bank acknowledges the problem and warns that delays in development projects undermine the country’s development. The country needs to develop infrastructure, boost investment, improve the business climate, enhance the efficiency of the finance sector and the capital market, develop skills, and improve governance in order to further grow, an ADB spokesperson told Devex. Check out other job opportunities in Bangladesh and for communications managers. Compensation isn’t everything The details provided in this article were derived from a survey of select development workers stationed in various parts of the globe. Due to the sensitivity of the information, we are keeping the respondents’ identities and organizations confidential. Compensation varies greatly from one job, country or organization to another. Even for the same position, differences in remuneration occur based on educational background, experience and an applicant’s most recent salary, an organization’s need and the sector it operates in, as well as whether it is hiring locally or internationally. Also, some organizations offer more generous benefit packages than others, or they offer perks such as regular travel, training or other career development services that should not be discounted. For senior-level international hires, in particular, benefits such as housing and education allowances often amount to tens of thousands of dollars per year. At the end of the day, aid workers tell us that the chance to help alleviate suffering and lift people out of poverty are well worth any pay cut they may have encountered switching from the private sector. Read more Devex Salary Spotlights!