Background information about the job or company (e.g., role context, company overview)

The Pharo Foundation (the ‘’Foundation”) is a privately-funded entrepreneurial organisation that runs philanthropic programmes as well as for-profit social enterprises. The vision of the Foundation is an economically vibrant and inclusive Africa. The mission is to achieve this vision by investing in the human and physical capital of Africa, with an emp...

Responsibilities or duties

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:

• 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.
• 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).
• 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.
• 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

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

Qualifications or requirements (e.g., education, skills)

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.

• 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.
• 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).
• 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.
• 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.

• 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.

• 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.