Appointment without advertisement

Policy information | Policy summary | Applicable to | Not applicable to | Policy details | Related links | Roles and responsibilities

Policy information

Approved by	Council	Date	15 October 2011
Policy owner	Manager: Staff Recruitment Office
Reviewed by	VCMAG, ERMC, UHRC, Staff Bodies, Deans, Senate, IF, Council (view acronym list)
Enquiries	Manager: Staff Recruitment Office (view contacts)

Policy summary Appointments are normally made after advertisement (either public advertisement or internal advertisement). Exceptions are permitted and this policy provides for the exceptions. Appointment without advertisement may be permitted where: The incumbent is being considered for a contract renewal or permanent appointment; or The field has been recently canvassed and a strong appointable candidate has been identified; or A person has been identified with scarce skills for a specialised post; or External funding is linked to the appointment of a specific candidate; or The Vice-Chancellor has motivated for a strategic appointment. The process involves three mandatory stages: Motivation Approval Recommendation

Applicable to

Both PASS and academic staff in the following employment categories:

• New permanent appointments.
• New contract appointments of more than 2 years (T2).
• Renewal of existing contracts for a further period when this will necessitate a change in conditions of service (i.e. when T2 conditions of service will apply regardless of the length of the renewal).
• Change in appointment from contract to permanent.

Not applicable to

• Contracts of 2 years or less (T1).

Policy details

Appointment without advertisement may be allowed in the following cases:

• ​​​​​​The candidate has a proven track record in a contract post, and is now to be considered for:
• a contract renewal (in the same or very similar position) for a further period, where a change in conditions of service is necessary, i.e. when T2 conditions of service will apply.
• a permanent position (the permanent position must be the same or very similar to the current contract position).

For all of the above, the candidate must have undergone a sufficiently rigorous process on the first appointment to the position, and if not, a detailed motivation must be provided.

1.  

1.2. The field has been recently canvassed and a selection committee identified a strong appointable candidate in a recent process that concluded within the last three months, where:

• the selection committee at that stage made no appointment, or
• the selection committee at that stage found more than one appointable candidate and the second choice candidate is now to be considered for the same or very similar post.
  
  1.3. The faculty/department has identified a candidate with scarce skills for a highly specialised post, where it believes that the advertising process would not yield a better candidate.
  
  1.4. The faculty/department has received external funding for a project and the award is linked to the appointment of a specific candidate.
• 1.5. The Vice-Chancellor has motivated for a strategic appointment and the motivation has been supported by the Standing Review Committee appointed for this purpose. (The Standing Review Committee comprises the Executive Director Human Resources, a nominee of the Employment Equity Forum (EEF) and three of the five senior non-decanal professors who are not Deputy Vice-Chancellors).
  
  A motivation is prepared and checked with the Transformation Committee of the faculty/department.
  The motivation must be prepared and approved for the selection committee process to commence. The approval paths differ for academic and PASS positions according to Table 1.

Table 1: Motivation for an appointment without advertisement:

Motivation	Academic	PASS
Prepared by	Head of Department	Head of Department or Line Manager
Departmental recommendation	Dean	Dean or Executive Director
Approval	Deputy Vice-Chancellor (DVC)	Executive Director: HR (EDHR)
Also approved by the Vice-Chancellor if it is ...	Professorial	Payclass 13, peromnes 4 or 5

2.1. The Head of Department/Line Manager must seek local approval from the Dean/Executive Director (see Table 1), with a motivation detailing compliance with one of the eligibility categories in clause 1, prior to approaching the faculty/department's Transformation Committee (TC) to advise them of the intention to commence with the appointment process. The Chair of the faculty/department's TC must nominate an employment equity representative to serve on the selection committee.

2.2. If the proposed appointment would represent an employment equity appointment, and additional employment equity funding is to be applied for, the Head of Department/Line Manager (see Table 1) must apply to the Director of Transformation Services in the Office of the Vice-Chancellor alerting him/her of the possibility of an application for funding for the position.

2.3. The above motivation must be sent to the relevant HR Practitioner for circulation to the relevant staff body for information only.

3. The motivation is approved at executive level.
   The following procedure applies when motivating for an appointment without advertisement. All documentation is to be accompanied by an HR203 form.

3.1. The Dean/Line Manager (see Table 1) must submit a written motivation to the DVC/EDHR, stating the eligibility category (in clause 1) of the proposed candidate and the reasons for not advertising, with a position description, the full curriculum vitae of the proposed candidate, the names and contact details of three referees, a report on the consultation with the TC and where applicable, a report on (possible) employment equity funding.

3.2. If the motivation is approved by the DVC/EDHR (see Table 1), he/she will authorise a selection committee to convene.

3.3. If the motivation is not approved, or the selection committee declines to support the proposed appointment, the post will be advertised.

3.4. If the motivation is made by the Vice-Chancellor for a strategic reason and the Standing Review Committee has supported the motivation, the DVC must ensure consultation with the relevant faculty/departmental TC and, where applicable, provide a report on (possible) employment equity funding before authorising the appointment of a selection committee to convene to consider the appointment without advertisement.

4. A selection committee makes a final recommendation.
   
   4.1. The selection committee meets to consider the motivation, check referees' reports (if applicable) and interview the candidate (unless there are cogent reasons not to interview, which will require a full motivation to the selection committee Chair). In some instances, the selection committee may have a preliminary meeting to consider the motivation (prior to interview) if the Chair thinks this necessary.

4.2. If the selection committee does not approve the proposed appointment the motivation must be referred back to the proposer (Head of Department, Line Manager, or Vice-Chancellor), with a recommendation on the way forward.

4.3. The selection committee's recommendation, with the motivation, position description, curriculum vitae and appointment form HR100c, will be approved by the Dean or Executive Director. Final approval will be according to Table 2 below.

Table 2: Final approval of the selection committee's recommendation:

Recommendation	Academic	PASS
Departmental recommendation	Dean and HOD	Dean or Executive Director and Line Manager
Approval	Deputy Vice-Chancellor	Executive Director: HR
Also approved by the Vice-Chancellor if it is ...	Professorial	Payclass 13, peromnes 4 or 5

Related links

1. Policy on fixed-term employment contracts
2. Recruitment policies
3. Employment equity policy

Roles and responsibilities

Read in conjunction with HR delegated authorities.

Role	Responsibilities
Human Resources (HR) Department	HR Practitioner assists Line Manager or HOD to complete relevant documentation, checks previous appointments on SAP and submits request to the EDHR or DVC Academic. HR Practitioner circulates motivation to the relevant staff body for information. HR Practitioner facilitates appointment process for PASS posts in pay classes 1-8. Staff Recruitment Office facilitates appointment process for academic posts and PASS posts in pay classes 9 and above.
Head of Department (HOD) or Line Manager	Completes relevant documentation with assistance from the HR Practitioner and writes motivation for appointment without advertisement. Consults with faculty/department's Transformation Committee.
Dean or Executive Director	Submits motivation to HR Practitioner for DVC: Academic or ED: HR approval. Approves selection committee's recommendation.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor (DVC) or Executive Director: HR (EDHR)	Consults with the relevant faculty/departmental Transformation Committee for strategic appointments requested by the Vice-Chancellor (VC). Approves the motivation. Authorises the selection committee to convene. Approves the selection committee's recommendation.
Selection committee	Considers the motivation, checks referees, interviews candidate and makes final recommendation. In the case of a non-approval, recommends the way forward.
Faculty/department's Transformation Committee (TC)	Advises the HOD, Dean or DVC on employment equity funding. Nominates employment equity representative for selection committee.
Vice-Chancellor (VC)	Motivates for strategic appointments. Approves selection committee's recommendation for professorial appointments and pay class 13, peromnes 4 or 5.
Standing Review Committee	Approves strategic appointments requested by the VC.

Page last updated: 27 February 2020

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