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International Rescue Committee

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International Rescue Committee reviews

3.8

70% would recommend to a friend

(1,406 total reviews)
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David Miliband

71% approve of CEO

42% positive business outlook

International Rescue Committee has an employee rating of 3.8 out of 5 stars, based on 1,406 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The International Rescue Committee employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the ONG y Organizaciones sin fines de lucro industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

1K reviews
4.0
Nov 21, 2021
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Excellent staff across countries and HQ. Strong evidence based programming. Mission oriented. Makes real improvements over the years to common systems problems. Well resources departments (grants, technology, innovation) strengthen responses and position IRC well to receive funding. Good sense of culture, though silos exist. Excellent history of working well in complex crises, and is positioned well to advocate for humanitarian issues globally and in some cases regionally/nationally.

Cons

Acknowledges that program managers and up (Coordinators, DDPs, etc.) are overwhelmed with work and responsibility. Does nothing over the years to address this. The related high turnover adds burden to remaining staff - especially national staff. Burnout is clearly the obvious ending for any staff member who stays more than a couple of years: but it is still seen as a weakness of the employee, and not a symptom of the organization's failure.

3.0
Nov 2, 2018

It really depends...

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The people I worked with were the best takeaway from my experience. Although the office environment was fairly deadly (undrinkable coffee and no natural light in many areas), the passionate and intelligent staff made coming to work enjoyable (when people actually came to the office instead of working remotely - it was often very empty). My takeaways: I learned a lot about the humanitarian sector and have some great friends and connections. The field staff in international offices are also inspiring, dedicated professionals.

Cons

The organization is changing. Over the years I worked there it grew quickly, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but the headquarters office is turning into more of a corporate working place in that there are questionable donors supporting the organization and I think there are some ethical issues there to be unpacked. There was no transparency about salaries and people who had been there for years are earning less than people from the private sector who come in and don't have the same skills or experience. As far as my personal experience goes, it really all depends what department you are in, who your supervisor is, and if they are able to effectively manage you. I was poorly managed and the situation only worsened. I have actual trauma from working there. My role was at times very unclear, there was internal competition, and I was not given the support and guidance I needed to improve upon things after getting negative feedback. I was ignored by management when asking for guidance and misled by HR internally.

4.0
Jul 10, 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

1) Fantastic humanitarian programming 2) Leader in the field 3) Excellent opportunities to learn and develop professionally 4) Sterling reputation 5) Attracts fun, committed people

Cons

1) Bureaucratic and slow-moving 2) Lacks widespread public acclaim 3) Too NYC-centric 4) Relies heavily on government/public grants rather than private funding 5) Salaries aren't competitive with other NYC-based non-profits

Viewing 19 - 21 of 1,406 Reviews

Glassdoor has 2,213 International Rescue Committee reviews submitted anonymously by International Rescue Committee employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if International Rescue Committee is right for you.