Recruitment & Onboarding
For all your recruitment queries please contact the NDM Recruitment team
The NDM Recruitment and On-Boarding team is responsible for supporting the NDM and University strategic objectives and ensuring recruitment is conducted in compliance with employment legislation, Departmental and University policy and best practice.
The team supports managers in all aspects of recruitment, from attraction through to selection.
For further detail on the recruitment team and the recruitment stages and timelines please visit Recruitment and On-Boarding Centre of Excellence
The following section contains useful information and resources to support you in your role as a recruiting manager
Approval to Recruit (HAWK request)
Every piece of recruitment in NDM, including the refiling of posts, first requires the hiring manager to complete an approval to recruit form. This captures all the necessary details to enable advertising of a post. This online form is for NDM hiring managers and it ensures review and approval is obtained from HR, Grants/Finance and the relevant Business Manager/Unit Administrator. It is the foundation for hiring in NDM. The recruitment team are available to support with the completion of this form.
Currently all posts (including refills) that are funded less than 80% from external sources, have to also be approved by the Medical Sciences Division before being advertised (also known as protocol approval). This process can impact the time it takes to get a post out to advert. Further detail on protocol can be found here
For a breakdown of the recruitment stages and a guide to timelines please view this process flow diagram
Job Descriptions
All posts require a graded job description. The recruitment team are available to advise all all aspects of job descriptions. If required, there is a university resource of generic job descriptions which have been developed to assist managers in writing job descriptions for typical and/or frequently occurring jobs, contextual information will need to be added by the recruiting manager to tailor them to the department. Where a job cannot be matched to a generic, then a new job description will need to be created and the recruitment team will send this for grading.
Recruitment and selection training
Everyone who chairs a recruitment panel is required to complete the recruitment and selection online course which you can find on the following course listing page. In NDM we would encourage all staff involved in recruitment to complete it. The course covers the role of Chair, the legal framework and the recruitment procedure. The recruitment team have access to all the training details and will be able to check completion.
We also recommend that all staff involved in recruitment complete the implicit bias in the workplace course. This online course introduces the topic of implicit bias and its origins, considers how it might manifest itself in our behaviour, and provides practical tips and reflections to help you reduce the risk of bias in your own work. Also available via the course listing page.
The recruitment process
The NDM recruitment team will support you at every stage of the recruitment process
Including planning recruitment, attracting candidates, selection and offering employment (including advice on salary offers).
The university also have useful general advice on all stages of the recruitment process
Priority Candidates
The recruitment team will advise you if a priority candidate applies for your vacancy.
A priority candidate is a University employee who applies for a vacancy at the University at the same or lower grade than their existing post. They will have two or more years’ continuous service with the University (ie a contract of employment with the Chancellor, Masters and Scholars of the University) who has either been told that they are at risk of redundancy, or is within 3 months of the end of a fixed-term contract and has confirmed that they wish to seek redeployment
Priority Candidates Support Scheme | HR Support (ox.ac.uk)
Pre-employment checks
Pre-employment checks are a crucial part of the recruitment process. They help the University to determine whether a candidate possesses the qualifications, skills and experience required by the role, to comply with legal obligations such as confirming the applicant’s right to work in the UK (including visas), and to ensure that there are no bars to them carrying out the role. The recruitment team will advise on the requirements based on the person you are recruiting, but further guidance can be found on the University website Pre-employment checks | HR Support (ox.ac.uk)
Visas
If the person you are recruiting requires a visa to work in the UK, the NDM recruitment team will support this process and liaise directly with the applicant and the Universities staff immigration team. If you would like to learn more about the staff immigration team you can visit their web pages Home | Staff Immigration (ox.ac.uk)
Visitors and students
You need to notify the NDM HR Operations team via email in advance that you have a visitor arriving. The HR Operations team will ensure the necessary paperwork is completed in advance of the persons arrival. All visitors must have a valid right to work in the UK. If a visa is required the HR team will assist, the sooner they are notified the better. Further information on visitors can be found on the university web pages Visitors | HR Support (ox.ac.uk)
Casual workers
If you need to discuss engaging a casual worker in NDM please contact the HR Operations Team giving as much notice as possible so as to allow sufficient time for paperwork and checks to be completed and for casual letters of engagement to be issued. The checks include the right to work check, which must be completed by HR in advance of any work commencing. Further information on engaging casuals can be found here Casual workers | HR Support (ox.ac.uk)
University cards/buildings access & IT
New starters cards - The recruitment team will send all new starters a University card application form (usually with their offer of appointment). The new starter will complete and return to the NDM Recruitment Team. New University cards will be issued to new starters during their induction or as soon as possible thereafter.
Renewal - When the HR Operations team receive instruction to extend a fixed term contract, they will automatically liaise with the University Cards office asking to extend the university card in line with the new contract end date. When the new card is received the staff member will be notified
New visitors cards - Where a university card is required the HR Operations team will send the application form to the visitor and arrange to send the completed form to the university card office. The card will be issued to the new visitor as close to their first day as possible.
Visitor card renewals - It is in Department’s responsibility to notify HR Operations to extend Visitor’s access and card. Line manager/supervisor should email HR and request continuation of access. The HR team will then ask for the appropriate visitor paperwork to be completed and once approved HR will request the extension to the card/access.
Access to buildings - once the appropriate buildings induction has been attended, the access for the buildings that the member of staff/visitor requires can be added to the university card by the reception team in the building.
IT access and SSO - When a new card is processed, an oxford single sign on (SSO) is generated, along with a university email address (note if IT access is not required for visitors this can be requested on the application). When a card is renewed the IT access and SSO will also be extended. Further detail regarding IT can be found here:
Information Technology — University of Oxford, Medical Sciences Division
Induction
All new starters in NDM will have an HR Induction with a member the HR team. HR will go through the induction paperwork, including new starter forms, right to work checks, issuing univeristy card etc.. and will provide information about our policies and procedures in NDM.
As line manager you will also provide a role/team/group induction. New starters will also need to complete a health and safety and/or building induction for the building(s) they will need access to.
Further information regarding induction in NDM can be found here
This university resource gives guidance on how to use induction to help new staff settle in and learn the job; how to support staff during probation; hints and tips for helping new staff learn Supporting new staff | People and Organisational Development (ox.ac.uk)
The recruitment team will be in touch with you when you have a new starter to discuss plans for induction and first day arrangements.
Probation
All new support and academic-related staff who have been recruited from outside the University (i.e., who were not employed by the Chancellor, Master and Scholars of the University of Oxford in their previous role) should have a probationary period. Where probation is required, this will be set out in the contract of employment. The NDM employee relations advisor manages probation including guidance on extending probation periods. If you have any queries regarding probation, please liaise with them directly. Further general information on probation can be found on the university web site Probation | HR Support (ox.ac.uk)
Mandatory training for all new staff - There are some training courses that need to be completed by NDM new starters during their probation. These will be highlighted as part of the induction, but further details can be found here
Relocation
The University operates a discretionary relocation scheme that may be available to new staff. Availability depends upon circumstances, eligibility and the availability of funding from their department or grant provider Relocation Scheme | Finance Division (ox.ac.uk)
Recruitment (FAQs)
Q1. Do we need to advertise if I know who I want to appoint?
In most cases vacancies must be advertised, at a minimum, on the University’s own Jobs website to ensure that a fair and transparent process is followed and, importantly, that staff who are at risk of redundancy around the University have the opportunity to apply.
However, in some circumstances departments may recruit without advertising. This is referred to as ‘direct appointment’, for example, where an individual is named on a grant.
There are a number of considerations before this can be approved. Further guidance is available on recruitment without advertising. Please contact the recruitment team to discuss
Note - If a direct appointment is approved the usual procedures must be followed before confirming the offer of appointment, including Right to Work checks, grading of the post, interview, seeking references, Occupational Health Service clearance (if appropriate), completion of an equal opportunities monitoring form, etc.
Q3. How long does it take to get a job graded?
Grades 1-10 where a generic job description has been used and it is not necessary to carry out a full grading or where we are using an existing JD that has previously been graded and the duties are to remain the same, the turnaround time can be 1-2 days. If we are requesting a new post that can’t be matched to generic job descriptions the recruitment team will liaise with the reward team who will aim to confirm the grade and process this within 10 working days.
Recruitment to Grades RSIV (D35) and ALC6 (B23) or promotion to these grades are considered by the Senior Appointments Panel. These job descriptions will need to be discussed with the Head of HR. In the first instance contact your Business Manager/Unit administrator to discuss
Clinical grades and Academic grades do not require HERA evaluation.
Q4. How long should I advertise a post for?
For posts that need advertising, we suggest 4 weeks for grade 6 and above and usually 2 weeks for support and Technical roles grades 1-5.
The minimum amount of time for advertising would be 1 week.
The recruitment team will be able to advise on appropriate time scales for advertising based on the vacancy and will also advise on other factors such as any potential visa considerations.
Q5. Who makes the job offer, how is the salary point determined?
As soon as the interview panel has identified the preferred candidate they must contact the recruitment team and discuss how the initial verbal offer will be made (this offer can be made via a nominated person on the panel or via recruitment) they should also discuss what salary is to be offered. If the proposed salary offer is above the base scale of the grade the Business Manager/Head of Function will need to approve before the offer is made. The recruitment team will follow up any verbal offer with a formal offer letter. All offers of employment should be made subject to the usual pre-employment checks, including taking up references.
For further information on setting starting salaries, refer to the reward pages
