SECRETARIAT RESTRUCTURING LEADS TO FEWER POSITIONS AND SIGNIFICANT DISRUPTION OF STAFF

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Download PDF Positions in Grant Management Division rise by 33% A far-reaching restructuring of the Global Fund Secretariat has resulted in a 7% decrease in the total number of positions, and has led to considerable upheaval among staff. Some positions, mainly in the units not directly responsible for grant management, were abolished. At the same time, new grant management positions…

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ABSTRACT The restructuring of the Global Fund Secretariat will result in 7% fewer positions overall, an increase of 33% in the number of positions in the Grant Management Division and a comparable decrease in the number of positions in other units. Some staff have left; others are competing for the new positions that have been created.

Positions in Grant Management Division rise by 33%

A far-reaching restructuring of the Global Fund Secretariat has resulted in a 7% decrease in the total number of positions, and has led to considerable upheaval among staff.

Some positions, mainly in the units not directly responsible for grant management, were abolished. At the same time, new grant management positions were created. Staff who held positions that did not match to positions in the new structure were told that they would have to compete for the newly created positions if they wished to remain with the Global Fund. Some staff opted to accept separation packages.

Most of the changes happened during the month of March 2012. However, competitions to fill the new positions are expected to run until the end of April. The Global Fund said that the timelines were deliberately tight in order to ensure minimal disruption of service delivery to beneficiaries of Global Fund grants, and to make the period of uncertainty as short as possible for staff.

According to a progress report presented by General Manager Gabriel Jaramillo to the Global Fund Board at the Board retreat on 29 March, the number of positions in the Secretariat has been reduced by 49, from 667 to 618. The number of positions in the Grant Management Division has increased by 33%. The number of positions in the rest of the Secretariat has decreased by 32%. Further details are provided in the table.

Table: Number of positions, old and new structure

	Old structure	New structure	Change
			Number	%
Grant Management Division (led by Mark Edington)	252	334	+82	+33%
Strategy, Investment and Impact Division (led by Debrework Zewdie)	119	75	-44	-37%
Resource Mobilization and Donor Relations Division (led by Christoph Benn)	226	35	-87	-38%
Support and Control departments (reporting direct to the GM)		104
IT, Office of the Inspector General, and Office of the Chair	70	70	0	0%
Secretariat Total	667	618	-49	-7%

As we reported in an article in GFO 178, most of the Global Fund’s work will be carried out by the divisions shown in the first three rows of the above table. A high-level organization chart is available on the Global Fund website here.

Some positions in the old structure are similar or identical (or, in Global Fund parlance, the positions “map”) to positions in the new structure, and most staff in those positions have retained their jobs. However, 140 positions in the old structure no longer exist. The incumbents of these positions will have to leave the Global Fund, unless they apply for and are accepted for one of the new positions.

Staff whose positions were not mapped to new positions were placed on leave with pay from 26 March until 30 April to focus on their personal needs, prepare applications and be available for interviews. Coaching was made available to employees who requested it, as was assistance with CV and interview preparation, and stress management. Most staff who have to leave the Global Fund as a result of the restructuring, and certain staff who had the option to stay, will be eligible for a separation package that includes six months’ salary and, in certain cases, additional benefits.