inflated job titles, unconscious bias - Program Officer ODI Employee Review

1.0
Feb 15, 2021
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Good and friendly people. In particular, HR, Finance and IT people are fantastic.

Cons

Some job titles are misleading, particularly for program management roles. These jobs are essentially administrative work, and it kills your career prospectus if you are joining from NGO / UN / philanthropy / consultancy backgrounds. I swiftly left the organization after I noticed the reality. This explains the reasons why salary is very low at ODI, benefits are non existent (no private health insurance, no eye check up, non dental coverage.. nothing!!) and so many inexperienced young people are working in these capacities (but they seem to think they are thematic experts). It's admin, full stop. Another issue is that ODI does not take unconscious bias seriously. I heard unaccceptable remarks from white staff without being aware it is crossing the line, and also experienced micro aggressions (e.g. no "thank you" when door is held; ignore your greetings; no invitation to social if you are not from certain backgrounds). It is a predominantly white organization, so perhaps this does not come as an issue at the moment, but it should.

Explore other reviews about ODI

5.0
Jul 15, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Profesional operation, straight forward no games.

Cons

Work assignments are contingent on Situations with contracts & other agencies that make work schedules more fluid.

4.0
May 19, 2016
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- Incredibly involving and involved first job as a development economist. - Opportunity to gain a broad perspective on the development industry from the perspective of a developing country Government. - Highly regarded programme, especially in the UK. Opens a lot of doors and most fellow fellows have gone on to do very intersting work. - Nice network of fellows, that will last for a while. - A lot of opportinity to grow professionally with a combination of independent reading and the endless opportunites of application in the post.

Cons

- The post and topics in the post may not be what your University background are. - Not a lot of rigorous econmics, so not a great preparation for a PhD in economics. - Not much formal training.

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