Consultancy To Carry Out Evaluation And Benchmarking Of The Aphrc Performance Management And Appraisal System At African Population and Health Research Center

About APHRC
The African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) is a premier research-to-policy institution, generating evidence, strengthening research and related capacity in the African research and development ecosystem, and engaging policy to inform action on health and development. The Center is Africa-based and African-led, with its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, and a West Africa Regional Office (WARO) in Dakar, Senegal. APHRC seeks to drive change by developing strong African research leadership and promoting evidence-informed decision-making (EIDM) across sub-Saharan Africa.

Background and Assignment Scope

APHRC recognizes its employees as the Center’s most valuable asset, and their effective management is key to achieving its vision of transforming lives in Africa through research. We adopt a people-centered approach that invests heavily in talent management, staff training and growth opportunities, and on an enabling institutional culture. To this end, we have a performance management and appraisal system whose aim is to promote high-quality staff performance directed at successfully fulfilling the Center’s overall mission, attaining its strategic goals as well as ensuring staff growth and developmental needs are met.

We believe in the continual improvement of our systems and processes as a means of strengthening operational efficiencies for maximum programmatic impact. In line with this, APHRC seeks to engage the services of an expert consultant/firm to conduct a comprehensive assessment of our performance management and appraisal system and carry out a benchmarking exercise with comparable institutions with the aim of establishing areas of strength and areas for improvement and industry best practices. The consultant will make recommendations for improvement/modification and provide insights to enhance the effectiveness of the performance management and appraisal system. The consultant will work closely with APHRC’s People and Culture team.

Specific Tasks

1. Conduct a comprehensive desk review of existing documents, including the Center’s strategic plan, HR manual, performance management manual, online performance management system, and other relevant policies and guidelines.
2. Review the existing performance management and appraisal process. These should include the goal-setting tool and process, feedback mechanisms, performance evaluation, career development, and reward mechanisms.
3. Conduct engagement meetings with key stakeholders (People and culture team, senior management, and staff at different levels in the organization) to gather input regarding the current system.
4. Evaluate the relevance and comprehensiveness of performance measurement metrics. Assess the alignment of the system with the institutional strategic goals.
5. Identify gaps and challenges, strengths and opportunities in the current performance management and appraisal system.
6. Evaluate the effectiveness of the Center’s performance management process and its impact on individual and organizational performance, staff development, and engagement.
7. Carry out benchmarking with comparable organizations in the industry that have successfully implemented robust and effective performance management systems to identify best practices and standards.
8. Provide recommendations for improvement/enhancement of the APHRC performance management and appraisal system supported by best practices and sector benchmarks.
9. Develop tools (if needed) and revise the performance management manual in line with the recommended improvements/solutions.

Deliverables

1. An inception report detailing the proposed methodology and work plan.
2. A report to APHRC management detailing the following:-
   ● The findings of the review/evaluation of APHRC performance management and appraisal system
   ● Findings from the benchmark with comparable organizations
   ● Recommendations to address areas of improvement.
3. Revised performance management manual and related tools informed by review findings from the evaluation of the system and benchmarking outcomes.

Requirements

1. Advanced degree in Human Resources Management, organizational development, or relevant field of study.
2. Substantive experience in developing, implementing, review/analysis of institutional policies and guidelines in international NGOs.
3. Proven experience in developing and implementing performance management and reward frameworks in the NGO sector, specifically in research and or academic institutions.
4. Proven experience in conducting benchmarking exercises.
5. Knowledge of emerging trends in performance management and employment law.
6. A strong network of key contacts in international NGOs.
7. Excellent communication, report writing, and presentation skills.
8. Excellent interpersonal skills.