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    Define What Excellence Looks Like — So You Can Hire, Grow, and Promote It.

    The organizations that consistently attract and develop exceptional talent have one thing in common: they are extraordinarily clear about what great performance looks like at every level of the organization. That clarity doesn't happen by accident. It's built. Our Competency Model Design service helps nonprofits, schools, and social impact organizations define the knowledge, skills, behaviors, and mindsets that drive success in every role — and organize those expectations into a framework that becomes the connective tissue of your entire talent system.

    A well-designed competency model makes your hiring sharper, your performance conversations more honest, your promotion decisions more consistent, and your development investments more targeted. It also signals something important to candidates and staff: that your organization takes talent seriously, invests in growth, and has a clear definition of what it means to excel here — across identities, roles, and levels.

    We take a collaborative, phased approach — working with leadership and staff to surface what great performance looks like in your specific context, then designing a tailored framework aligned with your values and strategy. We pressure-test the model with the people closest to the work and build tools and training so your leaders can sustain and evolve it over time. The result is something your managers can actually use and your staff can see themselves in.

    Who We Partner With on Competency Model Design

    • CPOs, HR/People & Culture leaders, and Talent & Learning leads who need a clear, organization-wide competency framework to align hiring, performance management, and development.
    •  Executive Directors/CEOs, COOs, and functional leaders who want consistent expectations across teams and transparent pathways for staff to grow into new responsibilities.
    • A cross-section of staff at different levels and identities, whose input ensures the competencies reflect day-to-day realities and feel credible and relevant — not aspirational fiction.
    DESIGN YOUR Model
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    Our Process for Competency Model Design

    1

    DISCOVERY & PLANNING

    We engage HR and key leaders, review your strategic priorities and organizational structure, and identify the key behaviors, skills, and attributes most critical to success in your organization.

    2

    COMPETENCY MODEL DESIGN

    We facilitate focus groups across levels and divisions to prioritize and refine potential competencies, then develop and finalize a competency model with leadership approval.

    3

    CAREER PATHWAYS & INTEGRATION

    Grounded in your new competency model, we build out a career pathways framework and recommend updates to role groupings and your compensation or performance management programs to align with the model.

    4

    IMPLEMENTATION & TRAINING SUPPORT

    We craft an implementation plan and provide staff and manager training templates, along with coaching or training sessions on calibration, mitigating bias in ratings, and using the model for ongoing feedback and development.

     

    Omar Carrera

    CEO

    Allison and Carrie were exceptional thought partners throughout the process. They brought a wealth of wisdom and experience to the table, yet remained flexible in adapting their approach to align with our specific organizational reality and culture.
    Canal Alliance

    Danielle Pointdujour

    Human Resources Officer, Urgent Action Fund

    Our work often requires rapid responses due to the nature of helping activists who are at risk. We’re grateful to Edgility for helping us slow down and take a step back to assess the health of our organization from a salary, equity, and performance perspective. It’s important that we reward our employees for their brave work. We look forward to continuing to partner with Edgility to develop and improve our internal systems.
    Urgent Action Fund

    Willa Marth

    Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Planned Parenthood of Southern New England

    While Planned Parenthood of Southern New England (PPSNE) has worked to increase racial equity internally and externally, the racial reckoning of 2020 illuminated the need to ask ourselves what more we can do.  With Edgility's methodology, we had clear data points and recommendations to create a plan internally to address any wage gaps and further our commitment to racial equity. 

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    Sonia Dominguez

    Chief Operating Officer, AVANCE

    Marissa was extremely helpful and knowledgeable throughout the engagement. She demonstrated exceptional expertise, is a great presenter who communicated complex ideas clearly, and maintained a direct and responsive approach that made collaboration seamless. Their professionalism and ability to address our needs promptly contributed significantly to the success of the project.
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    Erica Kashiri

    Chief Operating Officer, Third Plateau

     Marissa was easily one of the top 3 partners I have ever worked with my entire career. She knows her stuff, is thoughtful, holds the line when the line needs to be held, and kept us on a great timeline. She is able to break down complex information that was WELL received to a very skeptical team of using benchmarking data. Plus, she just came off as a generally good human which I deeply value these days. 
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    Deena Mangrum

    Director of Talent Strategy, Para Los Niños

    Treating people equitably is core to who we are and why we exist. The tremendous insights we gained from our work with Edgility have strengthened our organization so we can continue to move the needle for even more marginalized children in the Los Angeles area.
    Deena-Mangrum

    Catrina Bryant

    Deputy Director, Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation

    The assigned Team was knowledgeable and thorough in the preparation of our materials and flexible in meeting the needs of our small org.
    Beckman Foundation

    J.J. Lewis

    Superintendent & CEO, Compass Charter Schools

    We’re so pleased with the work Edgility has done for Compass Charter Schools. It gave us a system and a roadmap that has brought incredible foundational value to our organization. We’ve dramatically reduced inefficiencies and can now confidently offer our teachers and staff equitable pay.
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    Illy Askia

    President & CEO, East Lake Foundation

     The Edgility Talent Partners team was very personable, professional, and direct. They listened to our needs and made adjustments when the direction of the project needed to change slightly. Our team truly enjoyed working with them. I would highly recommend them. 
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    Alicia Spurlark

    Director of Operations

    The process was clear, the product is strong, and the partnership empowered us to execute with grounding & expertise.
    Alicia S
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    And many of them do! Over three-quarters of our clients have worked with us more than once or came from a client's recommendation.

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