Recruitment and selection policy

1. Introduction

1.1 Oxford Brookes University aims to attract, recruit and retain the most talented employees across all academic and professional services. 

1.2 In an increasingly competitive talent market, it is crucial that the University’s approach to recruitment and selection is responsive and capable of attracting the best talent, both domestically and internationally. 

2. Purpose

2.1 This policy aims to provide support and guidance to hiring managers throughout the recruitment process, promoting equality, diversity and inclusion principles and best practice, whilst also ensuring that there is an established and consistent approach across the University.

2.2 This policy provides a framework for the delivery of flexible recruitment and selection activity, which ensures the best candidates are secured whilst meeting the University’s values, ensuring that all recruitment at Oxford Brookes is based on merit and conducted through fair and open competition. 

3. Definitions

3.1 Hiring managers are those who lead recruitment campaigns and have delegated responsibility for ensuring that all recruitment processes are delivered in line with the policy.

3.2 Shortlisting is the stage in the recruitment process where all applicants for a role are considered against the requirements of the post detailed in the person specification.

3.3 Recruitment Panels will normally be chaired by the hiring manager and must consist of at least one other panel member and should, wherever possible, reflect the diverse nature of the University and the communities we serve.

4. Scope

4.1 This policy applies to all Oxford Brookes University employees, both temporary and permanent. 

4.2 The policy outlines the broad principles of our approach to recruitment and selection, which provides additional information on the delivery of an effective recruitment and selection process, including interview and assessment methods. 

4.3 For casual, variable hours and Associate Lecturer recruitment, please refer to the relevant guidance.

5. Principles

5.1 Oxford Brookes University is a signatory to the San-Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), which means that where research forms part of the job description, applicants should be evaluated on the quality of their research and not where it is published or the journal impact factor. 

5.2 The University is committed to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion through its recruitment processes. It will uphold principles of fairness, take steps to attract the widest possible candidate pool, and take action to address areas of known under-representation, both institutionally and at local level.

5.3 The University seeks to increase workforce diversity across all functions and levels of the organisation. This applies in particular to ethnic diversity at senior levels for both academic and professional services roles. The University will collect and analyse diversity data to enable the identification and addressing of disparities in attraction and success rates according to protected characteristics and areas of under-representation. The approach includes taking targeted positive action across our recruitment and selection processes to tackle under-representation, structural inequities and historic barriers to employment opportunities in higher education.

5.4 The University reserves the right not to advertise a vacancy where there are employees on an at-risk register, or other organisational processes requiring individuals to be re-deployed, such as an Occupational Health recommendation.

5.5 The People Directorate aims to support hiring managers to get the right person in the right role as quickly as possible, ensure a positive experience for new employees, and minimise the impact of vacant roles.

5.6 All roles are advertised internally for at least two weeks to allow colleagues the opportunity to apply. This can be done in conjunction with external advertising. 

5.7 Typically, a successful recruitment campaign takes 8-12 weeks from advertisement to start date, but this heavily relies on factors like a candidate’s notice period and, importantly, the prompt completion of associated tasks by hiring managers.

5.8 Anticipated timelines are: 

  • advertising duration - typically 2 to 4 weeks
  • shortlisting complete - typically 3 working days after advert closing (however we recommend reviewing applications as they are received)
  • interview and assessment invitations - sent by the People Operations Team with 48 hours of shortlisting being received, providing ideally 7 calendar days’ notice for all candidates
  • interviews/assessments - up to 3 days depending on the volume of candidates.
  • background checks / contract - up to 21 days (depending on career/address history for checking / national volumes at DBS)
  • VISA/Sponsorship - up to 21 days
  • candidate notice period - up to 12 weeks. 

6. Roles and responsibilities

6.1 The Resourcing Partner and People Operations Team are experienced in recruitment best practice and will provide advice and support to the hiring manager throughout the recruitment and selection process. The People Directorate are responsible for: 

  • providing professional advice on grading of posts, content of job descriptions/person specifications, advertising and appropriate salary levels
  • placing job adverts
  • carrying out pre-employment checks
  • issuing written offers of appointment and contracts of employment
  • undertaking any other administration tasks agreed to as part of the recruitment process. This includes, but is not limited to, inviting short-listed candidates to interview, taking up references, issuing rejection letters
  • monitoring and reviewing the recruitment process and supporting policies/ guidance
  • providing training on recruitment and selection, including equality, diversity and inclusion awareness
  • ensuring that candidate documentation is retained inline with the University’s GDPR policy and privacy statement.

6.2 The hiring manager will normally also be the Chair of the Recruitment Panel and are responsible for:

  • liaising with the head of department and Finance and Legal Services to determine whether a vacancy is a replacement post, a new post or an existing post which requires revision, and that the post is signed off by the VCG business group
  • ensuring that all new/revised posts (including casuals, variable hours and temporary jobs through agencies)  have gone through the formal job evaluation process before they are advertised and that formal authorisation to recruit has been sought
  • working collaboratively with the People Directorate on any potential challenges you envisage with the vacancy, planning the recruitment campaign plans and agreeing timescales
  • preparing a job description, person specification, draft advert and further particulars
  • attending the University’s recruitment and selection training course and ensuring that all members of the interview panel have completed this within the last three years
  • ensuring that shortlisting and interview processes are conducted in a way that is free from implicit bias
  • briefing panel members and providing all necessary documentation (job description, etc.) 
  • undertaking any tasks agreed to as part of the recruitment timescales drawn up with the People Directorate (e.g. inviting shortlisted candidates to interview)
  • ensuring that any recruitment agencies engaged or external consultants who assist in the recruitment process adhere to this policy
  • producing and confirming a shortlist in collaboration with the interview panel
  • gaining proof of a candidate's Right to Work in the UK as part of the recruitment process
  • keeping a written record of all shortlisting and interview decisions
  • making a verbal offer of employment to the successful candidate
  • Providing feedback to unsuccessful shortlisted candidates
  • ensuring a comprehensive and consistent induction programme is in place for all new employees
  • ensuring that candidate documentation is retained inline with the University’s GDPR policy and Privacy Statement.

6.3 The Head of Faculty/Directorate are responsible for:

  • ensuring all employees likely to be involved in recruitment are made aware of this policy, follow it and undertake the training provided to develop the skills necessary to undertake fair and effective recruitment and selection
  • monitoring and evaluating the departmental staffing plan and budget
  • monitoring and evaluating recruitment agencies and recruitment advertising costs within their function.

6.4 All participants in the recruitment process, including candidates, should maintain confidentiality at all times. 

7. Policy

Recruitment 

8. Data and confidentiality

8.1 Recruitment paperwork will be retained in line with the Records Retention Policy and will be used as the basis of feedback to candidates to demonstrate that the Recruitment Panel have acted fairly and reasonably. 

8.2 The Recruitment Panel should remember that candidates may request sight of interview notes made by the panel under the General Data Protection Regulations and therefore notes should be legible.  

8.3 Monitoring information regarding protected characteristics is collated from all job applications by colleagues in the People Directorate. This data is collated and analysed anonymously to enable the monitoring of our recruitment processes to ensure they are fair and inclusive. It is only ever shared in an aggregated format and never in a way that would allow individuals to be identified. 

8.4 Under the Data Protection Act 2018 there are different rights of access to references for the author and the subject. The writer of a reference has no legal obligation to disclose the contents of a reference if the subject makes a Subject Access Request. The recipient of the reference, however, may disclose, even if the reference was given in confidence. For this reason, it is best to assume that any reference provided by the University will be accessible by the subject.  

9. Further information and support

9.1 The University has different procedures depending on the type of staff being employed. Further information and guidance can be found on the Recruitment and Selection webpage