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Recruitment and Appointment Policy

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Purpose | Scope | Principles | Policy statements | Roles and responsibilities | Definitions | Approval information | Version history | References | Appendix 1: Selection panel requirements

1. Purpose

1.1 The Recruitment and Appointment Policy (the policy) outlines how UTS recruits and appoints staff in support of the UTS 2027 strategy.

2. Scope

2.1 This policy applies to all staff and affiliates (hereafter staff) and the recruitment and appointment of continuing, fixed-term, casual and temporary staff. It covers the following recruitment methods:

  1. competitive recruitment (including expressions of interest)
  2. appointment of distinguished professors
    1. appointment by invitation/direct appointment, and
  3. casual and temporary appointments.

2.2 This policy does not apply to:

  1. secondments or exchanges with other work areas or external organisations (refer Staff Secondments and Exchanges Policy)
  2. honorary awards or appointments (refer Honorary Titles and Awards Policy)
  3. academic promotions (refer Academic Promotion Policy)
  4. contractors engaged by UTS (refer Contractors (Staff Connect))
  5. Scholarly Teaching Fellowships (refer Enterprise agreements)
  6. volunteers (refer HR forms: Record of Volunteer Work (Staff Connect)).

2.3 Internships for UTS students are out of scope of this policy (refer Internships (Staff Connect) and the Enterprise agreements).

3. Principles

3.1 Recruitment at UTS:

  1. aims to achieve a diverse and inclusive workforce and is informed by the Equity, Inclusion and Respect Policy and the Wingara Indigenous Employment Strategy
  2. is transparent, capable of withstanding scrutiny, evidence-based and free from bias or conflicts of interest (refer Conflicts of Interest Disclosure Policy)
  3. uses objective criteria to identify suitably qualified candidates and ensure candidates are capable of supporting and realising the UTS 2027 strategy, and its vision and values
  4. uses recruitment methods appropriate to the role type, requirements and needs of the university and the university community
  5. acknowledges that retention and redeployment may form part of recruitment considerations (for example, in times of organisational change to retain institutional knowledge)
  6. acknowledges the positive impacts that newly recruited staff bring to the university (for example, to enhance, replenish or refresh the workforce)
  7. adheres to relevant privacy and data management policies and legislation with respect to the management of candidate information (refer Privacy Policy), and
  8. seeks to deliver a positive experience for all applicants in line with the university’s values.

3.2 Appointments must be made without regard to a person’s sex, sexual orientation or preference, gender, transgender status, race, colour, ethnic or ethno-religious background, descent or national identity, marital status, pregnancy, potential pregnancy, breastfeeding, family or carer responsibilities, disability, age, political conviction or religious belief in line with the Equity, Inclusion and Respect Policy.

3.3 UTS recognises however that historic and ongoing disadvantage creates barriers to employment for people in equity target groups. All hiring managers must take account of the targets in the Wingara Indigenous Employment Strategy when determining recruitment strategies. UTS will, where appropriate, use special measures such as targeted recruitment programs to overcome this disadvantage (refer Wingara Indigenous Employment Strategy, Indigenous Employment and Recruitment at UTS: Recruiting for diversity (SharePoint)).

3.4 Recruitment and selection practices will protect and enhance the reputation of UTS in the labour market.

3.5 UTS is committed to taking appropriate steps throughout the recruitment process to mitigate any risk of improper interference.

4. Policy statements

Recruitment at UTS

4.1 UTS has 4 stages of recruitment:

  1. Recruitment planning — what to consider when preparing to recruit
  2. Recruitment methods — ways to identify and attract candidates
  3. Candidate assessment and selection — how to review and assess applications and select a candidate
  4. Appointments, offers and feedback — seeking approval to make an offer of employment.

4.2 This policy outlines the considerations, requirements and responsibilities under each stage of the recruitment process and is supplemented by additional guidance at Recruitment at UTS (SharePoint).

Stage 1: Recruitment planning

4.3 When preparing to recruit, hiring managers must contact Strategic Recruitment, Remuneration Data and Systems (hereafter recruitment team) in the People Unit (details at Recruitment at UTS: Before you start (SharePoint)) to discuss their recruitment needs. Refer also Recruitment at UTS (SharePoint) for guidance and overview of the recruitment process.

4.4 To best meet recruitment needs, hiring managers should consider the nature and requirements of the role as well as external and internal labour market conditions.

4.5 Hiring managers may consider both external and internal strategies when planning for recruitment, including the following options:

  1. a competitive recruitment process in line with this policy, including expressions of interest and use of executive search firms (refer stage 2 of this policy)
  2. appointment by invitation or direct appointment (as appropriate) or appointing distinguished professors (refer stage 2 of this policy)
  3. use of casual (refer Enterprise agreements and Casual appointments (Staff Connect)) or temporary appointments (via external supplier) (refer stage 2 of this policy)
  4. a jointly funded appointment via strategic partnership with another organisation (refer Jointly Funded Appointments Guidelines (PDF, Staff Connect) or contact the recruitment team (available at Recruitment at UTS (SharePoint))
  5. use of existing staff on a continuing, fixed-term or reversionary basis (for example conversion of casual staff to fixed-term or continuing employment (in line with the relevant Enterprise agreements))
  6. job redesign and evaluation of existing workloads (refer Job design and evaluation (Staff Connect))
  7. relieving appointments or allocating additional duties to existing staff members (refer Relieving appointments (Staff Connect))
  8. redeployment, secondment or exchange options (refer Staff Secondments and Exchanges Policy and Secondments and exchanges (Staff Connect))
  9. other mechanisms created to enhance opportunities for staff to work on internal projects and gain experience.

4.6 Hiring managers may designate that the position be filled by an equity target group due to the inherent requirements of the role (refer Recruitment at UTS: Recruiting for diversity (SharePoint)). This may be done to address:

  1. the strategic priorities in the Wingara Indigenous Employment Strategy
  2. the strategic priorities under Athena Swan (refer Gender equity), or
  3. underrepresentation (subject to relevant state and federal legislation and advice from the People Unit and the Centre for Social Justice and Inclusion).

4.7 If the recruitment need is immediate and short term (no more than one year in duration), and a suitable internal option cannot be identified, using recruitment agency staff on a temporary basis may also be considered in line with this policy, the Enterprise agreements and approved by the authorised delegate (refer UTS Delegations).

4.8 The recruitment method must be approved by the authorised delegate. Hiring managers will then work with the recruitment team to develop a position description and selection criteria and other requirements relevant to the role (refer Recruitment at UTS: Position descriptions and position statements (SharePoint)). Once the requirement for a new position has been approved by the authorised delegate, hiring managers must create a vacancy in iRecruit (refer Recruitment at UTS: Creating the vacancy (SharePoint)).

4.9 Hiring managers must form a selection panel to screen, shortlist and interview candidates. Selection panels should be established as soon as a vacancy has been approved for recruitment consistent with the requirements set out in Appendix 1 and before moving to stage 2. The panel composition must be accurately recorded in iRecruit.

4.10 In line with the university’s commitments under Athena Swan (refer Gender equity), hiring managers (and panel members) (refer Appendix 1), before interviewing candidates:

  1. must complete (or have completed at least within the previous 5 years) unconscious bias training and where appropriate cultural awareness training, or
  2. obtain an exemption from the dean/director (or the relevant member of the senior executive where the dean or director is the hiring manager) in line with advice available from Recruitment at UTS: Selection panels (SharePoint). This exemption is in addition to that approved under statement 4.58.

Stage 2: Recruitment methods

4.11 UTS allows for the following recruitment methods as appropriate for the particular role (and approved by the authorised delegate):

  1. competitive recruitment (including expressions of interest and executive search)
  2. appointment of distinguished professors
  3. appointment by invitation/direct appointment
  4. casual appointment, and
  5. temporary appointment via recruitment agency.

Competitive recruitment

4.12 Competitive recruitment is UTS’s preferred method for the recruitment of continuing and fixed-term appointments. Where an alternative method is selected for these types of appointment, the justification must be recorded in line with the Records Management Policy.

4.13 Guidance on attracting candidates (via advertisement or other methods) is available at Recruitment at UTS: Advertising and attracting (SharePoint).

4.14 As part of a competitive recruitment process, all candidates are required to:

  1. apply for the position via a secure platform (for example, iRecruit) by the application closing date
  2. accept the university’s privacy statement
  3. address the selection criteria, and
  4. be advised of and provided with workplace adjustment arrangements where necessary (refer the Accessibility and Inclusion Policy and the Workplace Adjustment Procedure).

4.15 Application closing dates will not normally be extended. Late applications will only be accepted where there are extenuating circumstances and with prior approval from the hiring manager. Late application requests, and/or approvals (including approval details), must be appropriately recorded in line with this policy (refer Records, confidentiality and conflicts of interest). Existing applicants must be notified and given the opportunity to resubmit an application.

4.16 Where a competitive recruitment campaign has been unsuccessful, readvertising of the vacancy will not take place until all applicants from the initial campaign have been formally notified of the outcome of their applications.

4.17 When a position is approved for internal recruitment only, any potential external recruitment will not take place until:

  1. the internal process has been concluded and all applicants have been notified of an outcome, and
  2. an external recruitment process has been approved to start by the appropriate delegate.

4.18 The use of executive search firms to manage a competitive recruitment process on behalf of UTS must be undertaken in line with the Procurement Policy and must be approved by the:

  1. Provost for all academic and academic manager positions, or
  2. Chief Operating Officer (COO) for senior staff group and professional staff positions.

Appointment of distinguished professors

4.19 As UTS operates in a competitive environment, appointment of distinguished professors by invitation or promotion may be used to secure (or retain) exceptional academics (including researchers) in line with the university’s strategic priorities.

4.20 The process of appointing distinguished professors should take into consideration university employment targets in relation to Indigenous staff (refer Wingara Indigenous Employment Strategy) and for improving gender balance (refer Athena Swan (available at Gender equity)).

4.21 Appointments of distinguished professors by promotion (internal candidates) are approved by the Vice-Chancellor and managed in line with the Appointment of Distinguished Professors Procedure.

4.22 Appointment of distinguished professors by invitation (external candidates) may make use of a selection panel to consider the appointment as appropriate. The provisions of this policy must be used as a guide to ensure an appropriate level of due diligence has been undertaken and evidence must be provided (and recorded) of the outcomes of the candidate assessment process.

Appointments by invitation (direct appointments)

4.23 Appointments by invitation (or direct appointments) may be considered in the following circumstances:

  1. In instances where specialist skills, knowledge or expertise are very limited or in short supply for areas of strategic or reputational importance (meaning a competitive recruitment process is unlikely to yield suitable candidates and it is time critical to the delivery of positive recruitment outcomes).
  2. Where it is beneficial to minimise the impact of institutional change or restructure. In this instance, redeployment or transfer to comparable roles will help to meet the recruitment needs of emerging areas while retaining institutional knowledge (and a competitive recruitment process would not elicit superior candidates). This may include establishing a pool of affected staff for a limited period of time.
  3. In order to facilitate a staff member’s rehabilitation.
  4. Where a competitive recruitment process has been unsuccessful (with evidence documented and available for review) and a review/comparison of the advertisement text and approach has been undertaken.
  5. Where a competitive recruitment process has taken place within the last 6 months for a comparable role and multiple candidates have been identified as being appointable from the original process and all activity related to the original recruitment process was documented and is available for review.
  6. Where there is no available evidence that a previous competitive recruitment process has been undertaken, then the appointment must be classified as a direct appointment.
  7. For casual appointments under 12 months (refer Casual appointments and use of recruitment agencies).
  8. In other exceptional circumstances with the approval of the Provost or the COO.

4.24 Appointments by invitation are approved by the Provost for academic roles or the COO for senior staff group and professional staff positions normally following consideration by a selection panel. The provisions of this policy must be used as a guide to ensure an appropriate level of due diligence has been undertaken and evidence must be provided (and recorded) of the outcomes of the candidate assessment process.

4.25 Appointments by invitation should take into consideration UTS’s commitment to excellence, social justice and achievement of equity targets (particularly in relation to women in STEM and Indigenous candidates). Further information is available at Recruitment at UTS: Recruitment options (SharePoint).

Casual appointments and use of recruitment agencies

4.26 Academic and professional staff appointments may be made on a casual basis in order to address sudden increases in workload, regular work volume peaks or seasonal increases in workload. Position descriptions are encouraged to facilitate any future performance review processes. Casual appointments may be made in line with the Enterprise agreements and the information provided at Casual appointments (Staff Connect).

4.27 Use of recruitment agency staff through recruitment agencies must be made via the NSW Government Contingent Workforce Scheme and may be appropriate in situations where the role:

  1. is short term
  2. remaining vacant impacts directly on the university’s ability to meet strategic or operational targets or objectives and, as a result, must be filled quickly.

Stage 3: Candidate assessment and selection

4.28 Candidate assessment is the process of determining applicant suitability against the selection criteria using a range of required and optional assessment methods. Candidate assessment and selection processes must be rigorous, evidence-based, transparent and free from bias.

4.29 The type and minimum number of selection methods used to assess candidates are outlined at Recruitment at UTS: Assessing and shortlisting applications (SharePoint). Further guidance on candidate assessment including long and short listing is available at Recruitment at UTS: Shortlisting and interviewing (SharePoint).

4.30 The selection panel (established in stage 1 and outlined at Appendix 1) will apply the required selection methods and determine any additional methods to use based on the position's selection criteria. Where technology solutions are used to assist with the candidate assessment, the ultimate responsibility for decision-making remains with the convenor and selection panel.

Interviews

4.31 Interviews are the primary selection method used at UTS and are mandatory for all roles outlined at Recruitment at UTS: Assessing and shortlisting applications (SharePoint). Interviews provide greater opportunity to build rapport and allow all parties to gather additional information. Structured interviews must be used as part of a competitive recruitment process or where an external recruitment supplier is engaged to provide candidates for roles (other than temporary assignments). Further guidance on interview processes and options is available at Recruitment at UTS: The interviews (SharePoint).

4.32 Panel interviews are recommended for appointments by invitation (direct appointments) and appointments of distinguished professors by invitation where it makes sense to do so. Normally a one-on-one interview will form part of these recruitment processes.

References and due diligence

4.33 A minimum of 2 reference checks must be conducted for all continuing positions and fixed-term roles, regardless of the recruitment method. It is recommended that reference(s) be conducted for casual roles where it is practical to do so and is proportionate to the level of risk.

4.34 At least one reference check must be verbal. Other reference checks may be obtained from a referee in writing. Where these reference checks are not addressed to the hiring manager by name, then confirmation that the reference check is genuine must be obtained and recorded by the hiring manger.

4.35 The type and nature of the remaining reference checks is determined by the hiring manager based on role duration, responsibilities and overall risk to the university. Hiring managers must be satisfied that all references have been provided by the individual nominated as referee. Refer Recruitment at UTS: References and other assessment options (SharePoint) and/or contact the recruitment team (available at Recruitment at UTS (SharePoint)) for further guidance on suitable referees.

4.36 Normally the hiring manager will undertake the reference checks. If this is not possible, a member of the selection panel (who understands the role and its requirements) may be nominated to undertake the reference checks. All reference checks must be completed before a recommendation is made to the authorised delegate.

4.37 Screening and probity checks (where required) must be undertaken in line with Recruitment at UTS: Background checks (SharePoint) in order to mitigate any risk to UTS and to ensure integrity of UTS operations and activities. Enhanced screening and probity checks must be undertaken for designated roles where, due to the nature of the role, or its inherent requirements, there is additional risk to UTS or others. Any person engaging in child-related work must obtain a Working with Children Check (refer Child Protection Policy) before undertaking these duties.

Stage 4: Appointments, offers and feedback

4.38 On completion of the candidate assessment and selection processes, the panel, via the convenor (or hiring manager), will make a recommendation to the authorised delegate (refer Delegations) to appoint a candidate via iRecruit with all relevant documentation (refer Recruitment at UTS: Making an offer (SharePoint)).

4.39 The convenor must provide evidence (recorded in iRecruit) to the authorised delegate outlining, against the selection criteria:

  1. why the candidate was considered suitable for appointment
  2. why the other interviewed candidates were not considered suitable for appointment, and
  3. whether any other candidate was considered appointable (in the event the recommended candidate declines the position).

4.40 The authorised delegate may approve the panel’s majority recommendation, authorise further selection processes to take place (for example, additional reference checks) or reject the recommendation of the panel (providing justification).

4.41 Where a suitable candidate has not been identified by the panel, the convenor will propose next steps and/or alternative recruitment methods for consideration by the authorised delegate.

4.42 Any panel member (or other official observer) not satisfied with the selection process may choose to inform the panel and submit a minority report to the authorised delegate.

4.43 Hiring managers must discuss with the People Unit any remuneration package that contains non-standard items (for example, allowances) and receive approval from the authorised delegate for salary rates and other terms and conditions (for example, performance-based pay, the issuing of visas, allowances) before any discussions with the candidate (refer Enterprise agreements and Recruitment at UTS: Remuneration (SharePoint)).

4.44 Verbal and/or written offers of employment (formal or informal) can only be made after formal approval by the authorised delegate in iRecruit and approval of appropriate terms of appointment (refer Recruitment at UTS: Making an offer (SharePoint)). Any offer before formal approval is obtained is considered a breach of this policy.

4.45 Candidates must have the right to work in Australia in accordance with the requirements of the Department of Home Affairs and the Migration Act 1958 (Cwlth). In special circumstances, UTS may sponsor a candidate who does not have a right to work in Australia (refer Recruitment at UTS: Visas and relocation (SharePoint)).

4.46 Requests for candidate sponsorship via available visas may be approved by the authorised delegate after careful consideration of:

  1. the clear evidence that there are no suitable candidates with the right to work in Australia
  2. the associated costs and visa processing time against the potential benefits of the appointment
  3. availability of appropriate visas and any other conditions required by the Department of Home Affairs, and
  4. the university’s obligation to comply with the regulatory environment (refer International collaboration and engagement: Regulatory considerations (SharePoint)).

4.47 The hiring manager must provide feedback to unsuccessful applicants on their applications and/or performance during the selection process as soon as possible after a recommendation to appoint a candidate has been accepted in line with table 4.47.

Table 4.47: Feedback to be provided

Applicant categoryAction
External applicant — not interviewedInform the external applicant in writing that their application has been unsuccessful (actioned by the recruitment team via iRecruit).
Internal applicant — not interviewedInform the internal applicant verbally or in writing that their application has been unsuccessful, with an offer to provide feedback on their application.
External applicant — interviewed but not appointedInform the external applicant verbally or in writing of their interview outcome, with an offer to provide feedback on the application and performance at interview.
Internal applicant — interviewed but not appointedInform the internal applicant verbally of their interview outcome and offer to provide feedback on their application and performance at interview.

4.48 UTS may, at any time, rescind an offer of employment to a candidate who has:

  1. provided false or deliberately misleading information during the recruitment and/or selection process, or
  2. behaved in a manner that contravenes the behavioural expectations or requirements of the Code of Conduct and the Equity, Inclusion and Respect Policy.

Records, confidentiality and conflicts of interest

4.49 To protect privacy and confidentiality, candidate information must only be provided to the selection panel (including the Centre for Social Justice and Inclusion or Jumbunna attendees), relevant recruitment team members and the authorised delegate. The candidate’s consent must be obtained in advance if their information is to be shared beyond this group (refer Recruitment at UTS: Candidate privacy (SharePoint)).

4.50 Collection, management, distribution and destruction of any candidate information must be carried out in accordance with the Records Management Policy, the Privacy Policy (particularly for personal information) and the Data Governance Policy. All staff involved in the recruitment process must be aware of the requirements of these policies. Advice should be sought from the recruitment team to ensure records created and managed by an executive search firm on behalf of UTS are appropriately stored and managed.

4.51 The UTS Recruitment Privacy Statement is publicly available. Candidates may request access to information collected by the university during any recruitment process (refer Your privacy at UTS).

4.52 Any conflicts of interest that arise during the recruitment process must be managed by the hiring manager (or the convenor or relevant supervisor, as relevant to the stage of recruitment) in line with the Conflicts of Interest Disclosure Policy and Appendix 1.

Appeals

4.53 Unsuccessful internal candidates may appeal only where there is an identifiable lack of due process. The obligation to establish failure to follow the selection processes outlined in this policy lies with the candidate. External applicants have no right to appeal under this policy.

4.54 Appeals must be made in writing to the Executive Director, People and Culture within 7 days of receiving written notification of the unsuccessful application with any additional supporting documentation lodged within 14 days of receiving written notice of the unsuccessful application.

4.55 The Executive Director, People and Culture will appoint a person(s) not involved in the original selection process to investigate the circumstances of the appeal and provide a report. Based on the investigator’s report, the Executive Director, People and Culture may decide to:

  1. reject the appeal
  2. request further investigations
  3. appoint a different selection panel to shortlist and/or interview all or some candidates
  4. quash the original selection decision and initiate a completely new selection process.

4.56 Appeals for unsuccessful internal applicants for appointment of distinguished professors by invitation are managed in line with the Appointment of Distinguished Professors Procedure.

4.57 All staff and candidates involved in the appeals process must act in accordance with the Code of Conduct and the Equity, Inclusion and Respect Policy.

Policy exceptions, breaches and review

4.58 Any recommended recruitment or appointment that is an exception to provisions outlined in this policy must have clear and identifiable strategic justification and must be approved by the COO in consultation with the Provost. Exceptions must be formally reported to the Governance Support Unit and recorded and filed under the file number for this policy.

4.59 Any temporary deviations to this policy must be justified and outlined in official organisational change documents (approved by Council or the Vice-Chancellor as appropriate) and approved only for the specified period of the change process. Any deviating process or action must align with the policy principles and the Enterprise agreements.

4.60 Breaches of this policy are considered a failure to comply with the Code of Conduct and will be dealt with under the code. This includes UTS’s right to notify a relevant statutory authority and/or agency where there is a breach of legislation. 

4.61 Data breaches will be managed in line with the Data Governance Policy and the Privacy Policy.

4.62 Complaints that do not constitute an appeal under this policy should be made in line with the Staff Complaints Policy.

4.63 This policy will be reviewed every 3 years to ensure compliance, effectiveness and transparency. Data from the staff complaints process, the appeals process and feedback provided by hiring managers will be used to guide further improvements to this policy and the recruitment process more generally.

5. Roles and responsibilities

5.1 Policy owner: The Chief Operating Officer (COO) is responsible for enforcement of and compliance with this policy, ensuring that its principles and statements are observed. The COO is also responsible for the approval of executive search firms for professional and senior staff and approval of any associated university level procedures and for approving exceptions in consultation with the Provost. 

The Provost is responsible for approving the use of executive search firms for all academic and academic manager positions in line with this policy.

5.2 Policy contact: The Executive Director, People and Culture is responsible for the day-to-day implementation of this policy, and acts as a primary point of contact for advice on fulfilling its provisions. The Executive Director, People and Culture is also responsible for the appeals processes as outlined in this policy and for the development, approval and publication of related guidance (normally via Staff Connect or SharePoint). Guidance documents must comply with the requirements and conventions of this policy and the procedures.

5.3 Implementation and governance roles:

The hiring manager has overall responsibility for the recruitment and selection process as outlined in this policy.

Strategic Recruitment, Remuneration Data and Systems (recruitment team) will guide hiring managers through the recruitment and appointment process. 

The convenor of the selection panel (who is normally the hiring manager) is responsible for recruitment and selection processes as outlined in this policy.

Members of the selection panel will fulfil all recruitment and selection obligations as outlined in this policy and Appendix 1.

6. Definitions

The following definitions apply for this policy and all associated procedures and guidelines. These are in addition to the definitions outlined in Schedule 1, Student Rules. Definitions in the singular also include the plural meaning of the word.

Affiliate is defined in the Code of Conduct.

Appointment means the appointment of a candidate to a role via any UTS recruitment method.

Appointment by invitation (also direct appointment) means a method of recruitment and appointment made directly to the candidate (or narrow group of candidates) either internal or external without a competitive recruitment process. This is separate from the process of appointing a distinguished professor by invitation.

Appointment of distinguished professors by invitation or promotion means the process of appointing an exceptional or leading academic who is a specialist in their field. This may be used as a recruitment (by invitation) or retention (by promotion) strategy. Appointments of distinguished professors are approved by the Vice-Chancellor. All candidates for the title of distinguished professors must meet the requirements outlined in the Appointment of Distinguished Professors Procedure.

Authorised delegate means the individual identified in the relevant Delegations and/or this policy who is responsible for decision-making and approvals.

Candidate (also applicant) means an individual who has correctly applied for an advertised position at UTS and/or has made it to the selection process and has been shortlisted for consideration for a role.

Casual staff means staff engaged in line with the relevant UTS Enterprise agreements.

Child-related work is defined in the Child Protection Policy.

Continuing appointment means an appointment for an indefinite period. A continuing appointment is made where the nature of the work is ongoing.

Competitive recruitment means the process of advertising an approved role and asking individuals to submit a job application. Competitive recruitment is managed by UTS in line with this policy and the procedures and may be internal or both internal and external. Where competitive recruitment is internal, this may be open to all university staff (including casual and temporary staff) or via an expression of interest process (see below).

Convenor is the person responsible for coordinating the selection panel. Normally, the convenor is the hiring manager. Where the convenor is not the hiring manager, the recruitment team will support the convenor in undertaking necessary tasks on behalf of the hiring manager (for example, if the hiring manger has a conflict of interest).

Equity target group is defined in the Equity, Inclusion and Respect Policy.

Executive search firm means a specific type of external recruitment agency that specialises in sourcing high-quality candidates for senior and specialist roles. These firms are paid on a retained basis to manage a competitive recruitment process on the university’s behalf.

Expressions of interest (EOI) process means an internal competitive recruitment method where staff from a defined school, faculty, centre or unit are invited to express interest in an advertised role in line with this policy and the procedures. EOI must be managed in line with a normal competitive recruitment process, including record management requirements. The identified area to which EOI applications are open must be clearly communicated to applicants.

External recruitment means the process of inviting or attracting people external to UTS to apply for a position through a variety of mechanisms including general advertising, recruitment sites, professional networks and equity target groups.

Fixed-term appointment means an appointment for a specified term or defined period as specified in the relevant Enterprise agreement.

Hiring manager means the staff member who will manage the recruitment and selection process. The hiring manager will normally be the supervisor of the position to be filled and act as the convenor of the selection panel (see also convenor).

Indigenous is defined in the Indigenous Policy.

Internal recruitment means the recruiting for an approved role open to UTS staff (including casuals and temporary appointments) only.

Interview means the process of engaging or meeting directly with a candidate to assess role suitability, knowledge, approach and value fit. 

iRecruit means the approved software package used by UTS for recruitment management processes.

Lack of due process means the failure of the selection panel to duly follow UTS policies.

Longlisting and shortlisting mean the processes of narrowing the potential list of candidates by eliminating applicants who, based on their applications, do not meet the basic key selection criteria and/or are ineligible to apply for the role (for example, do not have a right to work in Australia).

Minority report means a report presented by a selection panel member or other recruitment official who disagrees with the appointment decision agreed by the majority of the panel.

Position description (and academic position statement) means the details of a role that articulate its requirements and responsibilities together with the skills, knowledge, experience, qualifications and capabilities required. Position descriptions and academic position statements (along with selection criteria) are required for both internal and external recruitment and must comply with the values outlined in the Equity, Inclusion and Respect Policy. For professional and senior staff positions, position descriptions inform the job evaluation conducted by the People Unit that forms the basis of remuneration decisions.

Probity screening means background checks to ensure candidate suitability for the specific requirements of a role or position at UTS. This can include a range of different checks on history, activity and records. All checks must be conducted with the informed consent of the applicant.

Recruitment method means an approved mechanism for filling a vacancy at UTS in line with this policy.

Reference check means the process of contacting previous employers, colleagues or clients to gain more information about a candidate.

Relieving appointment means internal appointment or staff transfer for a fixed period, normally up to 12 months. Relieving appointments may be made as a:

  1. temporarily vacant position that is made temporary for a variety of reasons, for example, an employee being absent on leave or secondment, or following a resignation
  2. position that has been newly created on a fixed-term basis that is to be filled internally, for example, project work or planned staff development opportunity.

Right to work in Australia mean the following categories of person:

  1. Australian citizens
  2. Australian permanent residents
  3. New Zealand citizens who entered Australia on a current New Zealand passport and were granted a visa with work entitlements on arrival
  4. non-Australian citizens holding a valid visa with work entitlements.

Screening is the process of assessing and then eliminating candidates who, based on their written applications, clearly do not meet a substantial number of the key selection criteria for the position or are otherwise ineligible to apply (for example, do not have a right to work in Australia).

Selection criteria means the list of skills, qualifications, attributes, knowledge and experience required to successfully undertake a role. Selection criteria must:

  1. be clear, specific and relevant to the position
  2. be consistent with the position classification standards (refer Enterprise agreements)
  3. not favour either internal or external candidates
  4. not be excessive or overly prescriptive (as this may restrict the potential pool of applicants, particularly when seeking to encourage applications from equity target groups)
  5. not be changed once a position has been advertised.

Selection method (also candidate selection method) means the techniques used to choose a candidate from a group of shortlisted candidates. These include, but are not limited to, interviews (in-person, phone or online interviews), work-sample tests, psychometric profiling, presentations, provision of documentary tasks or evidence, stakeholder meeting, job knowledge tests, case studies and situational reasoning tests. Required and optional candidate selection methods are outlined at Recruitment at UTS: Assessing and shortlisting applications (SharePoint). Choice of selection methods must protect the candidate’s confidentiality and privacy, and not unfairly disadvantage external candidates or members of equity target groups.

Selection panel means the group of people who assist in the selection of a candidate to a specific position for approval by the delegate (refer Appendix 1).

Senior staff position means staff members who are covered by the Senior Staff Group Collective Agreement (refer Enterprise agreements).

Staff is defined in the Code of Conduct.

Work sample test means a mock task or test that require candidates to simulate tasks that are similar to the requirements of the specific role. Work sample tests must be designed to test a candidate’s abilities and provide a demonstration of relevant skills. These may be written, verbal, practical or a combination of these (for example, drafting or editing a report, providing an oral presentation, demonstrating IT, maths or language proficiency).