Regional Office Vientiane, c/o Mekong River Commission Secretariat P.O. Box: 3802, Vientiane Capital, Lao PDR, Tel/Fax: (856 21) ext 4402

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1 Regional Office Vientiane, c/o Mekong River Commission Secretariat P.O. Box: 3802, Vientiane Capital, Lao PDR, Tel/Fax: (856 21) ext 4402 Terms of Reference for International Consultant Support to the Human Resources Section of the MRC on human resources inventory and requirements mapping 18 March 2015 Project: MRC-GIZ Cooperation Programme Type of service: Short term consultancy Position: International expert Reports to: Chief of Human Resources Section (HRS) of MRCS, and MRC-GIZ Cooperation Programme Duration: A maximum of 40 working days, from April to June 2015 Starting date: Duty station: Home-based and MRCS Office in Vientiane, Lao PDR I. Introduction and background The Mekong River Commission The Mekong River Commission (MRC) was established by the 1995 Agreement on Co-operation for the Sustainable Development of the Mekong River Basin, between the governments of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. In accordance with this Agreement, the mission of the MRC is: To promote and coordinate sustainable management and development of water and related resources for the countries mutual benefit and the people s well-being by implementing strategic programmes and activities and providing scientific information and policy advice. The MRC possesses a three-fold governance structure, consisting of the Council as the highest level decision-making body (at ministerial level), the Joint Committee (JC) and the MRC Secretariat complemented by National Mekong Committees (NMCs) in each MRC Member Country. The MRC Secretariat is the operational arm of the MRC. It provides technical and administrative services to the JC and the Council to achieve the MRC s mission. Since 2010/2011, the MRCS is stationed in two locations, Phnom Penh and Vientiane, with two divisions and associated programmes in each of the offices. The MRC has, since its establishment, realised its mandate through project and programme-based structures assisted by the corporate services units at the MRC Secretariat (MRCS). The implementation of the projects and programmes is usually led by MRCS programme/project teams working with national agencies coordinated by the Secretariats of the National Mekong Committees (NMCs), and mostly funded by donor agencies. The Human Resources Section (HRS) The Human Resources Section (HRS), as one corporate services unit of the MRCS, aims to provide the Secretariat and its teams with modern and efficient human resources management and development services. Furthermore it aims to ensure the development of the right skills, competencies, and organisational culture in the MRC to support full implementation of the MRC Strategic Plan, its five-year 1

2 planning document. The HRS is also responsible for interacting effectively on human resources services with the National Mekong Committees, riparian national agencies, international agencies, and Development Partners. The MRC reform The Mekong River Commission is in the process of organisational and financial transformation to meet the commitments of the 2010 Hua Hin Declaration (which were reaffirmed in the 2014 Ho Chi Minh City Declaration) in downsizing the MRCS structural setup as a result of the current strategy of decentralising the core river basin management functions (CRBMFs) from MRCS to member countries. The move will enhance effectiveness, increase efficiency and strengthen ownership of the management of the Lower Mekong Basin. The transformation process hopes to attain MRC s financial self-sustainability by The MRCS has been adopting a sequential five-yearly strategic planning cycle to lay out its programme implementation direction and priorities. The Strategic Plan for , which is currently on the drafting board, is focusing on the gradual transition of MRC s organisational functions so that, over the next 5 years, the member countries will take on greater responsibility for implementing certain core river basin management functions funded by their own resources thus, paving the way for complete financial autonomy before Intended to be implemented in 2016, some organisational and structural shifting will be experienced like gradual changes in management processes, staffing pattern, communications protocol, and operating environment. The decentralisation of the CRBMFs will create an impact on the human resources requirements of the MRCS in which gradual reduction on the number of operating staff will take place over the next 5 years to correspond to the actual operational needs on a year-to-year basis. The number of staff estimated would be reduced to about by 2020 and staff by The number of administrative support positions is expected to decrease at a faster rate than that of the technical staff which is due to the phasing out of the programme and project implementation protocols and the gradual taking over of the routine activities by the member countries. Eventually, only a core group of technical and management specialists will be maintained by the MRCS with functions mainly concentrated on coordinating the activities of member countries on decentralized CRBMFs and consolidation of reports and information for reference and perusal of all member countries that are relevant in the management of the Lower Mekong River Basin. The activities to implement the human resources re-organization and new staffing pattern are briefly described in the Human Resources Reform Framework (HRRF) that was drafted by the HR Section. The framework document identifies 4 phases of activities implementation, such as: 1) Phase I Staffing Reform Preparation The bulk of the work is in this phase as one of the activities to be undertaken is the reviewing of the current staffing of MRC and sorting out the existing Job Descriptions (JDs) and employment Terms of Reference (ToRs) of staff with the purpose of identifying who can be retained or not, when compared to the JDs/ToRs of staff in the proposed new MRC organisation. In short, the bulk activities involve human resources inventory and staff requirements mapping. 2

3 2) Phase II Transition Plan and Implementation This consists of planned activities for the gradual deployment of people to the new trimmed MRC organisation but at the same time retaining skeletal workforce from existing staff who will continue the transition for the complete the decentralization of CRBMFs. The activities in this phase are dependent on the activities conducted and deliverables produced in Phase I. 3) Phase III New Structure Establishment This consists of planned activities for the complete transition and leveling off of staff deployment (through retention of some existing staff, transfer of other qualified staff to other job positions, and hiring of new staff) to the new MRC organisational setup. The activities in this phase are also dependent on the activities conducted and deliverables produced in Phases I and II. 4) Phase IV Organisation Development and M&E Mechanisms This consists of planned activities required for the maintenance of the new MRC organisation and the monitoring and evaluation of the organisational setup, staff management process and performance. The activities in this phase can be carried out when Phase III is completed. II. Objective of the assignment The main objective is to undertake human resources inventory and staff requirements mapping, as described in Phase 1 above, and in line with the overarching MRCS reform. III. Description and deliverables The Consultant will be responsible to undertake the following tasks: a) Review of the current organisational setup of MRC and the corresponding inventory of existing MRC staffing. The review shall specifically focus on Job Descriptions (JDs), Employment Terms of Reference (ToRs), Post Classifications and Salary Structures of current staff in the existing MRC organisational setup. This will require meetings with staff members and Programme managers; b) Review of the proposed new organisational setup of MRC and the trimmed staffing pattern. This will require coordination with the International Cooperation and Communication Section (ICCS); c) Draft JDs and ToRs with Post Classifications and Salary Structures of the required staffing for the proposed new MRC organisational setup. The drafting of the JDs and ToRs should be in accordance with the Competency-based Framework format, and require discussion with the HR Task Team on restructuring and potentially also Programme managers. d) Undertake matching and slotting of existing posts to the proposed new posts by following the procedures below: 3

4 (1) Formulate Matching Criteria that will enable a one-to-one comparison of the selection qualifications on the existing and the new posts which may take into consideration the Academic Backgrounds, Functional Competencies, Key Tasks in the JDs/ToRs, or any relevant factors the Consultant may find appropriate. (2) Establish Matching Rating on the selection criteria to determine the degree or extent of match between the existing and the new posts. The rating can be quantitative (e.g.100% match, 90% match, etc.) or qualitative (e.g. perfectly matching, nearly matching, etc.) depending on practicality and degree of comparison details to be undertaken. (3) The Matching Criteria and Rating should be transparent and decided based on majority consensus, hence, the MRCS Senior Management Team, RS, and Staff Association Chair should be involved by the Consultant for discussion and approval. (4) Once the Matching Criteria and Rating are approved, they will be used to determine the number of existing staff to be retained or not, i.e.: (a) Number of existing staff with almost matching selection qualifications (depending on the matching criteria and rating) for the new staffing positions are the prioritised staff that will be retained. (b) Number of existing staff with nearly matching selection qualifications for the new staffing positions may also be likely retained but need to undergo further capacity building to qualify for the new posts. (c) Number of existing staff with non-matching selection qualifications for the new staffing positions are those that will be discarded or terminated. e) Prepare a Table Matrix with a clear justification showing New Positions against existing staff inventory who are most likely to be retained. A sample of Table Matrix is given below: Table Matrix for New Positions Against Existing Staff Inventory New Job Positions Staff Inventory Remarks CEO John Match Peter Nearly match. Needs capacity building Director 1 Nguyen Nearly match. Needs capacity building Director 2... Note: If staff inventory is more than the job position, the possibilities are:- Transfer the staff to other alternate positions, if applicable; or, Discard the staff (terminate). Prepare a List of Near Matching Staff showing their capacity gap from the key tasks of the New Job Positions. (This will be made as reference by ICBP on the preparation of Capacity Building Master Plan). Prepare a List of Non-Matching Staff. (This will be made as reference by HR Section for the termination of staff services). Prepare a List of New Positions that cannot be filled up by existing staff as there are no matching JDs or ToRs. (This will be made as reference by HR Section for the recruitment of new staff). 4

5 f) To propose other alternatives/options on modality of staff s deployment after 2015 and analyse the pros and cons of each alternative/option. The deliverables can be summarized as follows: a) Job Descriptions and Terms of Reference for job positions in the proposed new MRC organisational setup. b) Table Matrix showing New Positions against existing staff inventory who are most likely to be retained with clear justification. c) List of Near Matching Staff showing their capacity gap from the key tasks of the New Job Positions. d) List of Non-Matching Staff for job termination. e) List of New Positions for staff recruitment. f) Alternatives/options with pros and cons on modality of staff s deployment after IV. Timeframe A maximum of 30 person days is expected. The assignment will start in April and end in June Below, an indicative consultancy time allocation is presented. Item Consultant s Activities Allotted Days 01 Kick-off meeting and documents review 3 02 Further clarification/discussion with HRS/ICCS& other persons 1 03 Drafting of JDs/ToRs for job positions in new MRC organisation (including meetings with relevant staff) Matching and slotting of existing posts to new posts (including preparation of matching criteria, criteria rating and discussion and 16 approval of relevant MRCS personnel) 05 Preparation and Production of Deliverables 10 Total 40 V. Working relationship and contractual arrangements - The Consultant will be working under overall supervision of the Chief of HRS and will liaise and coordinate with other staff from MRC Programmes and Sections as required, as well as Staff Association Chair; - Coordination with ICCS concerning new MRC structure and organisation is required. - He/she will work closely with the HRS team, the MRCS Organisational Transition Project s team, and the MRCS Task Team for Core Function Decentralisation and Organisational Transition, as required; - GIZ is responsible for contractual arrangements, participation at briefings, inception, reporting; moreover, GIZ staff working on the MRCS Organisational Transition Project will provide additional guidance on the assignment where needed; 5

6 - The MRCS Organisational Transition Project (managed under MRCS International Cooperation and Communication Section or ICCS) will bear the costs for the Consultant s in-region travel upon the assignment s work plan approved by the Chief of HRS and of the MRCS Organisational Transition Project, or upon request by the Chief of HRS and approval by the Chief of ICCS. VI. Qualifications and requirements a) A Master s degree in Human Resources Development, Personnel Management, Change Management, Sociology, or any relevant fields; b) Minimum of 15 years of work experience in human resources development, personnel management, or organisational analysis and development; c) At least with 10 years of practical experience in the preparation of job descriptions and employment terms of reference, d) Demonstrated experience of facilitation and working with senior public servants and executive/senior management teams; e) Demonstrated understanding of capacity development of human resources; f) Fluency in English, both written and spoken;fluency in one or more languages of the riparian countries forming the lower Mekong River Basin a distinct advantage; g) Demonstrated experience and international standard level of competency in documentation and presentation. VII. Key reference documents The Consultant will have full access to all relevant documents as needed to undertake the assignment namely: 1. HRS report on the assessment and review of the current HR policies and practices 2. HRS report on the Conceptual Framework for Competency-based JDs and TORs 3. Independent Organisational, Financial and Institutional Review of the MRC Secretariat and the National Mekong Committees, January Assessment of Progress in Implementing Reforms after the Independent Organisational, Financial and Institutional Review of the MRCS and NMCs (Final Report, February 2008) 5. Regional Roadmap for MRC s core river basin management function decentralisation Parts 1 and 2 (final draft, version 1.3 dated 13 February 2014 ) 6. First and Second MRC Summit Declarations & Statements (Member Countries, Joint Development Partner community), 2010 and Working paper on the proposed options for the new organisational structure of the MRCS (draft version dated 26 September 2014, as presented to the 40 th JC Meeting) 6