Description

Background:

Mercy Corps is powered by the belief that a better world is possible. To do this, we know our teams do their best work when they are diverse, and every team member feels that they belong. We welcome diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and skills so that we can be stronger and have long term impact.

Mercy Corps’ expanding operations in the Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region currently focus on the countries of Haiti, Guatemala, Colombia, Venezuela, and several Caribbean Island nations and territories. Mercy Corps LAC’s strategic programmatic priorities encompass addressing issues related to climate change, human displacement, rural development, humanitarian response, and the inclusion and protection of LGBTQI+ individuals throughout the region. Mercy Corps LAC works with local leaders from civil society, government and the private sector to find and implement solutions that foster sustainable growth and thus contribute to Mercy Corps’ global commitment of creating a better world for all.

Our One People Team ensures that Mercy Corps has the people, HR systems, and culture to support our managers and allow our team members to thrive. We comprise of teams of HR professionals at country, regional and global level who work together to foster engaged, equitable, inclusive, diverse, and high performing global teams. We do this through building systems and supporting managers to recruit and retain the diverse and high-performing talent we need to meet our goals, shaping this talent into our future leaders through equitable development opportunities, and by driving strategic partnerships at all levels within and outside of our organization. We work with others to steward our organizational culture through our systems, structure, and processes, to create safe, diverse and inclusive teams, and to ensure a positive employee experience for all our people

Purpose / Project Description:

The HR Organizational Design Consultant will support regional growth, workforce optimization, and internal HR process improvements with consideration of Gender, Diversity and Inclusion (GDI) factors; assisting with the setup of HR systems in new countries (Saint Lucia, Jamaica, Honduras, El Salvador) or in case of Emergency Response in Countries where we don’t currently have presence and ensuring HR practices are scalable across expanding programs. At a high level, the consultancy aims to 1) Strengthening HR support in LAC Region and 2) Workforce planning and organizational design for our Country Offices in LAC. When refer to ‘HR workforce’ means the workforce as a whole in the Countries.

Consultant Objective:

• Assess the needs in terms of workforce and level of support to build up an HR Regional Team with consideration of GDI factors.
• Conduct a workforce analysis and develop a strategy for optimizing cross-regional HR support, considering GDI factors.
• Design the process and tools for aligning HR workforce as a whole in the Countries with organizational structures.
• Provide guidance to align HR practices with regional priorities.

Consultant Activities:

The Consultant will:

• Conduct a workforce analysis across the region and provide recommendations to maximize cross regional HR support
• Develop an assessment of current RASCI processes with the US HR team.
• Assess HR workflows and provide actionable recommendations to streamline HR processes and enhance efficiency.
• Design HR operating model in LAC Region for sustainable results.
• Design tools to develop workforce structures at the country and regional levels.

Consultant Deliverables:

The Consultant will:

• Workforce Forecasting Model
  • The consultant will work with other stakeholders to develop a forecasting model and tools that estimates future staffing needs based on projected regional growth and business needs. This model and tools will help in planning for the right workforce (staff and contingent labour such as consultants, temporary staff) size and skillset and diversity considerations required in different countries (e.g., Honduras and El Salvador), considering program / organizational needs regional talent availability, scalability, and sustainability such as analyzing the current model and proposing recommendations (organizational chart)
• Change Management Plan for HR Transformation
  • Given that organizational design and the setup of HR systems in new countries may involve significant changes, the consultant will work with the Regional HR Manager to develop a change management plan that outlines steps for smooth HR transformation. This plan will address communication strategies, stakeholder management, and timelines to ensure employee buy-in and successful adoption of new HR practices.
• Regional HR Policies and Procedures Documentation for Countries Opening and Close-out
  • To build up a comprehensive set of policies that will guide the HR processes in both the opening and closing phases of operations in new countries and in case of emergency, building on models which already exist within other parts of Mercy Corps. These policies need to ensure compliance with local laws and regulations, while also maintaining consistency with the organization’s global standards and values and Talent Acquisition and Retention Strategy.
• HR Metrics and KPIs Dashboard
  • To track the success of the HR transformation and ensure alignment with organizational goals, the consultant will design a set of HR key performance indicators (KPIs) and a dashboard for continuous monitoring. These metrics will provide ongoing insights into HR performance, including workforce productivity, employee engagement, turnover rates, and more.
• Governance Model for Cross-Regional HR Collaboration
  • The consultant will design a governance model that defines how HR teams across regions (e.g., US, Saint Lucia, Jamaica, Honduras, El Salvador) will collaborate, communicate, and make decisions. This will ensure that HR practices are aligned across the regions, with clear accountability and decision-making processes such as RASCI document.
• Risk Assessment and Mitigation Strategy for HR Expansion
  • The consultant will conduct a risk assessment to identify potential challenges and risks associated with expanding HR operations into new countries, particularly the Caribbean (Saint Lucia / Jamaica), Honduras and El Salvador. Based on this assessment, they will provide a risk mitigation strategy, outlining steps to address potential obstacles such as regulatory compliance, talent shortages, or cultural differences.
• People Team workforce analysis across the region (planning for levels of HR support and for workforce needs more broadly).
• Recommendations to maximize cross regional support
• Assessment of current RASCI processes with the US HR team.
• Recommendations to streamline HR processes and enhance efficiency (Recruitment and Onboarding, employee data management, compensation and benefits, End of Service).
• Toolkit for structure opening.

Timeframe / Schedule:

February –May 2025

The Consultant will report to:

HR Manager – Latin America & The Caribbean

The Consultant will work closely with:

Country HR Focal Points, Deputy Regional Director-Operations LAC Region, HR US Manager, International HR Director, COE’s, CD’s, RD

Required Experience & Skills:

• University degree in Psychology or related field
• 8-10 years of experience in organizational design
• Experience in designing organizational structures and HR systems for multiple countries, particularly in market entry and regional growth
• Strong understanding of cultural differences and business practices across regions, especially in Latin and Caribbean Countries, to design effective and culturally sensitive organizational models
• Familiarity with labor laws and HR compliance in the countries where the organization is expanding (e.g., Honduras, El Salvador) to ensure legal adherence in the organizational setup
• Ability to engage and influence senior leadership, local teams, and key stakeholders, ensuring alignment and buy-in on organizational design and implementation
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Fluency in written and spoken English and Spanish is required. Fluency in French is an added value.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Achieving our mission begins with how we build our team and work together. Through our commitment to enriching our organization with people of different origins, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of thinking, we are better able to leverage the collective power of our teams and solve the world’s most complex challenges. We strive for a culture of trust and respect, where everyone contributes their perspectives and authentic selves, reaches their potential as individuals and teams, and collaborates to do the best work of their lives.

We recognize that diversity and inclusion is a journey, and we are committed to learning, listening and evolving to become more diverse, equitable and inclusive than we are today.

 

Equal Employment Opportunity
We are committed to providing an environment of respect and psychological safety where equal employment opportunities are available to all. We do not engage in or tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, color, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, disability (including HIV/AIDS status), marital status, military veteran status or any other protected group in the locations where we work.

 

Safeguarding & Ethics
Mercy Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward accountability, specifically to our stakeholders and to international standards guiding international relief and development work, while actively engaging communities as equal partners in the design, monitoring and evaluation of our field projects. Team members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and respect local laws, customs and MC’s policies, procedures, and values at all times and in all in-country venues.