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Appointment by Invitation Policy and Procedure

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Section 1 - Preamble

(1) This policy provides the principles and procedures under which individuals may be appointed to Charles Darwin University (‘CDU’, ‘the University’) by invitation.

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Section 2 - Purpose

(2) This document details the principles and requirements relating to appointment by invitation for academic and senior professional staff positions.  It sets out the University's standards for employment in such positions and details the principles for recruiting and selecting applicants.

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Section 3 - Scope

(3) This document applies to ongoing, fixed-term and internal secondment vacancies within the University.

(4) Employment of casual employees is not covered by this policy.  A hiring manager who engages a casual employee shall do so in accordance with the Delegations Policy and the Charles Darwin University & Union Enterprise Agreement (the Charles Darwin University and Union Enterprise Agreement 2022) or its succeeding copy.

(5) This document should be read in conjunction with the current Enterprise Agreement.

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Section 4 - Policy

(6) CDU aims to ensure a professional, fair and ethical approach to recruitment that matches the skills, expertise and experience of an individual to the requirements of the operating unit and the University's strategic priorities.  This approach should also provide for the flexibility and responsiveness necessary to enable certain strategic priority positions to be filled quickly and exceptional candidates appointed in a minimum timeframe to secure their services to the University.

(7) Merit is the overriding criterion for appointment by invitation and must be established by a combination of peer review and other forms of assessment of the qualifications, expertise and achievements of the individual.

(8) The policy applies where the proposed appointment is required to be made in:

  1. a short time frame to meet operational needs and/or to secure the services of an exceptional candidate;
  2. a confidential way for senior appointments where an executive placement service has been used to fill strategic positions; or
  3. other exceptional circumstances with the approval of the Vice-Chancellor.

(9) The position to be offered can be either ongoing or fixed-term depending on the priorities of the Faculty/operational unit.

(10) In certain situations, the University may offer a position in an operational unit to an agency employee who has been able to clearly demonstrate exceptional occupational skills during the term of their placement.

(11) Where the appointment under consideration is an identified First Nations position or is to be extended to a person who identifies as a First Nations Australian, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor First Nations Leadership must be notified prior to an offer being made.

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Section 5 - Procedure

Nomination

(12) The relevant Director, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, or member of Senior Executive Team (the 'nominator') will provide a nomination to the Vice-Chancellor, through the Director People and Culture.

(13) The nomination should include the individual's claim for the position (including CV and references) and may also include:

  1. a case outlining the circumstances on which the proposed appointment is based;
  2. any conditions that might apply to the proposed appointee; and
  3. reports on the individual's experience and capabilities from no less than three relevant referees or assessors.

(14) Referees must be senior members of the sector or community and have known the candidate in their capacity as related to the position to which they are being appointed.

(15) A panel of no less than two members of the Senior Executive Team will consider the submission, references and CV and make a recommendation to the Vice-Chancellor.

(16) On occasion and on the instruction of the Vice-Chancellor, the recommendation may be forwarded to the University Council for endorsement.

(17) In exceptional circumstances and on the endorsement of a minimum of two members of the Senior Executive Team, a nomination may be made directly to the Vice-Chancellor for approval. This submission should be forwarded through the Director People and Culture.

Conflicts of Interest

(18) The nominator should not have a direct professional involvement with the individual.  However, where the individual has been working under the operational direction of the nominator, the nominator is best placed to provide the case for placement.

(19) The nominator must include in the nomination a declaration of any conflicts of interest in accordance with the Conflicts of Interest Policy.  The declaration must also be included in any subsequent recommendation to the Vice-Chancellor or the University Council as relevant.

Approval Process

(20) The Vice-Chancellor will consider the recommendation of the members of Senior Executive Team, the nomination, referees' reports and the CV.  The Vice-Chancellor may seek advice from appropriate staff in making a decision.

(21) The Vice-Chancellor will forward the decision to the Director People and Culture for implementation.

Agency Employees

(22) An appointment by invitation of an individual currently on a temporary limited fixed term agency placement to an operational area will only be considered where:

  1. The agency employee was initially engaged following the completion of an unsuccessful competitive selection process.
  2. The agency employee has been engaged in the same substantive position in the operational area on a regular and systematic basis for the preceding 12 months or such other time as deemed appropriate by the Vice-Chancellor, a Deputy Vice-Chancellor, or member of the Senior Executive Team.
  3. The nominator can clearly demonstrate the agency employee has performed and continues to perform in the position at an exceptional skill level.
  4. The operational area has determined that ongoing work involving the same duties is available for the individual.
  5. The budget for the operational area can meet the employment agency's placement fee where the agency employee is offered appointment to the University.
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Section 6 - Non-Compliance

(23) Non-compliance with Governance Documents is considered a breach of the Code of Conduct – Staff or the Code of Conduct – Students, as applicable, and is treated seriously by the University. Reports of concerns about non-compliance will be managed in accordance with the applicable disciplinary procedures outlined in the Charles Darwin University and Union Enterprise Agreement 2022 and the Code of Conduct – Students.

(24) Complaints may be raised in accordance with the Complaints and Grievance Policy and Procedure - Employees and Complaints Policy - Students.

(25) All staff members have an individual responsibility to raise any suspicion, allegation or report of fraud or corruption in accordance with the Fraud and Corruption Control Policy and Whistleblower Reporting (Improper Conduct) Procedure.