Recruiting PSS
Are you a line manager or team lead looking to hire a new member of Professional Services staff? Perhaps you are new to recruiting in Maths and would like some further guidance on how to proceed with running a recruitment exercise? This page aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the recruitment process for Professional Services staff at the Mathematical Institute, from the initial business case through to the offer of appointment, and all of the stages in-between.
Our friendly and helpful Recruitment team will guide you through the process. Should you have any questions or require further information, please do contact a member of the team at @email.
Before you begin...
Prior to commencing any recruitment process, there are a number of considerations to bear in mind.
Protocol – will your post require a Recruitment Protocol? Typically, if your post is a direct replacement/refill, it will be exempt from the protocol; however, for all new posts, and for some changes to FTE and permanency of positions, this is a requirement. Please refer to our Recruitment Protocol page for further information, and enquire with the Recruitment team if you have any questions. The process can add two weeks or longer to any recruitment timeline, so it is important this is addressed at the outset.
Existing staff – prior to advertising the vacancy externally, we must first consider whether there are any existing employees in the department coming to the end of their fixed-term contract who may be eligible to take up the role, as per University guidance on the end of fixed-term contract proceedings.
Should there be suitable candidates, these individuals should be interviewed prior to the role being advertised externally, and appointed if they are deemed to satisfy the selection criteria as outlined in the job description.
Planning for recruitment
Once the Maths Institute Recruitment team has been notified, the Recruitment Coordinator will send an email setting up the recruitment. This will include a copy of our Guidelines for Appointment, which we strongly encourage you to read through carefully prior to beginning the recruitment. The Guidelines set out the key considerations for the process, including in relation to timescales, the shortlisting process and requirements for visa applications.
MI Guidelines for Appointments_1.pdf
Also attached to the email will be a template job description. If the position is to replace an existing post-holder, the Recruitment Team will update the current role description onto the latest template and send through to you for amendments. If it is a new role, the team will work with you to define and draw up the role description, in line with the University’s generic job descriptions wherever possible. There are generic role descriptions and more information on the University website.
Note that the University operates according to the HERA grading system, and so any significant removal of, or amendment to, existing responsibilities on previously graded or generic job descriptions is likely to result in the role needing to be re-submitted for grading, which could add up to two weeks onto your recruitment timeline. It is also not guaranteed that your role will meet the proposed grade.
Once the job description has been returned with edits as tracked changes, the Recruitment Coordinator will draft a sample advertisement and arrange a time to meet with you to discuss the following:
Recruitment and Selection Training
As recruitment panel chair, you should also set aside some time before the shortlisting meeting to complete compulsory training, if you have not done so already. Recruitment and Selection Training is valid for four years and records are kept by the Recruitment team regarding the dates of training completion. The Recruitment Coordinator will confirm at the start of the recruitment process whether any training is outstanding and when courses were last completed. Further information on required and recommended training is available on our Recruitment Training page.
Recruitment Panel Membership
Prior to advertising, you should also consider who you would like to be on your recruitment panel. Panels for Professional Services support staff at grades 1-5 are generally comprised of a membership of three, and for academic-related posts at grades 6-10 there should be four or five members. The gender balance of every panel should be at least 1/3, but the Department is particularly keen to champion equality and diversity wherever possible, so do consider 1/3 as a minimum requirement.
Additionally, to ensure an objective view, the Department requires all panels for professional services staff to contain at least one member from outside the team holding the vacancy. For certain positions, this may include a member from another department, or elsewhere in the University. It may help when deciding who to select to join the panel to consider which teams the post-holder will have the most interaction with.
You should aim to approach your panel members ahead of the advertisement going live, such that the Recruitment Team can coordinate availability and include a confirmed interview date within the job description. This aids considerably with future planning, as candidates can then explicitly declare their availability for this date in their application.
Attraction Strategy
The department circulates all professional services staff advertisements to the following places as part of the standard process.
Professional Support Staff Advertisement Circulation List.docx
All adverts are also circulated to current members of departmental professional services staff via the departmental mailing list, and posted in our weekly Departmental Bulletin.
If you would like to circulate your advert to any site or mailing list which is not listed above, please discuss this with the Recruitment Coordinator prior to advertising. Note that if there is a cost associated with the advertising, you must seek approval from the Head of Administration & Finance to cover this using the departmental budget.
Timeline
Taking grading into consideration, and assuming recruitment protocol is not required, the general PSS recruitment timeline once the job description has been received from HR is between 14 - 24 weeks, depending on notice periods.
Timeline for Support Staff Recruitment.docx
On the closing date...
Once the post has closed at 12.00 noon on your closing date, the Recruitment Team will compile the applications and circulate a shortlisting pack to the recruitment panel.