Amplified – Co-creating the Alight Performance Support Approach (Consultant)

Terms of Reference / Request for Proposal

Project: Amplified – Co-creating the Alight Performance Support Approach

Dates: January 15 – April 2023

Location: Flexible; however, requiring interviews and focus-sessions with staff, and possible Alight international programs site visits internationally

Grant/Fund Code: HQ00100/103500

Project Manager & Lead: Bernad O.O, CPO/Molly H., Director Talent & Seeking

Indicative Project Period: January – March 2023

Introduction

Alight has been on a journey of transformation. Founded in 1979 as American Refugee Committee, in 2019 we became Alight. Along the way a core and fundamental belief has grown within the hearts of our community: every human being is full, whole, complex, and worthy of being truly seen.

We choose to walk alongside those who by sheer luck and circumstance ended up on a long and arduous journey of displacement– one that upended their lives, livelihoods, plans of the future, dreams and aspirations.

We work to create programs along the entire displacement journey to deliver essential experiences that all human beings deserve: the care of body, mind, and spirit; the experience of being and feeling safe; the peace of house and home; the pursuit of education; the dignity of work and financial security; and the experience of loving human connection. wearealight.org

In 2022 we went on an insights journey internally to gain a shared understanding of how our current organizational structure co-creates together to support its people. This meant working within the context of Alight’s current structure of HR, Talent, and Culture. By examining and defining this structure, we uncovered a set of new organizational principles and dynamics to suit Alight’s current needs, better design outcomes, and define what success looks like for the People unit and Alight at-large. We emerged with a newly redesigned and restructured Office of the People (OOP).

The Office of the People’s mission is to support all of the people who work to deliver the Alight-family experience (Alight, Eastern Congo Initiative, Questcope, ORAM, and Kuja Kuja)—our staff, volunteers, incentive workers, candidates – every person within Alight. We help people navigate the complexity of our space and offer them ways to orient, connect, and flourish with tools and structures that are clear, accessible, and consistent. We hold Alight culture sacred and use our values as a North Star to guide our work and behaviors, creating a safe and inclusive environment for all. We honor these commitments with a promise of confidentiality and follow through to each person we serve.

Scope of Project Work + Tasks / Purpose & Objectives

Alight operates in 15+ countries around the world, each with their own leadership and administrative structure. Current engagement with and adoption of performance management is vast—each country team utilizes a different set of tools for performance management, some locations do not have a system in place, some have a system but there is low engagement or practical application.

One of the strategic and priority initiatives for the OOP in 2023 is to co-design with our teams and deploy an innovative, adaptive people performance support approach – one that will AMPLIFY employee engagement, performance outcomes and growth – globally. A custom made, creative, adaptive and people centered approach. An adaptive approach that recognizes changes at, our Becoming Alight and a recently launched new organization Strategy; the significant post-pandemic changes to work approaches and realities such as remote or hybrid work arrangements, and the changing nature of our global work in emergency and post conflict environments with displaced persons. One that is reflective of the diversity of people who make up our staff around the globe, and is responsive to our Belonging (DEI) commitments – overall, responsive to the end-to-end journey and experience of our staff at Alight.

We seek a performance management program (initially paper-based, preferably with capability of digitization in future) that is scalable within Alight globally. A combination-based performance approach that balances adaptive, people centeredness, and results orientations; a thoughtful approach that supports seek, nurture, retain & nurture top talent for Alight despite the often stressful and crises-nature of the places and nature of our work. Elements of the performance system may include:

• Goal setting and performance plans
• Culture/values and behavior expectations
• Continuous feedback loop opportunities
• Annual performance, compensation and rewards’ review
• Empathetic, supportive leadership, supervisor or manager standards; including effective communication
• Authenticity, Energy + Work-life balance
• Learning & development, mentorship and coaching models

Specific Activities

• Develop a detailed, costed and timed concept and project proposal
• Guide on and support set up project core team
• Listen and learn with core team and sampled staff, partners and associates; define the purpose and components of desired performance approach
• Co-design Alight’s AMPLIFIED Performance approach, including deploying prototypes and iterating with the core team and select sample unit/team, program or country.
• Design communications, training and roll out plan that will drive buy in and adoption; making recommendations for embedding within organizational culture and working

Deliverables and Timeline

Tasks

Expected Completion date

Detailed, costed and timed concept and project proposal developed and concurred with Alight/project manager/Contract signed

January 23 2023

Project core team set up, briefed and oriented

January 30 2023

Listening & Project Insights work completed, and report/deck produced

February 24 2023

Alight’s AMPLIFIED Performance approach co-designed, and draft produced/concurred with Alight/project manager

March 3 2023

Performance approach prototyped and iterated with the core team and select sample unit/team, program or country (includes agreed presentations, discussions, facilitating piloting, etc)

March 24 2023

Final version of the performance approach produced/concurred with Alight/project manager

March 31 2023

Product communications, training of core team, and roll out plan finalized

March 31 2023

Consultant/Firm Skills and Experience we’re seeking

• Human-centered consultant/firm with experience in collaborative and consultative work approaches.
• Demonstrate both academic and experiential understanding of people centered performance management and support
• Knowledge and experience working on organization development, people performance, leadership & engagement, motivation and wellbeing
• Previous and successful experience developing and supporting performance management systems
• An understanding, knowledge, and appreciation of work expectations and performances in stressful and crisis-type humanitarian contexts
• Experience working with diverse cultures and teams worldwide; ability to effectively work, support, and coordinate with teams remotely and across varied time zones
• Co-creation experience or insight-based design.
• Knowledge in designing and conducting participatory training, including developing training materials
• Comfort and confidence – and absence of conflict of interest – leading this initiative, and ability for possible presentation and discussions with leadership and executive structures as needed.

Expression of Interest:

Interested and qualified individual or team of consultant/s or firm should submit a letter of expression of interest and a detailed, costed and timed concept and project proposal to Alight by January 6th 2023. LINK:

https://app.jobvite.com/j?cj=oEjXlfwZ&s=ReliefWeb

The EOI should include confirmation of availability for the assignment aligned to proposed timeline; provide a high level interpretation of the assignment/scope of
> work (not more than one-side of A4 page/paper), highlight tools, methods you propose to employ, the number of days needed for each key task or activity and associated total $ (professional, other fees) cost excluding costs that ALIGHT will directly meet/reimburse (which are as follows: Ground travel, flights and airport transfers, and covid tests where applicable, in case of program field visits, meetings or focus discussions requiring travel. Also, accommodation (not meals), printing, copying, stationery and supplies directly linked to the project

Alight is an Equal Opportunity Employer offering employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, citizenship, physical or mental disability, or protected veteran status. Alight complies with all applicable laws governing nondiscrimination in employment.