• Section 1 - Summary
• Section 2 - TEQSA/ASQA/ESOS Alignment
• Section 3 - Scope
• Section 4 - Definitions
• Section 5 - Policy Statement
• Part A - Principles
• Part B - Position Management
• Part C - Recruitment and Selection Standards
• Part D - Recruitment processes
• Part E - Roles and Responsibilities for Selection Panels
• Part F - Use of external providers/recruitment agencies
• Part G - Complaints about the process
• Section 6 - Procedures

Section 1 - Summary

(1) The Recruitment and Selection Policy aims to provide flexibility to attract and appoint staff who will enable Victoria University to achieve its strategic and organisational objectives.

(2) This Policy supports the principles of merit, fairness, diversity and transparency and must be read in conjunction with the Recruitment and Selection Procedure.

Section 2 - TEQSA/ASQA/ESOS Alignment

(3) HESF: Standard 2.2 Diversity and Equity; 3.2 Staffing

(4) Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs): Standard 1, Standard 7.7.1 (b) 

(5) ESOS Act: Standard 5 Younger Overseas Students

Section 3 - Scope

(6) This Policy applies to the recruitment and selection of all continuing, fixed-term, casual and sessional employee, and contingent labour hire appointments at Victoria University.

(7) This Policy does not apply to: 

1. honorary, adjunct or visiting teaching appointments (unless otherwise engaged as employees); and/or
2. the engagement of independent contractors.

Section 4 - Definitions

(8) Aboriginal

(9) Appointment: The process by which a person is offered and accepts a position.

(10) Conflict of Interest: Occurs when a person in a recruitment, selection or decision making role has an interest in the outcome (separate from their professional role), and which may appear to an independent observer to be sufficient to influence the objective exercise of their professional obligations or official duties.

(11) Consultant: Individuals or organisations engaged to:

1. provide expert analysis and advice which facilitates decision-making;
2. perform a specific one-off task or set of tasks; and,
3. perform a task involving skills or perspectives which would not normally be expected to reside within the University.

(12) Contingent Labour Hire: Where a person is employed and paid through a labor hire organisation to occupy an established position within the organisation. They perform the work of the University in accordance with relevant policies and procedures.

(13) Continuing Contingent Funding: Is limited term funding provided by external sources (but not funding that is part of an operating grant from the government or funding comprised of payments of fees made by or on behalf of students).

(14) Contractors: Individuals or organisations engaged to:

1. provide services which implement a decision;
2. perform all or part of a new or existing ongoing function to assist an organisational unit in undertaking its defined activities, operational functions and information systems and processes to perform a function involving skills or perspectives which would not normally be expected to reside within the organisational unit and which the organisational unit has therefore determined to outsource.

(15) Delegated Officer: An incumbent officer who holds a delegated authority within the Delegations and Authorisations Policy.

(16) Direct Appointment: The process where an individual is appointed without a competitive process.

(17) Expression of Interest (EOI): A process used to advertise roles internally to be filled for a limited period. Roles are advertised in a closed pool.

(18) Independent Contractor: Includes both consultants and contractors. They are not employees of the University.

(19) Merit-based Appointment: Where a competitive selection process is followed, and clear and transparent criteria is used to assess individual applications.

(20) Redeployment: The process of transferring/relocating a staff member whose role has been declared redundant to alternative employment.

(21) Screening: The process of evaluating applications received to narrow down which ones meet the qualifications and requirements for the position.

(22) Student

(23) Student As Staff: Refers to a student that is employed on a casual basis to perform specific tasks or services whilst they are enrolled to study in a course at the University.

(24) Targeted Search: A tool under Special Measures of the Victorian Equal Employment Opportunity Act 2010 to promote substantive equality for a group of people who have one (or more) protected attributes using targeted search or recruitment.

Section 5 - Policy Statement

Part A - Principles

(25) Victoria University’s recruitment process is guided by the following principles:

1. Selection will be based on merit where the best possible match is made based on qualifications, knowledge skills, abilities and relevant experience of the candidate.
2. Candidates will be selected and appointed in accordance with the principles of this Policy and the requirements of any relevant legislation, industrial agreements, or organisational strategy or commitment.
3. Commitment to equality of opportunity and its underpinning principles, equity, and diversity as expressed in the Diversity, Inclusion and Equal Opportunity Policy.
4. Decisions and outcomes will not be influenced by protected characteristics, bias, or conflicts of interest of staff involved in the recruitment process.
5. Transparency and fairness in communication to all candidates throughout the process.
6. All candidate information is treated with utmost confidentiality and complies with privacy laws and university policies.

Part B - Position Management

(26) All new positions created must align to the strategic direction, business needs or resource capacity of the University.

(27) All new positions are to be formally requested and approved in VU People First as outlined in the Delegations and Authorisations Policy.

(28) A Position Description will be developed for all positions (excluding academic sessional positions).

(29) Duty statements may be developed for Academic Sessional appointments only.

Part C - Recruitment and Selection Standards

(30) The University is committed to sourcing and securing the best available talent based on a combination of experience, qualifications, behaviours, values and capabilities to meet current and future workforce requirements.

(31) The University is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing a workplace where all people can achieve. These values are reflected in recruitment and selection practices.

(32) The University believes that diversity of the workforce adds value to the University and creates a stronger, richer working environment for everyone. Special measures may be implemented to address specific support needed for groups that have historically faced disadvantages, such as women, people with disabilities, or Indigenous Australians.

(33) Staff participating in selection decisions and processes will ensure that they: 

1. are not influenced by irrelevant attributes of a person;
2. declare any conflicts of interest that could improperly influence, or be seen to influence, their decisions or actions in the recruitment outcome as outlined in the Appropriate Workplace Behaviour Policy;
3. do not unlawfully discriminate in selection based on any protected characteristic as outlined in the University’s Discrimination and Harassment Prevention and Management Policy and applicable law; and,
4. make efforts to educate, identify and address any biases.
   
   The principles of appropriate confidentiality and privacy are critically important in recruitment and selection processes. All staff participating in the recruitment and selection process must keep confidential the details of the process, including details of candidates and other individuals involved. Such details should only be disclosed on a need-to-know basis for making a hiring decision.

(34) The University is committed to progressive inclusivity and as far as practicable selection panels and shortlists are gender balanced and diverse in composition.

(35) The University is also committed to increasing the diversity of its workforce. The University will take proactive steps to address diversity in its workforce profile through recruitment and selection processes. This will identify barriers to the inclusion and advancement of equity target groups in accordance with the relevant Equity and Diversity Strategy for Staff.

(36) The University is committed to increasing the number of Aboriginal people employed at the University. The University Yannoneit Employment Strategy 2019 – 2021 supports the work of the Bathelmun Yalingwa Strategy which commits to the Universities Australia aspiration of increasing Aboriginal employment to 3% of the workforce. The Bathelmun Yalingwa Strategy outlines the ways we can gamadji (grow), dambunmon (share) and jerrboongun (connect) our Aboriginal community and culture through employment. The aspiration is for Victoria University to be a university where Aboriginal people can work and flourish in community with other Aboriginal staff and with all staff.

(37) Hiring managers are encouraged to contact the Executive Director, Moondani Balluk to discuss sourcing appropriately qualified Aboriginal candidates for roles and promoting awareness of roles within the Aboriginal community to attract candidates.

(38) The University is committed to making reasonable adjustments to provide a positive, barrier-free recruitment process for candidates with particular access needs. Candidates who require adjustments are encouraged to contact the designated contact person for the job to discuss their needs.

(39) VU may, at its discretion and in accordance with applicable law, target positions or recruitment specifically to under-represented groups. 

Part D - Recruitment processes

(40) Vacant positions may be filled using:

1. Merit-based selection processes; or, 
2. Direct appointment processes by exception only.

(41) Whether a position is advertised or not, the principles of merit and equity will still apply. 

(42) All candidates will be notified about the status of their applications.

(43) It is expected that an interview and required pre-employment checks will be conducted for every position, no matter what selection process is used. Regardless of the type of interview, no appointment may be made without satisfactory results in all required checks and qualifications.

1. Interviews are required for fixed-term roles, and will involve a structured process;
2. Interviews may be conducted for casual or sessional roles, or as part of a direct appointment process (by exception only).

(44) Recruitment and selection processes will be continually reviewed to ensure that they are fit for purpose and align with contemporary practices.

Part E - Roles and Responsibilities for Selection Panels

(45) Selection Panel members must declare any actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest to the Chair of the Panel as soon as they are known. If the Selection Panel member or Chair of the Selection Panel believes they are unable to be impartial, the Chair of the Selection Panel is to seek a replacement.

(46) In the case of the Chair of the Selection Panel declaring a perceived or real conflict of interest, the relevant Delegated Officer will be responsible for appointing a new Chair for the Selection Panel.

Part F - Use of external providers/recruitment agencies

(47) The use of External Preferred Providers/Recruitment Agencies should be minimal across the University, and only considered for the recruitment of highly specialised roles and/or senior roles; and only after other avenues of recruitment have been eliminated. 

(48) Hiring Managers must not directly engage with any preferred provider/Recruitment Agency (or request candidate applications) prior to speaking to People & Culture, then seeking the necessary approvals via an exemption procurement process.

(49) Approval to use an External Recruitment Agency must be sought in writing via an exemption form from the Executive Director Procurement and Finance Operations. A ‘justification’ must be included and all anticipated agency costs should be included as a reference in total recruitment costs.

Part G - Complaints about the process

(50) Complaints about the process may be addressed to the Director, People Experience and Services.

Section 6 - Procedures

(51) Recruitment and Selection Procedure