Careers at Danish Refugee Council

Purpose of the consultancy

• The Danish Refugee Council-based Regional office in Nairobi is seeking for a reputable company to supply, implement, commission and train users on a new cloud-based payroll solution. The rationale is to streamline processes, improved and more efficient services to employees whilst reducing operational costs associated with payroll processing and ensure payroll confidentiality and security.

The objective of the consultancy

• The purpose of this consultancy is to implement a payroll solution that provides the following benefits:

Payroll processers:

Input:

• Manage monthly salary and deduction changes with accuracy; where needed additions of any deduction or arrears with ease
• Interface with other software (Microsoft Dynamics-ERP) to remove the manual entry of data and shorten processing time.
• Employee records and profiles: To include personnel numbers/personal bank account/ statutory numbers and expat details like passport and work permit details.
• Employee Divisions: Based on locations, departments and positions; separate databases for national and international staff.
• Intuitive upload functionality

Processing

• Automate payroll calculation, integrating all calculations performed outside the system (loans, pro-ratio, miscellaneous deductions, final pay calculations ...) Monthly exchange rate for salaries in other currencies.
• Computation of taxes in accuracy, accommodate provisions for Income tax and the benefits provided such as provident funds, Individual insurance schemes, personal relief, and taxable pay.
• Post-processing and reporting (Finance side)
• Offer online validation of the payroll, ensuring payments are performed based on approved payroll results
• Payment file matching the bank’s required format, no manual intervention.
• Generate payroll-related reports such as NHIF remittances, Pension remittances, NSSF remittances, P9 forms etc. on required formats for uploading to the authorities.
• Remote access with the ability to do payroll processing remotely from any location. Elimination of IT hardware required to implement the solution.
• Updating the government's statutory changes should be simple and seamless

Security features - allow only authorized personnel to access the system

• User management should be role-based
• Track actions on an audit log
• Include 2-factor authentication
• The solution must be compliant with the Global and local data protection laws.

Other users:

• Capability to automatically generate and share to staff pay slips and P-9 forms for online tax returns. Capability to allow staff to access the documents on a self-serve module and on mobile functionality is desired.

Scope of Work and Methodology

• The Consultant will be required to prepare a detailed methodology and work plan indicating how the objectives of the project will be achieved, and the support required from DRC.

Planning Phase:

• Selected vendors will hold at least 2 phases of separate meetings with involved parties.
• Discuss and agree on the user interface, modalities and objective of the proposed system/software.
• To do a presentation of existing software to the involved parties through a demo presentation.

Internal Consultations:

• The in-house meeting between the involved parties to decide which vendor should be contracted

Supplier Demo

• The successful vendor will provide a demo version to the involved parties to test run the system/software and if there are suggested changes to be made to the system, such changes will be taken into consideration by the vendor.

Proposed system

• To do a presentation of the new software to the involved parties through a demo presentation.
• Discuss data requirements, migration, piloting and the changeover timeline.

Post-Go-Live Phase:

• Develop an implementation guide, user guide and project overall documentation.
• Provide comprehensive training on how to manage and use the software portal to designated staff and others.
• Upon completion, provide full access to the software Portal, front-end, back-end, host account and integration programming code details to the DRC Regional office.
• Provide six-month to 1-year post-development remote security and technical support to the management of the software.
• Provide ongoing user support and consultation throughout the duration that DRC uses the system.

Deliverables

• The Consultant will submit the following deliverables as mentioned below:

Cloud Based SAAS Payroll Software

• Training to DRC Regional and Kenya Office HR and Finance Staff

Software support

• Competent payroll user support functions

Duration, timeline, and payment

• The total expected duration to complete the assignment will be no more than 2 months from the contract start date. We envisage to commence the project in November 2023.

Proposed composition of team

• The Consultant needs to demonstrate that they have a competent and knowledgeable team with the capacity to deliver on this project. The team should have worked on similar projects before and should be present throughout the implementation of the project. The Consultant also needs to demonstrate that their team can provide ongoing user support with a reliable contact person. Should the project be scaled to other countries, they should have the capacity to implement and support in multiple countries.

Eligibility, qualification, and experience required
Eligibility:

• Professional software application firm with proven expertise and experience in providing excellent payroll solutions to international organizations or multinationals. The provider must be responsive and willing to work collaboratively and effectively with DRC Regional Office towards delivering a high-quality system.

Experience

• Substantial experience in the delivery of cloud-based payroll solutions to International Organizations. The proposed solution should be a native cloud, subscription-based, that will not require any investment in IT infrastructure (hardware and software) to implement. The vendor should provide an architecture of the solution.
• Ability to deliver the requested solution demonstrated by a detailed project implementation plan with clear milestones and deliverables at each milestone. The project plan should also highlight the project team, their competence in the project and the project escalation matrix.
• Demonstrable relevant payroll software applications set up in Kenya or globally.
• Provision of tax clearance certificate
• Proven integration of payroll software to other ERP systems
• Willing to work with the DRC Regional office to ensure the final product is of extremely high quality.
• Technical supervision

The selected consultant will work under the supervision of:

• Regional HR and Administration Manager
• Regional IT Specialist

Location and support

• Danish Refugee Council Regional Office in Nairobi

Travel

• The Consultant is expected to work in the specified location. Transport to and from the DRC Regional Office, Nairobi, will be catered by the Consultant.

Bids can be submitted by email to the following dedicated, controlled, & secure email address:

[email protected]

When Bids are emailed, the following conditions shall be complied with:

• The RFP number RFP-RO01-002364 shall be inserted in the Subject Heading of the email
• Separate emails shall be used for the ‘Financial Bid’ and ‘Technical Bid’, and the Subject Heading of the email shall indicate which type the email contains
• The financial bid shall only contain the financial bid form, Annex A.2 or vendors financial bid in own format
• The technical bid shall contain all other documents required by the tender, but excluding all pricing information

Bid documents required, shall be included as an attachment to the email in PDF, JPEG, TIF format, or the same type of files provided as a ZIP file. Documents in MS Word or excel formats, will result in the bid being disqualified.

• Email attachments shall not exceed 4MB; otherwise, the bidder shall send his bid in multiple emails.

Failure to comply with the above may disqualify the Bid.

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Overall purpose of the role: 

• The Regional Durable Solutions Secretariat was created in 2015 to maintain focused momentum and stakeholder engagement towards durable solutions for displacement affected communities first in East Africa and the Horn of Africa and then in the Great Lakes region as of 2020.
• ReDSS comprises 14 NGOs: Action against Hunger, ACTED, CARE International, Concern Worldwide, the Danish Refugee Council (DRC), the International Rescue Committee (IRC), INTERSOS, Mercy Corps, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), Oxfam, the Refugee Consortium of Kenya (RCK), Save the Children, World Vision and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF). DRC, IRC and NRC form the ReDSS Steering Committee.
• ReDSS seeks to improve joint learning and programming, inform policy processes, enhance capacity development and facilitate coordination in the collective search for durable solutions. It is a coordination hub that acts as a catalyst and agent provocateur to stimulate forward-thinking and policy development on durable solutions for displacement.
• This position is an exciting opportunity to lead ReDSS’s growing engagement in the countries of the Great Lakes region (particularly Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania) as well as supporting the ReDSS Regional Manager in Nairobi on shaping overall strategy across the region. It will be ideal for someone familiar with the region, looking to have a positive impact on how the aid sector works and able to bridge the worlds of policy and practice at local, national and regional levels.
• The position is open for national and international applicants. The position is Accompagnied.      

The role will have the following key responsibilities :

Leadership and Management of ReDSS in the Great Lakes region

• Developing and leading strategy for ReDSS as it plans for the next four years of work in the Great Lakes Region.
• Ensuring high quality delivery and project management of all grant funding
• Management of ReDSS staff and consultants in the Great Lakes region.
• Create/monitor work plans and budgets.
• Build stronger relations and coordinated solutions activity amongst the ReDSS coalition in the Great Lakes region through regular meetings of the core group and members and facilitating regular information sharing.
• Monitoring, reporting and evaluating progress and challenges.
• Provide timely, digestible, and relevant information and analysis through user-friendly channels and systems to increase information uptake and application.

External representation, coordination, and policy engagement

• Develop a coherent approach to policy and advocacy work in the Great Lakes region, tied to ReDSS outputs, that sets out priorities for engaging with different stakeholders, including regional and national authorities, UN agencies, donors, humanitarian and development actors, refugee associations and relevant working groups both at national and regional level;
• Initiate and support policy actions and engagement in collaboration with ReDSS members active in the Great Lakes region, based on evidence from ReDSS and external studies and analyses to improve solutions-oriented policies at the national and regional level;
• Support existing forums and members to engage with governmental and inter-governmental actors on durable solutions;
• Proactive engagement in policy development processes such as the Global Refugee Forum (GRF) and support and facilitate ReDSS member engagement;
• Work closely with the ICGLR to ensure coherence between national and regional policy processes and other relevant bodies and forums;
• Development and publication of key briefing papers and policy briefs based on evidence.

Research and knowledge management: promoting a culture of learning and reflection that leads to improvements in durable solutions programming and policies 

• Define and oversee the implementation of the ReDSS research and knowledge management agenda in the Great Lakes region, through reviewing what has been done, what is useful, and then initiating studies and developing processes to monitor and update solution programming and policies of key stakeholders;
• Ensure the quality control of ReDSS publications in the Great Lakes region;
• Analysis of regional durable solutions data, strategies, policies, legislation, and production and dissemination of quality reports;
• Ensure coherence and cross-learning between the policies of the different countries of the Great Lakes region and at the regional level;
• Facilitate and organize regular consultation/technical workshops and learning events/meetings on key issues of interest to the ReDSS.

Strengthening the capacity of practitioners and policy-makers in the field of durable solutions

• Support the roll-out of technical and policy training packages;
• Support the development of learning tools and online tutorials;
• Promote active engagement with displacement affected communities in the Great Lakes region to ensure their ownership and support in order to make solutions lasting, locally relevant and feasible;
• With the International Conference for the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) Secretariat, organize peer-learning events and capacity-building workshops to the benefit of ICGLR member states representatives and key stakeholders (refugee associations, private sector, social partners, etc.) to develop and implement a regional strategy and action plan on comprehensive durable solutions for refugees in the Great Lakes region;
• With member states of the ICGLR, and particularly the ones of the Great Lakes region, organize capacity-building workshops to the benefit of representatives of key ministries in charge of support to displacement affected communities.

Support to ReDSS’ wider strategy and engagement in the region

• Work with the ReDSS Regional Manager in Nairobi to ensure strong synergies between the work in the Great Lakes and in other parts of the region;
• Support the development of a single prioritized strategy for ReDSS with buy-in from members of the coalition;
• Provide engagement and support to ReDSS’s wider work in the region and elsewhere as required.

Reporting arrangements 

• Governance: the overall strategy and outline for the work of the Regional Durable Solutions Secretariat will be overseen by the ReDSS Steering Committee (DRC, NRC, IRC Regional Directors). The ReDSS Manager for the Great Lakes region will support the ReDSS Regional Manager to report on all of ReDSS’s work to the Steering Committee and work according to the annual workplans approved by the SC and other members;
• Direct supervision: the ReDSS Manager for the Great Lakes region will be supervised and supported by the ReDSS Regional Manager. The ReDSS manager for the Great Lakes region manages the ReDSS local staff, the international staff under his direct supervision and any consultants recruited to implement the activities of the Secretariat.

About you

In this position, you are expected to demonstrate DRC’s five core competencies:

• Striving for excellence: You focus on reaching results while ensuring an efficient process.
• Collaborating: You involve relevant parties and encourage feedback.
• Taking the lead: You take ownership and initiative while aiming for innovation.
• Communicating: You listen and speak effectively and honestly.
• Demonstrating integrity: You act in line with our vision and values.

Experience and Technical comptencies

• Advanced University degree in social studies, political science, international relations, or relevant field.
• Minimum 7-10 years of experience in the humanitarian and development sector, preferably including a combination of both programming and policy work, and ideally encompassing knowledge management, research, evidence building, analysis and coordination of consortium partners.
• Strong knowledge of the Great Lakes region and the socio-economic and political dynamics affecting it, more specifically displacement trends, with demonstrated ability to manage politically sensitive contexts.
• Strong experience in working with government officials and, preferably, sub-regional organizations in Africa.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a multicultural environment and establish harmonious and effective working relationships, both within and outside the organization
• Strong analytical and writing skills with proven experience in producing high-quality research and policy briefs with the ability to present complex information in a simple and accessible manner.
• Strong experience in translating evidence and research into programming and policy guidance.
• Excellent coordination and networking skills.
• Inter-personal facilitation and communication skills to build trusted relationships with a wide array of humanitarian and development partners, donors, government agencies, etc.
• Flexibility, proactive engagement, ability to work under pressure, and to demonstrate a high tolerance for change, complexity, and unpredictability.
• Fluent in both French and English (Speaking, writing and reading).

Expires 20 Sep 2023