New or vacant roles must be approved in line with the organisation’s Instrument and Register of Delegations.

For senior roles (academic, research or leadership at Level D and above), additional approval may be required from the Vice-Chancellor.

In accordance with the Equal Opportunity Act 2010, for positions identified as supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, only Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander applicants are eligible to apply. Prior to submitting a request for recruitment, consultation with People and Culture is required.

Positions six months or longer, that do not meet the definition of special and exceptional circumstances, must be advertised to ensure merit-based recruitment through an open and competitive process.

Vacant positions will typically be advertised externally for a two-week period, and internally for one week. All job advertisements will include the statement: ‘Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are encouraged to apply’ to support inclusive and equitable recruitment practices.

Where it is believed the position may be difficult to fill within Australia and international sponsorship is a possibility, the position will be advertised in accordance with the requirements of the Department of Immigration and Home Affairs. For further advice please contact Employee Services prior to advertising.

Candidates may be contacted and interviewed throughout the advertising period. However, no position can be offered until the position has closed, and all candidates have been considered. The University reserves the right to invite applications and to make no appointment.

An expression of interest (EOI) may be used to attract candidates in situations where a full recruitment process is not required, such as during organisational restructures or when inviting a specific group of staff to apply for a position. In these cases, the EOI will be distributed only to the targeted audience. The EOI process can be conducted via email or through Workday. Before the EOI is distributed, a position description (PD) must be provided and graded for a classification.

External recruitment agencies may be engaged when University sourcing strategies have been exhausted or when specialised expertise is required. All engagements with external agencies must be approved in advance by the Director, People and Culture and aligned with our preferred agencies. All agencies must adhere to the University’s recruitment and procurement requirements.

Throughout all stages of the recruitment process, the selection panel is expected to:

Selection panels must be established in accordance with the University’s minimum requirements while ensuring appropriate diversity and representation. For further information, please refer to the Composition of selection panel guide.

Where an applicant identifies as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, the panel chair must engage with People and Culture to ensure culturally appropriate representation. This may involve the Indigenous Workforce Partner or a nominated Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person participating as a member of the selection panel.

All internal members of the selection panel are required to participate in the shortlisting of applicants. At the discretion of the panel chair, external panel members may also be invited to contribute to the shortlisting process.

The selection panel will assess candidates against the requirements of the position description in order to shortlist for interviews. Panel members must take into consideration diversity, equity and inclusion principles throughout the recruitment process, ensuring a fair and unbiased evaluation of all candidates.

Interviews are a requirement of the recruitment and selection process, except where:

Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander candidates must be provided with interview questions at least 24 hours in advance.

Before making a recommendation for appointment, a minimum of two reference checks must be completed for external applicants. These checks may be conducted automatically via Workday or manually by the panel chair, using referees provided by the applicant.

For internal applicants, reference checks are at the discretion of the panel chair and must be conducted using referees nominated by the candidate. These checks should be completed verbally and documented using the reference check template available in Workday. Please note that reference checks may still be required for internal candidates who have only worked in a limited or casual capacity.

Referees must be able to provide feedback from a professional perspective, and ideally from a managerial viewpoint where relevant.

For identified positions, at least one reference must be obtained from an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person, specifically addressing the candidate’s ability to demonstrate Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander cultural knowledge.

All reference checks must be recorded and securely stored within Workday.

At the conclusion of the interview process, panel feedback and the overall assessment of each applicant must be recorded in Workday. This includes referee feedback, supplementary selection assessments and any relevant checks, where applicable.

The appointment decision is subject to approval by the delegated officer in accordance with the Instrument and Register of Delegations and the provisions outlined in the Job Requisition.

While consensus among panel members is preferred, any member of the selection panel may submit a Minority Report if they dissent from the recommendation. This report must outline the reasons for dissent and be submitted alongside the panel’s recommendation. The delegated officer will review both the recommendation and any Minority Report via a Workday help case.

Decisions made by the delegated officer are final. If the delegated officer determines that no appointment will be made, the panel chair must consult with People and Culture to explore alternative recruitment options.

Following the submission of all panel feedback, the chair of the selection panel (or their nominee) may make a verbal offer of employment to the preferred candidate. The candidate must be advised that the offer is subject to pre-employment requirements and the finalisation of a formal employment contract. The chair may also negotiate key terms such as salary and commencement date during this stage.

Once the candidate verbally accepts the offer, the chair must progress the applicant in Workday to initiate the preparation of the employment contract.

If the successful candidate is a current University employee and the position is fixed-term, they may request to be appointed on a secondment basis, in accordance with the relevant workplace agreement.

If the preferred candidate declines the offer, the chair may extend a verbal offer to the next appointable candidate without requiring further delegated approval.

All interviewed candidates must be verbally notified by the chair of the selection panel that they were unsuccessful. Applicants who were not interviewed will receive an automated notification via Workday as part of the standard recruitment process.

Pre-employment checks are a critical component of the recruitment process, designed to verify the suitability and integrity of prospective employees. Depending on the nature of the role, employment may be conditional upon the successful completion of relevant checks and/or provision of evidence of certification(s). These may include, but are not limited to:

Obtaining the required check is at the expense of the applicant.

The University reserves the right to withdraw an offer of employment based on the outcome of any pre-employment check. Any decision to withdraw an offer must be discussed with Employee Services prior to finalisation.

Employer sponsorship may be considered for specialised or hard-to-fill roles, typically at HEW Level 8 and above, or for academic positions that meet the eligibility criteria set by the Department of Home Affairs. For further information or guidance on employer sponsorship, please contact Employee Services.

Casual employment can be offered directly by the people leader to meet short-term operational needs of the University. People leader are responsible for ensuring suitability of the candidate and that all relevant pre-employment checks are completed before the hire is initiated. All HEW positions require a duty statement aligned to the HEW classification to be attached to the task and provided to the casual employee.

Temporary appointments (TAPs) are short-term appointments of up to six months and do not require advertising but must meet the fixed-term reasons stipulated in the relevant agreement. A pool of suitably qualified candidates should be considered for each TAP to ensure fairness and transparency.

To initiate a TAP in Workday:

The following documentation must be attached to the relevant business process in Workday:

Fixed-term positions may be filled via secondment, subject to mutual agreement between the recruiting manager and the employee’s substantive people leader. Secondments must align with the allowable reasons for fixed-term appointments as outlined in the relevant agreements.

Internal vacancies of less than 12 months may be filled by a current employee without a competitive recruitment process. In exceptional circumstances, the Director, People and Culture (or their nominee) may approve an extension beyond the initial 12-month period without requiring a competitive recruitment process. If a position is to be filled internally without advertising a request must be submitted in Workday using the Internal Applicant Appointment Request (without advertising) for formal approval prior to the secondment commencing. In accordance with the relevant enterprise agreement, requests for secondments will not be unreasonably refused.

If the vacancy exceeds 12-months the standard recruitment and selection process must be followed. In this instance, the substantive people leader and substantive delegated officer will be consulted prior to a contract being issued.

Where a secondment is approved a continuing employee retains their ongoing employment status and has the right to return to their substantive position or an equivalent role at the same classification level upon the conclusion of the secondment.

The re-employment of previous staff, following resignation or redundancy, is subject to the merit-based selection process outlined in this Procedure. Re-employment must also comply with relevant legislation, including provisions related to taxation and superannuation.

Staff whose employment with Federation University Australia ended due to redundancy whether voluntary or otherwise are not eligible for re-employment during the specified exclusion period.

Primary Recruiters should check with People and Culture prior to making any offers to a former staff member.

A direct appointment refers to the placement of a candidate into a position without undergoing a formal recruitment process. This approach is permitted only under special and exceptional circumstances.

Direct appointments are only permitted for the following roles:

Direct appointment requests must be approved by the Director, People and Culture and the relevant VCST member with an accompanying statement including:

Following approval, the Workday process must be initiated through the completion of the Hire Employee task with all supporting documentation attached.

A conflict of interest arises when an individual’s personal interests (whether actual, potential or perceived) could improperly influence or appear to influence their ability to make fair and objective decisions in a work-related context.

To maintain fairness, transparency and integrity throughout the recruitment process all individuals involved must assess and declare any actual, perceived, or potential conflicts of interest prior to and during the process.

Successful applicants should not be appointed to a position where a relative or close associate may directly or indirectly influence their role. Any potential conflict must be reported immediately to the relevant people leader and People and Culture for review.