Careers, Fellowships, Internships
AU COMPENSATION FRAMEWORK FAQ
What are the main elements of AU's Compensation program?
In AU’s compensation framework, all positions in the organization have been mapped to roles that correspond to a defined pay range for that role. The roles reflect positions that are similar in terms of skill level and scope of responsibility, based on an analysis of job competencies. Grouping positions into roles promotes consistency and transparency around position requirements and clarifies the differences in expectations from one role to another. This makes it easier to determine the appropriate compensation level, to understand the work that is expected for each role, and to identify career paths for employees from one level to another.
Why did AU adopt this particular compensation framework?
AU’s compensation program, developed in partnership with Working IDEAL, is designed to ensure that our program is competitive, aligns with our organizational values, and eliminates bias in setting salaries at hire and providing annual raises. Many choose to work at mission-driven organizations because of their commitment to social change, and we know that fair, transparent, and equitable compensation practices are key to attracting and retaining their talent.
AU’s compensation program seeks to provide clear, measurable, and reasonably objective criteria for setting pay within a role and pay band for employees and job applicants. It also seeks to provide competitive compensation linked to an individual’s role in the organization and level of experience and expertise. In addition, the compensation program aims to define salary growth opportunities over time, enabling individuals to see how their salary will increase if they remain with the organization.
How do you decide which role to place an individual in?
An individual’s placement within a particular role (Manager, Director, etc.) is determined by their skill level and scope of responsibility In entry-level roles, an individual’s level of skills will be still developing and their scope of responsibility will be smaller than in more senior roles (e.g., focused on individual tasks and supporting rather than leading projects or programs).
How do you decide where to place someone within the range for their role?
Each role has defined experience benchmarks for placement that correspond to a point in the pay range, from zero to 100 percent. As an individual gains additional experience, they will move to a higher placement (step) in the pay band. An individual’s placement within the range or pay band for their role is based on their related experience, as calculated under criteria set by Americans United.
Why is related experience the main factor in setting pay?
For most jobs, experience is an important factor in determining someone’s level of compensation, and it is a standard practice to pay individuals who have more experience a higher salary than someone with less experience in the same role. Experience is also a measurable factor that is reasonably objective and provides consistency and transparency. In addition, incorporating experience allows us to provide more defined opportunities for salary growth for individuals who stay with the organization over time, as accumulating more experience leads to regular pay increases at set times.
Does where an individual lives affect their pay?
All individuals will have their salaries benchmarked according to national-level salary bands. These data, however, are based in part on information from larger urban areas and therefore are higher than the “true” national average. Individuals residing in certain high-cost locations, such as the Washington, DC, or New York metropolitan areas, will receive an add-on to raise their pay above the national benchmark. If an individual who has been living in a high-cost area and receiving the add-on moves to a lower-cost area that is not eligible for an adjustment, they will no longer receive the add-on.
The add-on supplements the “national” salary bands but is also based on budgetary constraints and is not intended to fully reflect all differences in wage rates or cost of living in places like DC, San Francisco, or New York. The maximum add-on is 5%, and the minimum is 2%. To determine whether an employee is eligible for a geographic adjustment and the amount of that adjustment, AU uses federal government data provided by OPM.
