Recruiting and managing the employee life cycle

1Fair and safe recruitment

1. Need and job description: responsibilities, essential and desirable qualifications, salary scale, available budget.
2. Vacancy notice that is widely circulated and accessible (job sites, radio, local notice boards), in the local language if needed, stating that recruitment is free of charge.
3. Shortlisting against written criteria, by at least two people.
4. Written test and interview by a panel, with the same questions for everyone and a scoring grid.
5. Reference checks (at least two, including a former supervisor), with explicit questions on safeguarding and conduct, and verification of qualifications.
6. Documented decision, written offer, signing of the contract and the code of conduct.

Declare any conflict of interest (a relative among the candidates) and withdraw from the panel. Exchanges of "jobs for money or favours" are prohibited and must be reported.

2Contracts, local law and policies

• The country's labour law applies to national staff: types of contract, probation period, working hours, leave, social security contributions, notice and severance pay.
• The organisation's policies (HR manual, salary scale, code of conduct, PSEA, safeguarding, anti-fraud, whistleblowing) complement this framework; as a general rule, whichever provision is more protective of the employee applies.
• A complete and confidential personnel file: contract, identity documents, qualifications, appraisals, any disciplinary sanctions.
• Equal treatment: same work, same scale; transparency about the differences between national and international staff.

3Induction and onboarding

• An induction programme in the first week: presentation of the organisation, the teams, key policies (security, PSEA, safeguarding, fraud), the position and objectives.
• A mandatory security briefing before any travel.
• A focal point or "buddy" for the first few weeks.
• Clear objectives for the probation period and a formal review before it ends.

4Plan the workforce before recruiting: organisational chart, budget and job description

Most failed recruitments in NGOs do not fail at the interview, but well before it: a poorly defined position, a budget that does not cover the real cost of the employee, a classification inconsistent with the salary scale, or an unrealistic timeline given the start of activities. Workforce planning is the first responsibility of the manager and of the HR function, and it is done when the project proposal is being written, not after the funding agreement has been signed.

Step 1: start from the activities and the workload

Start from the work plan and the targets. For each activity, estimate the working time required and the profile needed. Some benchmarks commonly used in the field (to be adapted; they are not standards):

• Community mobilisation: a community mobiliser generally covers 150 to 300 households under regular follow-up, depending on how scattered the settlements are and on the means of transport.
• Distributions and cash transfers: a team of 8 to 12 people (registration, verification, crowd control, complaints desk) for 400 to 800 households per distribution day.
• Supervision: one supervisor for 6 to 10 field staff; beyond 12, supervision becomes theoretical and quality drops.
• Support functions: the rule of thumb of one person in logistics, administration, finance or HR for every 4 to 6 programme staff in a field base; the ratio is higher in an isolated base that has to manage everything on its own.

Step 2: build the target organisational chart and the classification

Each position is linked to a salary scale grade (for example grades 1 to 10 for national staff) on the basis of a job description and a job classification method (see day 3). The grade is never set according to a preferred candidate: you grade the position, not the person. Line and functional reporting relationships are explicit; each employee has a single line manager.

Step 3: calculate the real employer cost

The gross salary is only part of the cost. The staff budget must include:

For staff shared across several projects, each donor pays only its share. The main donors (ECHO, BHA, FCDO, United Nations agencies) require that the staff costs charged be actual costs, consistent with the organisation's usual remuneration policy and supported by timesheets or a documented allocation key. An allocation key fixed once and for all, unrelated to the time actually spent, is a frequent audit finding.

Step 4: write the job description

A useful job description fits on two pages and contains: the purpose of the position in one sentence; 5 to 8 main responsibilities with an indicative percentage of time; reporting lines; the duty station and conditions (travel, on-call duty, security); the essential criteria (those that eliminate) and the desirable criteria (those that differentiate); the expected behavioural competencies, ideally drawn from a framework such as the Core Humanitarian Competencies Framework; and the organisation's commitment to safeguarding and PSEA.

An essential criterion must be verifiable and genuinely indispensable. Requiring a master's degree for a community mobiliser position excludes competent candidates from the community, often women, without improving quality. Every unjustified essential criterion is a source of indirect discrimination and of complaints.

Step 5: set a realistic timeline

For a standard national position, allow 4 to 8 weeks between approval of the need and the start date: 2 weeks of advertising, 1 week of shortlisting, 1 to 2 weeks of tests and interviews, 1 week of reference checks, then any notice period the candidate must serve with their current employer. For an international position, 8 to 12 weeks is common, including visas and work permits. If the project starts in a month, recruitment should have begun yesterday: this is why organisations maintain pre-qualified candidate pools (rosters).

5Conduct rigorous selection and safer recruitment, step by step

Recruitment is at once a management act, a legal act and a protection mechanism. It must produce the best possible decision, leave a written trail that can be defended before a candidate, an auditor or a labour court, and prevent the hiring of people who have committed abuse. The reference framework for this last point is safer recruitment, promoted in particular by the CHS Alliance, the Steering Committee for Humanitarian Response (SCHR) and donors' safeguarding requirements.

1. Advertising the vacancy

• Minimum duration of 10 to 14 days for a standard position; 5 to 7 days under a documented emergency procedure.
• Channels suited to the target candidates: job websites, NGO networks, community radio, notices posted in town halls, health centres and markets, in the local language. An online-only advertisement excludes some candidates, particularly women in rural areas.
• Mandatory statements: recruitment is free of charge, commitment to safeguarding and PSEA, reference and background checks, explicit encouragement of applications from under-represented groups (women, persons with disabilities, minorities) if this is the organisation's policy.
• Closing date, method of submission (dedicated email address, sealed box opened in the presence of two people) and acknowledgement of receipt.

2. Shortlisting

1. Drawing up the long list: all applications received on time are recorded in a table (number, name, sex, locality, essential criteria met or not).
2. Applying the essential criteria as "yes/no" by two people independently; disagreements are resolved and recorded.
3. Scoring the desirable criteria on a common scale (for example 0 to 3 per criterion).
4. Drawing up the shortlist: generally 3 to 6 candidates per position for interview, possibly preceded by a written test for a larger group (8 to 10 per position).

3. Composition of the panel

At least three members: the future line manager, an HR representative (guarantor of the procedure, who does not always score), a technical peer or a member of another unit. Gender balance is ensured. Each member signs a conflict of interest declaration after seeing the shortlist; a family, clan or business tie or a personal relationship with a candidate requires withdrawal.

4. Structured tests and interviews

• Practical test related to the position: writing a field visit report, a data entry exercise, an incident management case, a simulated awareness session. Marked anonymously against a scoring key established in advance.
• Structured competency-based interview: 5 to 7 identical questions for all candidates, asked in the same order, with planned follow-up questions. Behavioural questions ask for a real example ("Tell me about a situation where…") and are analysed using the STAR method: situation, task, action, result.
• One mandatory safeguarding question, for example: "What boundaries do you set in your relationship with community members?" or "A colleague offers a beneficiary additional assistance in exchange for a date. What do you do?". An evasive answer is a red flag.
• Individual scoring by each member before any discussion, followed by consolidation. Differences of more than 2 points on a 5-point scale are discussed and the justification is written down.

5. Checks before the offer

6. Decision, offer and contract

The panel writes a recruitment report (one to two pages): position, number of applications, criteria, score table, selected candidate and reserve candidate, justification, results of the checks, signatures. The written offer specifies the grade, step, salary, start date, duration and probation period; it is conditional on the checks not yet completed. Unsuccessful candidates who were interviewed are informed in writing.

The recruitment report is the document an auditor asks for and an investigator reads in the event of a complaint. If it does not exist, the recruitment cannot be defended, even if the best candidate was chosen.

6Worked example: recruiting six community mobilisers and a supervisor in Moréna district

Fictional context: the national NGO "Solidarité Vallée Verte" obtains 12-month funding for a hygiene promotion and community-based protection project in Moréna district, home to 2,400 displaced households spread across four sites and two host neighbourhoods. The project starts on 1 March. The budget provides for six community mobilisers (grade 3) and one supervisor (grade 5). The HR manager, Ms Kanté, and the project manager, Mr Oumarou, lead the recruitment.

1. Checking the need

Target: 2,400 households, follow-up visits every two weeks. A mobiliser carries out on average 8 visits per day, 20 days per month, i.e. 160 visits, and must visit each household twice a month. They therefore cover about 80 households under intensive individual follow-up, or 300 households if targeted visits and group sessions are combined. The model adopted combines both: six mobilisers for 2,400 households, i.e. 400 households each, is judged too heavy; the project manager obtains the donor's agreement to reallocate a budget line to move to eight mobilisers (300 households each). Supervisor: one for eight, in line with the supervision benchmark.

2. Annual cost of a mobiliser

The employer cost exceeds the gross salary by 32%. The initial budget had been built on gross salary alone: the gap, multiplied by eight positions, would have created a deficit of more than 13 million LCU at the end of the project.

3. Timeline

4. Shortlisting

Applications received: 212 for the mobiliser positions (38% women), 41 for the supervisor position. Essential criteria for the mobiliser: spoken fluency in both local languages; reading and writing in French; availability for daily travel to the sites. Desirable criteria: experience in community mobilisation or outreach (0 to 3); knowledge of the sites (0 to 2); training in health, social work or education (0 to 2). After applying the essential criteria, 97 applications remain. The 30 highest scores are invited to the written test, making sure that the proportion of women does not fall compared with the long list (12 women out of 30).

To encourage women's participation, the test takes place in the morning at a well-known venue, with a space for accompanying young children and a woman among the invigilators. Result: 28 present out of 30.

5. Interviews and scoring

Eighteen candidates are interviewed. Scoring grid out of 5 points per criterion, weighted:

Extract from the consolidated table (average of the three panel members):

Candidate C-21 has the best written test but, in the case study, answered that he would "settle it quietly" with his colleague without reporting it. From the outset the panel sets an elimination threshold: any score below 3 in safeguarding excludes the candidate, whatever their total. C-21 is not selected.

6. Handling outside pressure

The site leader asks that "his" candidates be recruited. The HR manager meets him, explains the written procedure, shows that two residents of his site are already on the shortlist on their merits, and proposes that the criteria on knowledge of the context and languages be explained to the authorities at the coordination meeting. The exchange is recorded in the recruitment file.

7. Outcome

Eight mobilisers recruited (four women, four men; three from the displacement sites, five from the host community), two reserve candidates, one supervisor. A negative reference (departure from a previous employer during an undisclosed internal investigation) leads to the withdrawal of a conditional offer, documented and notified to the candidate in writing. Total time: 7 weeks. Recruitment cost: 1.9 million LCU (radio, printing of tests, venue hire, candidate transport; staff time not counted).

7Employment statuses, contracts and personnel files: compliance in practice

An NGO rarely employs just one category of people. Each status follows different rules, and confusion between statuses is one of the leading causes of litigation and audit findings. The guiding principle: the reality of the working relationship prevails over the title of the contract. A "consultant" who works full time, under the authority of a supervisor, in the organisation's premises and with its tools will most often be reclassified as an employee by the labour inspectorate or by a judge.

The main statuses

What an employment contract must contain

• Identity of the parties, job title, grade and step, duty station and any mobility requirement.
• Start date, duration (and the reason for using a fixed-term contract if the law requires it, for example "duration of the funding"), probation period and renewal conditions.
• Gross remuneration, benefits, method and date of payment.
• Working hours, leave, rules on overtime or time off in lieu.
• Notice period and termination conditions.
• Reference to the internal staff regulations, the code of conduct, the safeguarding and PSEA policy and the anti-fraud policy, which are handed over and signed.
• Confidentiality and data protection clause.

The hierarchy of norms in practice

National staff are governed by the country's labour law, any collective agreements and the International Labour Organization conventions ratified by the State. The NGO's policy cannot be less favourable than the law; it can be more favourable. In the event of a conflict between headquarters policy and local law, local law applies to national staff. Country offices must have a country HR manual validated by a local lawyer and updated with each reform of the labour code.

Have the country HR manual reviewed by a local employment lawyer at least every two years. The cost is modest compared with a single lost case, which often results in salary arrears, severance payments and damages charged to the organisation's own funds.

The personnel file

Files are kept under lock and key or in an IT system with restricted access. Organisations based in the European Union apply the General Data Protection Regulation to their personnel records, including for country office employees. Donors generally require supporting documents, including payroll records, to be retained for several years after the end of the project (often five to seven years depending on the funding agreement).

8Welcome, induction and probation: a 90-day plan

The first few weeks largely determine a new employee's performance and retention. They also determine the level of risk: a staff member who goes to the field without knowing the security rules, the channel for reporting abuse or the procurement procedures puts affected populations, the organisation and themselves at risk. Induction is not a welcome meeting: it is a structured, documented and monitored plan.

Before arrival (D-7 to D-1)

• Contract ready, workstation, email address, phone, badge, protective equipment.
• Appointment of a buddy (an experienced peer, not the line manager).
• Programme for the first week sent to the new employee.
• For international staff: pre-departure briefing, information on the visa, insurance, security context, and rules for living in shared accommodation.

Week 1: the non-negotiable fundamentals

Mandatory online courses of the organisation or its donors (PSEA, basic security, data protection, fraud prevention) are scheduled during the first month with a deadline. For positions exposed to a high security risk, in-person training such as HEAT (Hostile Environment Awareness Training) is often required before deployment.

Days 30, 60 and 90

• D30: follow-up meeting with the supervisor. Does the new employee have what they need? Are the probation objectives clear? First difficulties.
• D60: written review of the probation objectives; if there are difficulties, they are named clearly and support is offered. This is the point, not the day before probation ends, at which the employee must know whether they are at risk.
• D90 (or the legal end of the probation period): formal appraisal and written decision: confirmation, extension if the law and the contract allow it, or termination of the contract. The decision is notified within the time limits set by law.

Ending a probation period without a documented appraisal, or after the legal deadline, is one of the costliest mistakes. Record each employee's probation end date in an HR dashboard and trigger the appraisal three weeks beforehand.

Model induction checklist

9Common mistakes, auditors' expectations and variations by context

Common mistakes

What auditors and donors look at

• A sample of recruitment files: vacancy notice, long list, scoring grid, conflict of interest declarations, recruitment report, checks.
• Consistency between the salary scale, the contract and the payroll: a salary that matches no step is a finding.
• Timesheets and the allocation of costs of staff shared between projects.
• The existence of the employee ("ghost employee" checks): identity document, attendance, payment into an account in their name.
• Evidence of PSEA training and signature of the code of conduct, often required in partner capacity assessments (for example the PSEA capacity assessment of implementing partners used by United Nations agencies, or FCDO's enhanced safeguarding due diligence).
• Compliance with local law: social security enrolment, tax declarations, compliance with contract durations.

Variations by context

• Sudden-onset emergency: use of rosters, rapid response teams and secondments between organisations; short three-month contracts; reference checks by phone within 48 hours; no waiver for the safeguarding question or for signing the code of conduct.
• Protracted crisis: team stability becomes the main issue; career plans, early renewals, management of the legal limits on renewing fixed-term contracts.
• Refugee camps: refugees' right to work is often restricted; use of incentive workers at harmonised rates; balance between refugees and the host community in recruitment, often expected by the authorities and to be negotiated transparently.
• Urban settings: a larger and more competitive job market; higher risk of fake degrees; more systematic checks.
• Insecurity and identity-based conflicts: the ethnic, clan or religious composition of the team affects acceptance and security; the "do no harm" analysis also applies to recruitment, without ever becoming a pretext for discrimination. Employees' names may need to be protected.
• Remote management: interviews by phone or video, a panel including a person present locally, tests taken under the supervision of a trusted partner.
• Local partners with low capacity: the lead partner organisation supports the development of a compliant HR manual, shares its templates and funds HR functions in the partner's budget, rather than demanding standards without the means to meet them.

10Interview questions and key references

Interview questions

Key references

• CHS Alliance, Groupe URD and Sphere Project, Core Humanitarian Standard on Quality and Accountability (CHS), revised 2024 edition, in particular the commitment on competent and well-managed staff.
• People In Aid, Code of Good Practice in the Management and Support of Aid Personnel (2003), whose principles were incorporated into the CHS.
• CHS Alliance, resources on safer recruitment and the PSEA Implementation Quick Reference Handbook (2017).
• Steering Committee for Humanitarian Response (SCHR), Misconduct Disclosure Scheme, implementation documentation.
• Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC), Six Core Principles Relating to Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (2002, revised in 2019) and Minimum Operating Standards on PSEA.
• United Nations, Secretary-General's Bulletin ST/SGB/2003/13, Special measures for protection from sexual exploitation and sexual abuse.
• OECD Development Assistance Committee, Recommendation on Ending Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment in Development Co-operation and Humanitarian Assistance (2019).
• Consortium of British Humanitarian Agencies, then CHS Alliance, Core Humanitarian Competencies Framework.
• International Labour Organization, Conventions No. 111 (Discrimination (Employment and Occupation)) and No. 100 (Equal Remuneration).
• Charter for Change (2015), commitments on ethical recruitment and strengthening national organisations.
• Labour code and social security code of the country of operation, applicable collective agreement and the organisation's country HR manual.