Request for Proposal (RFP) - Compensation Structure & Career Framework Design

United Way for Greater Austin•Austin, TX

1d•$50,000

About The Position

Request for Proposal (RFP) Compensation Structure & Career Framework Design __________________________________________________ 1. Organizational Background United Way for Greater Austin is a mission-driven nonprofit with approximately 110 employees , dedicated to breaking economic barriers and building opportunity for all. As we grow, we seek to review and redesign our compensation infrastructure to ensure: Internal equity Market competitiveness Transparency Alignment with our mission and long-term workforce strategy __________________________________________________ 2. Purpose of the RFP We are seeking a qualified consulting firm to review, analyze, and redesign our compensation and job architecture framework , including: Market benchmarking Job structure and classification Career progression pathways Mapping current employees into the new structure The selected firm must demonstrate experience with nonprofits of similar size and complexity .

Requirements

5–10 years in compensation, total rewards, or human capital consulting
Proven success delivering compensation projects for nonprofits, including: Job architecture and compensation frameworks (grades, levels, titles, salary ranges), Practical pay strategies aligned with sustainability
Experience mapping employees into new structures, addressing equity and compression issues
Familiarity with reasonable compensation standards and audit-ready documentation
Understanding of stewardship of limited resources
Identification of lead consultant(s)
Clear approach for: Benchmarking roles using nonprofit-relevant data, Establishing salary ranges for applicable labor markets, Balancing internal equity with external competitiveness
Identification of cost-effective, nonprofit-relevant data sources
Experience guiding executive leadership and managers through compensation decisions
Ability to deliver actionable outputs without ongoing consultant dependency
At least two nonprofit references from similar projects within the past five years
Brief summaries of comparable engagements

Nice To Haves

Certified Compensation Professional (CCP)
SHRM-SCP or SPHR
Equivalent experience considered

Responsibilities

Analyze current compensation philosophy, benchmarking guide, and plan
Evaluate roles, titles, and reporting structure
Identify gaps, risks, and opportunities
Conduct or validate benchmarking using nonprofit salary data
Recommend peer organizations and labor markets
Analyze competitiveness by role, level, and function
Develop a comprehensive framework: Pay grades and salary bands, Job levels and classification methodology
Map employees to new structure with documented rationale
Standardized job descriptions aligned with new structure
Job posting templates
Physical requirement assessments (as needed for compliance)
Design career progression model
Define advancement and lateral movement pathways
Provide promotion management guidelines
Guidelines and templates for managers
High-level implementation roadmap
Facilitate a process with organizational leadership to define or refine United Way for Greater Austin’s compensation philosophy, ensuring it authentically reflects our mission, values, and strategic priorities.
Establish clear guiding principles for pay decisions, including target market positioning (e.g., 50th percentile or other competitive ranges), approaches to geographic differentials (if applicable), and philosophy on internal equity.
Articulate a comprehensive approach to total rewards, including the relationship between base pay, benefits, professional development, and other elements of the employee value proposition.
Develop a professionally rigorous yet accessible compensation philosophy document suitable for board approval and adaptable for staff communication.
Develop detailed financial projections illustrating reasonable year-over-year compensation increases across a three-year planning period.
Incorporate multiple drivers of compensation cost, including: Cost of living adjustments (COLA) based on reasonable inflation assumptions, Merit increases reflecting performance-based pay growth, Market movement and competitive adjustments, Organizational growth projections, including new roles and staffing expansion, Equity adjustments needed to address gaps identified through the assessment and job-mapping processes
Provide at least three projection scenarios (conservative, moderate, and aggressive), including clearly documented assumptions for each.
Present annual compensation cost impacts for each scenario in both dollars and as a percentage of the operating budget.
Offer practical guidance for integrating these projections into annual budget planning and long-term financial strategy.