Background

PALM Corps is a national NGO registered in 2014 and operates in West Nile, Northern (Acholi and Lango) and Karamoja regions in Uganda.  The vision of PALM Corps is “A world where the poorest and most vulnerable communities live a dignified, peaceful, healthy, and productive life while taking care of the environment”. Over the past 10 years, the organization has expanded its reach, scope, and staff size. In addition, the humanitarian-development context has greatly changed; creating the need to review the HR policy.

2. Purpose of the Assignment

The purpose of this consultancy is to review, and align PALM Corps’ HR Policy to: 1) Ensure compliance with Uganda’s labor laws and statutory requirements, 2) Incorporate international best practices in human resource management for NGOs, 3) Aligning with donor requirements, sector standards, and organizational needs, 4) Enhance staff welfare, performance management, accountability, and organizational culture.

3. Scope of work:

The consultant will:

• Conduct a comprehensive review of the current HR Policy/handbook, identifying gaps, inconsistencies, outdated sections, and areas requiring alignment with legal requirements and best practices.
• Benchmark the HR Policy against similar NGOs, statutory labor laws, and international standards.

• Facilitate a participatory and consultative process with management, field staff all different levels. 
• Develop a comprehensive draft HR Policy aligned with laws, organizational goals, and donor requirements.
• Conduct validation workshops to gather feedback and finalize the updated HR Policy.

4. Methodology

The consultant is expected to use a participatory and systematic approach, including:

• Desk Review; existing HR Policy, labor laws, NGO HR policies, and donor standards.
• Key Informant Interviews; management, HR staff, staff representatives, and relevant stakeholders.
• Focus Group Discussion (FGD); engage staff and management to give their perspective on critical sections/parts of the policy.
• Drafting and Refinement; prepare a draft HR Policy incorporating feedback from stakeholders including the board of directors.
• Finalization: submit 3 copies of approved policy. including the template and annexes.

5. Deliverables

• Inception Report highlighting methodology, work plan and tools for review.
• Gap Analysis Report: review findings, highlighting sections to be reviewed or new areas (which were missing) to be added.
• Draft Updated HR Policy; comprehensive, aligned with legal and best practice requirements.
• Validation report; feedback and input from field staff, management and partners/stakeholders including board of directors.
• Final HR Policy: A user-friendly, practical, and implementable HR Policy with annexes, templates.  

6. Duration

The assignment will be completed by 25^th November 2025 with 25 days billable days. 

7. Consultant Qualifications

The consultant/firm should have:

• A minimum of 7 years of experience in Human Resources, with specific expertise in HR policy development and compliance.
• Professional qualifications in Certified Human Resource Professional (CHRP), International Human Resource Management (IHRM) or related field
• Demonstrated knowledge of Uganda’s labor laws and international HR best practices for NGOs.
• Proven track record of conducting HR audits, assessments, and policy reviews
• Excellent report writing, presentation, and communication skills.
• Experience working with NGOs is an added advantage

8. Management & Reporting

The consultant will report to the HR Officer of PALM Corps, with overall oversight from the Core Management Team.

9. Application Requirements

Interested consultants/firms should submit:

• Technical proposal (methodology, work plan, timeline).
• Financial proposal (itemized budget).
• CVs highlighting relevant experience.
• Sample HR policy review work (preferably NGO sector).

All applications should be submitted by 13th October 2025 to tenders@palmcorps.org. with the subject line: “Consultancy to Review HR Policy for PALM Corps”.