Compensation and Benefits Review - Consultant

About Pharo Foundation

Pharo Foundation operates in five countries: Kenya, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Somaliland, and the UK, with its headquarters located in Kenya. Its workforce is distributed across various operational units Education (Pharo Schools), Water, Productivity, and Ventures. Following an internal review of employee benefits conducted in June 2026, the organization has identified significant gaps and inconsistencies in its current benefits structure that need to be addressed before the 2027 annual budget planning cycle.

Consultancy Assignment

Overview

Pharo Foundation seeks to engage an independent Compensation & Benefits (C&B) consultant to perform a swift, impartial, and market-benchmarked evaluation of all employee benefits across its operating regions. The consultant will provide recommendations for a new global benefits framework, organized by role tier, to be implemented starting January 2027.

Scope of Work (SoW)

The consultant’s scope will cover four workstreams as follows:

1.     Job Grading and Job families (Tiers) Architecture

• Review and validate Pharo's existing job grading structure across all geographies.
• Propose a tiered benefits architecture of 3-5 bands aligned to role and compensation level.
• Benchmark against comparable international development organisations, and private sector employers operating in the same markets.

2.     Medical Insurance

• Assess adequacy of current medical cover by country; identify gaps against market norms.
• Evaluate insurance market options per country, including group schemes and third-party administrator (TPA) models (e.g. Independent Fund models).
• Recommend a hybrid or fully insured structure that mitigates provider overcharging risk in lower-capacity markets.
• Advise on minimum cover standards by tier (inpatient, outpatient, maternity, dental, optical).

3.     Pension & Retirement

• Review employer contribution rates by country against local market benchmarks.
• Model the cost-to-organisation of implementing employer contributions in non-mandated geographies.
• Advise on scheme structure, vesting, and portability across borders where relevant.

4.     Allowances and other benefits

• Review current allowances (telephone, travel, school fees) by country and grade.
• Identify rationalisation opportunities and misalignments with market practice.
• Recommend a consolidated allowances policy by tier.

Deliverables

1. Inception note confirming methodology, data requirements, and work plan - Within 5 days of engagement start
2. Market benchmarking report: medical, pension, compensation and allowances by country - Week 3
3. Draft tiered benefits framework with tiered band structure and costed options - Week 4
4. Final report with recommended global benefits policy, implementation roadmap, and budget estimates - By end of August 2026
5. Presentation to Talent & Compensation Committee - September 2026

Ideal Candidate

The ideal consultant should possess:

• Strong professional background in compensation and benefits management practise, methodology assessment and have a track record of successful implementation of similar assignments.
• Proven experience developing compensation and benefits frameworks.
• Demonstrated experience facilitating similar assignments in the past 5 -7 years.
• Familiarity with Human Resources practises aligned with compensation and benefits management within the context of international, multisectoral organisations.
• Strong stakeholder engagement, communication, and organizational skills
• Understanding of African labor market and legislative contexts is an added advantage
• Ability to work collaboratively with the client to deliver the assignment in a professional and timely manner.

Duration

The consultancy is expected to run for approximately 8 weeks and will be structured in two phases, with a review checkpoint between phases to assess progress, alignment, and continuation of the engagement.

Oversight and Reporting

The consultant will work closely with the Global Director of People & Culture. Review meetings shall be convened and attended by the CEO and Executive team at Pharo Foundation HQ.

Location: Nairobi, Kenya

The assignment is expected to involve a combination of in-person meetings and virtual collaboration sessions, depending on needs and consultant availability.

Application Process

Qualified Consultants are required to provide the following by 30 June 2026:

• A detailed CV or Company profile
• A motivation letter demonstrating the relevant assignments completed to support your application. Sample work may be submitted but not mandatory.
• Proposed workplan and estimated costs for the assignment to be submitted as part of application documents.

We will review applications on a rolling basis, and in the event that an exceptional consultant is identified early in the process, we reserve the right to make an appointment before the advertised deadline. We therefore encourage interested applicants to apply as early as possible. 

Please note that only shortlisted consultants will be contacted due to the high volume of applications received. 

We are an equal opportunity employer committed to promoting diversity, inclusion, and gender equality in all its practices. We encourage applications from qualified individuals regardless of race, gender, religion, or background.