Standardizing Job Architecture and Competency Framework for a Leading Oil & Gas Enterprise in Vietnam

As the oil & gas industry undergoes rapid changes in technology, operating models, and workforce requirements, establishing an integrated foundation for human capital management has become increasingly important for large-scale organizations.

With approximately 300 employees across all levels, from leadership to staff, a leading oil & gas enterprise faced the need to standardize its job and competency systems across the organization. Without a clearly defined Job Architecture and comprehensive Competency Framework, the organization faced challenges in establishing job levels, developing a consistent pay structure, supporting career development, and preparing the workforce for future capabilities.

In partnership with Mercer, Talentnet delivered the project from December 2025 to August 2026, focusing on two critical foundations: Job Architecture and Organizational Competency Framework. Through this initiative, the organization took important steps toward establishing a consistent framework for managing jobs and capabilities, providing a foundation for future talent and workforce development initiatives.

Project summary

• Industry: Oil & Gas / Oil & Gas Services
• Scale: Approximately 300 employees, from leadership to staff level
• Project duration: December 2025 – August 2026
• Scope: Development of a Job Architecture and Organizational Competency Framework, delivered across two phases

The Context

The oil & gas industry is undergoing multiple transformations at the same time. The need to enhance operational efficiency and competitiveness is becoming increasingly critical, while AI and automation are reshaping workforce requirements and operational capabilities.

At the same time, the energy transition and growing focus on ESG are creating new requirements for organizations and their workforce. Expectations among younger employees are also evolving, while reskilling and upskilling have become increasingly important across the industry.

Against this backdrop, organizations need to look beyond managing their current workforce structure. They must also establish clarity around how work is organized and what capabilities will be required for the future.

The Challenges

Prior to the project, the organization did not have a clearly defined Job Architecture to systematically classify, organize, and structure jobs across the organization. At the same time, there was no comprehensive Competency Framework that reflected the capabilities required for the future, including both core and leadership competencies.

The absence of these two foundations created several challenges in human capital management:

• Limited clarity and consistency in establishing internal job levels.
• Insufficient foundation for developing an appropriate and structured pay framework.
• Limited ability to benchmark against and remain competitive in the talent market.
• Difficulty translating competency requirements into observable and assessable behaviors.
• Lack of a clear foundation for career development and performance management.

The challenge, therefore, was not simply to establish a job grading system or develop a standalone competency framework. It was to build an integrated foundation that connects jobs, levels, and capabilities across the organization.

The Approach

To address these challenges, Talentnet partnered with Mercer to deliver the project through two key workstreams: Job Architecture and Organizational Competency Framework. The approach began with assessing the value and levels of different jobs across the organization, followed by the development of a competency framework aligned with organizational levels and future capability requirements.

1. Developing the Job Architecture

Talentnet, in partnership with Mercer, assessed and standardized the organization’s job structure using the Mercer IPE methodology, complemented by market data analysis to establish an appropriate external reference point.

Key activities included:

• Evaluating job value using the Mercer IPE methodology.
• Developing a consistent job leveling structure.
• Conducting market benchmarking and referencing relevant market data.
• Recommending an appropriate pay structure.

The outcome was a standardized job architecture and organizational competency framework, providing a common foundation for the organization to classify, structure, and manage jobs consistently across the organization.

2. Designing the Organizational Competency Framework

Building on the established job structure, Talentnet worked with the organization to identify the capabilities required at different levels across the organization.

The design process included:

• Reviewing and benchmarking relevant competency frameworks from both local and international sources.
• Conducting workshops with functional teams to co-develop and validate the framework.
• Developing and finalizing the Core Competency Framework.
• Developing and finalizing the Leadership Competency Framework.
• Establishing a competency map aligned with organizational levels.

By combining research, benchmarking, and collaborative workshops with functional teams, the competency framework was designed around the organization’s actual business context and requirements, rather than simply adopting an off-the-shelf model.

The Scope

Talentnet, in partnership with Mercer, delivered a consulting solution focused on two key foundations:

Job Structure & Job Leveling

• Evaluating job value using the Mercer IPE methodology.
• Developing a job leveling structure.
• Analyzing and benchmarking against relevant market data.
• Recommending an appropriate pay structure.

Competency Framework & Competency Mapping

• Analyzing and benchmarking local and international competency frameworks.
• Conducting workshops with functional teams.
• Developing and validating the competency framework.
• Finalizing the Core Competency and Leadership Competency Frameworks.
• Developing a competency map by job level.

The Impact

Through the project, the organization took important steps toward establishing two key foundations for its human capital management system:

Standardizing the System

The job and leveling structure was standardized, providing a common foundation for defining and managing job levels across the organization.

Establishing Core and Leadership Competency Foundations

Core and leadership competency frameworks were developed for the organization, together with a competency map by job level, providing greater clarity on competency requirements at each level.

Creating a Foundation for Talent Development Programs

These two foundations provide a basis for the organization to further implement Learning & Development and Succession Planning programs in the next stages.

Rather than addressing individual HR challenges separately, this approach enables the organization to progressively connect jobs – levels – competencies, creating a more consistent foundation for long-term workforce management and development.

About Talentnet’s HR Consulting Services

An effective human capital management system requires not only appropriate policies, but also a clear foundation that enables organizations to manage, develop, and prepare their workforce for the future.

Talentnet’s HR Consulting services support organizations in addressing human capital management challenges from foundational to strategic levels, with solutions designed around each organization’s specific context and business requirements.

From job evaluation, job structure and job leveling, and market benchmarking to competency framework and competency mapping, Talentnet works alongside organizations to establish the foundations needed to connect job structures with HR policies and workforce development strategies.

PTSC: STANDARDIZING THE ORGANIZATIONAL COMPETENCY FRAMEWORK