A human resources manager in Afghanistan

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 human resources manager at a multilateral institution working in Afghanistan. - Position title: human resources manager - Seniority: senior-level - Position type: full-time but contract-based - Year: 2012 - Sample tasks: oversee recruitment and staff development within the agency, ensure HR policies are coordinated among affiliated organizations, help source experts to work in the field at the request of partner groups - Salary: $6,900 per month Afghanistan’s foreign aid job market No country draws more aid dollars than Afghanistan. In 2010, Afghanistan received nearly $6.4 billion, $2.8 billion higher than the amount of aid that went to the next largest recipient, Ethiopia, according to the OECD. There have been concerns about donor engagement in Afghanistan once NATO withdraws its troops in 2014. But the Tokyo Conference on Afghanistan in July proved donors do not plan to abandon the conflict-torn country, pledging to provide $16 billion of conditional aid over four years. The United States, by far the largest donor to Afghanistan — it gave close to $3 billion in 2010, dwarfing the combined aid from the next nine largest donors — was not among those that made funding commitments. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton instead said the United States would seek funding at current or near levels. Afghanistan, needless to say, continues to have massive development needs. As proof, the United Nations Development Programspent $768 million there in 2010, its largest country operation. Experienced professionals in capacity building, women’s empowerment, monitoring and evaluation and financial management are very much sought-after. Check out vacancies in Afghanistan and for human resources 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!