Compensation FAQs

How is compensation set at J-PAL NA/MIT?

-J-PAL NA XVSLT does not have the authority to set our own staff pay levels or individual salaries. J-PAL NA salaries are determined by MIT’s Central HR Compensation unit, which looks at market data and salaries for similar positions across MIT to determine pay for its 14,000+ faculty and staff 

-MIT pay ranges(exempt from overtime pay, non-exempt) must comply with federal labor laws (eg FLSA) which seek to provide pay equity and protect workers from earning less than minimum wage on an hourly basis

-MA also has labor laws (MA Equal Pay Act), which aim to guarantee equal pay for similar work; other states have their own labor laws which MIT must comply with in allowing employees to work in other states

-At MIT, there are different categories of employees: eg, technical, administrative, support, faculty and student employees plus union workers. These categories have different pay ranges and some variation in benefits/compensation packages.

How are salaries determined for Administrative and Support sponsored research staff?

-All J-PAL NA administrative and support roles (mainly F&O roles) are mapped to a job in the MIT administrative job catalog with assigned a MIT pay range (level 1-16)

-Current jobs typically fall between salary level 6 - 11

-Hiring pay range typically falls between minimum and midpoint; based on years of experience. 

-Pay ranges are reviewed by Compensation every 1-2 years for market equity and adjusted accordingly.

How are  salaries determined for Technical sponsored research staff?

-J-PAL North America has negotiated salary bands with MIT for its Technical roles (mainly research and policy roles) based on market salary data for these roles.

-Hiring pay ranges are set at the minimum of the pay range, with some small variation in starting salaries based on years of directly relevant experience.

-Pay ranges are reviewed and adjusted annually in July by MIT Compensation staff in alignment with MIT pay increases.

-J-PAL NA works with MIT Compensation staff to conduct market salary surveys every few years to help ensure that technical salaries are keeping pace with the market. Any adjustment to the salary ranges resulting from a market salary survey are subject to various levels of approval within MIT. The last market salary survey was conducted in the fall of 2022 and technical market salary ranges were adjusted in July 2023.

What opportunities do employees have for salary increases at J-PAL NA/MIT?

-Annual salary review increases- January 1st – Exempt staff who are not on a performance improvement plan and have been with MIT since July 1 are eligible to receive an annual increase. April 1st – Non-exempt staff who are not on a performance improvement plan and who have been with MIT since mid Nov. are eligible to receive an annual increase. MIT sets the maximum percentage allowed for salary increases each year.

-MIT institute-wide special increases/bonuses- From time to time MIT provides staff with additional compensation eg December 2021, special 3% salary increase; December 2022 $1,500 bonus to help with inflationary pressures.

-Promotions/Reclassifications-J-PAL NA requests promotions twice/year - target dates January 1 and July 1. 

-Internal equity review-Twice/year we review for internal equity within the existing salary bands. Salary levels are based on years of experience relative to others within salary band.

-Temporary increase-Additional compensation for an employee who has temporarily assumed a significant increase in responsibilities.  Up to 6 months.

-Increased responsibilities increase-An increase may occur with longer term major changes in responsibilities or a measurably higher degree of complexity within the current role.  

-Market equity- MIT regularly reviews market data for institute-wide administrative and support roles. Every 2-3 years at our request MIT will allow J-PAL NA to hire a third party administrator to conduct a salary survey to determine if J-PAL technical salary bands are competitive in the market.  J-PAL's last market salary survey took place in 2022-2023.

If you have questions about compensation, please contact Liz Zuckerberg, Director of Finance & Operations at ezuckerberg@povertyactionlab.org.