Governance toolkit for recruitment and appointment to the board

• 1. Introduction

  This toolkit has been developed primarily to assist governance officers in departments who are responsible for supporting government to appoint Directors to public entity Boards.
  
  

• 2. Planning

  To attract the best possible candidate(s), thorough planning processes should be undertaken by Boards and departments.
  
  

• 3. Statutory requirements

  Where an entity is established through legislation it is important to be clear about any provisions that may affect the way in which a candidate is appointed.
  
  

• 4. Role analysis

  Role analysis is critical to recruitment and selection, as it is the foundation of a high quality process. It informs the role description and identifies the selection criteria.
  
  

• 5. Re-appointments

  A vacancy arises when the appointment of a current Board Director expires. It is common practice for current Board Directors to re-apply.

• 6. Attraction

  Advertising a position can help departments and entities to reach a much wider audience than other methods and may attract nominations from unexpected sources.

• 7. Selection process

  The composition of the selection panel will depend on the type of public entity to which an appointment is being made.

• 8. Approval and appointment procedures

  The procedures for submitting these appointments to Cabinet are outlined in the Cabinet Handbook.
  
  

• 9. Notification and onboarding

  Onboarding facilitates a new Director’s adjustment onto a Board.

• 10. Post recruitment and appointment

  Undertaking a recruitment and appointment process can result in a significant amount of paperwork and files at the end of the process.

• Appendices

  A list of terms, myths and facts you're likely to find in this guide.