REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL: GLOBAL JOB ARCHITECTURE PROJECT

Job Description

RFP Release Date Dec. 19, 2024

Proposal Submission Deadline Jan. 24, 2025

Performance Period March 15, 2025 to July 31, 2026; subject to extension

Location of Service Remote, with travel to Head Office (Little Rock, AR) or other locations where Heifer International has offices, as required. We are open to individuals and firms globally. 

Reports to: Global Talent Acquisition Director and Global Talent Development Director

Electronic Submission: RFP@heifer.org

Project Background and Context: 

Heifer is undergoing organizational transformation, which is the process of evolving and adapting internal culture, structures, and practices to better equip an organization to implement its strategy and achieve its objectives. 

Heifer is undergoing a transformation journey. It is essential for Heifer to become more agile and adaptable in order to remain relevant and effectively respond to the changing needs and priorities of our farming participants. Additionally, we seek to strengthen and diversify our revenue sources to support an ambitious work plan in a challenging fundraising environment.

Becoming Sustainably Locally Led is the guidepost of Heifer’s organizational transformation. For Heifer, locally led development (LLD) means ensuring that local communities can set and forge their own pathways to progress. We trust these communities to know what is best for themselves and they trust us to offer help in building their confidence in their own judgment, abilities and collective power. Organizational transformation will thus be an ongoing process of optimizing how we work and collaborate with partners to fulfill our mission of empowering smallholder farming households to end hunger and poverty in their communities.

Heifer’s current job architecture faces several challenges including: 1. Lack of consistency and clarity in job titles, responsibilities as well as performance expectation, which also lead to recruitment inefficiency, inconsistent compensation decisions and inconsistent performance evaluation. 2. Challenges in career progression with limited career ladder clarity and subjective promotion decisions. 3. Inefficiency in workforce planning due to difficulty in skill gap identification and resources allocation. 4. Decreased employee engagement and job satisfaction resulted from lack of transparency in staffing and compensation decisions. 5. Ambiguity and subjectivity to personal biases in job evaluation process and competency identification due to the lack of reliable tool and methodology.

A new initiative for the People Department is the Job Architecture Project to address the challenges mentioned above to help us to become a sustainably locally led organization. This project aims to revamp the existing job architecture across the organization and positioning Heifer to be more agile and competitive.​ It also presents opportunities to create new job evaluation tools and resources to build capacity and define accountabilities at the global, regional and local level.

Project Objectives

With the job architecture project, we hope to achieve the following objectives:

• Develop a clear and organized structure for all jobs that aligns with Heifer’s long-term strategic goals​, balancing local nuances and global framework
• Ensure the new job architecture facilitates clear pathways for career progression, training efforts, and succession planning.
• Ensure the new job architecture provides a transparent and objective job evaluation mechanism and pay structure
• Enhance workforce planning by clearly defining responsibilities and accountabilities, leading to better resource allocation.
• Ensure equitable growth opportunities for all employees, reduced bias in job description development and evaluation, improved employee engagement and retention​
• Comply with local labor laws and regulations, better governance and accountability
• Strengthen organizational agility by defining roles that can meet evolving needs and enhancing cross-functional collaboration through clarifying interactions between different roles.
• Integrate diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging as one of the core values throughout the project

3. Scope of Services The selected consultant will be responsible for the following items through partnering with the Global People Department and other key stakeholders:

• Current State Analysis Conduct a thorough assessment of Heifer’s current job level and pay structure across regions and countries, identifying key challenges and inconsistencies.
• Job Architecture Redesign Propose one to three new global job architecture frameworks, including detailed job families, levels, competencies, pay ranges, and progression pathways, and collaborate with Heifer’s Global People Department in identifying the bJob Evaluation System Develop or recommend a standardized and automated job evaluation methodology or mechanism to facilitate consistent, objective, and fair job assessments globally.
• Career Ladder Framework Design clear career paths and progression frameworks to promote internal mobility and growth opportunities.
• Implementation Plan Partner with Global PD to co-create a roadmap and phased plan for implementation across regions and countries, including resource requirements, timelines, and critical milestones.
• Change Management and Communication Strategy Partner with Global PD and the Transformation Steering Committee to co-create a change management and communication strategy to support the transition, ensuring smooth adoption across the organization.
• Capacity Building Strategy Partner with Global PD and Regional People Director in developing a capacity-building strategy to ensure all HR Managers in the Global People Network are equipped with the skill and knowledge to implement Heifer’s new job architecture and the job evaluation system
• Compensation Adjustment and Existing Employees’ JD Review Plan Partner with Global Total Rewards Director and Regional People Directors in developing Job Description Review and Compensation Adjustment Plan to ensure all existing employees’ Job Descriptions align with the new Job Architecture framework, correct any under- and over-compensation, 

4. Deliverables The Consultant will provide:

A refined project plan, timeline, and milestones partnering with GPD.

Analysis report on current job levels to identify inconsistencies and challenges
New job architecture framework documents including detailed job families, levels, competencies, and progression pathways.

Job evaluation methodology and guidelines.

Career Ladder and progression framework.

Implementation roadmap and change management strategy.

Job Description Review and Compensation Adjustment Plan for existing employees and implementing those adjustments through partnership with Heifer’s Global People Department. 

Final project report summarizing key findings, outcomes, and recommendations.

5. Consultant Qualifications Consultant should demonstrate:

Experience with global job architecture projects in the nonprofit or INGO sector.

Expertise in job evaluation methodology

Strong change management capabilities, especially in a multicultural, global context.

A proven track record in managing large-scale, transformative HR projects.

6. Project Timeline The project is expected to start in March 2025 and be completed by July 2026. 

7. Key Stakeholders The consultant will engage with:

The Global People Department and Regional People Heifer’s Transformation Steering Committee

Heifer’s Organizational Effectiveness team

Any other identified key stakeholders such as the Enterprise System Team, Finance, Accounting, Payroll, etc.

8. Evaluation Criteria Proposals will be evaluated based on:

Alignment with the project’s objectives

Demonstrated expertise and relevant experience

Proposed methodology and approach

Timeliness and project management capabilities

Cost-effectiveness and value for investment

9. Submission Instructions Interested individuals or firms are invited to submit their proposals, including a letter of interest, budget, and CV to RFP@heifer.org. The email subject line should read: “HPI20250502US Job Architecture Consultant.” The document title within the proposal should also clearly indicate “Job Architecture”

Consultants or Firms should submit proposals, letter of interest, and CVs, must be submitted in English by [submission deadline], including:

A cover letter and executive summary

Detailed proposal outlining approach and methodology

Project timeline and milestones

Budget and fee structure, separate page

Case studies or references for similar projects

Award Process and Contract Mechanism

1. Deadline for Letter of Interest - Jan. 24, 2025

2. Shortlist Jan. 13~17, 2025

3. Interviews Feb. 10~14, 2025

4. Notification of Award of contract Feb. 14 ~ 28, 2025

You can visit the Procurement and Contracting Services site at this link to review Heifer Project International bid opportunities.

Proposal and CV received after the submission deadline will not be considered. Contractors are responsible to ensure their information is submitted according to the instructions stated herein. Heifer retains the right to terminate this RFP or modify the requirements upon notification to the Contractors. 

10. Diversity and Inclusion 

Heifer International values diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (“DEIB”), and believe that effectively accessing and managing diverse talent leads to improved outcomes. HPI takes a broad view of diversity, and inclusive of varied backgrounds including, but not limited to, age, experience, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, disability status, national origin, and culture. HPI expect third-party providers to respect and reflect HPI’s value of DEIB. HPI’s ongoing monitoring of third-party service providers incorporates an assessment of vendors’ commitment to, adherence with, and track record of accessing and retaining diverse and inclusive workforces.

About the Organization

OUR FUTURE

Heifer International has set a goal to help 10 million additional families earn a sustainable living income by 2030. This income will allow them to educate their children; feed themselves adequately every day; and have proper housing, water, hygiene, and other essential resources.

To apply, visit https://jobs.jobvite.com/heifer/jobs

• Heifer International is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender identify, sexual orientation, age, status as a protected veteran, among other things, or status as a qualified individual with disability.