Manage a senior executive recruitment process

Refer to your agency's strategic workforce plan. Ensure your role fills a critical gap and helps deliver your short-term and long-term objectives.

Determine if your role will be an ongoing senior executive services (SES) vacancy or a contract for a fixed-term (under Section 122 of the Public Service Act 2008).

Use fixed-term contracts to attract or retain senior executives with critical skills you need for a set time to complete an identified project or objective.

Establish or review a roles classification level

If your role is new, or an existing role with significantly changed work responsibilities, complete a role evaluation to determine the work value and applicable classification level.

For SES role classifications between SES 2 Low and SES 4 Low use either Corporate Administration Agency (CAA) or Mercer Consulting (Australia) Pty Ltd.

For SES roles classified SES 4 High, use Mercer.

Approval

You must get Governor in Council approval for changes to:

• the number of SES profile positions in your agency
• SES profile classification levels.

See Section 109 of the Public Service Act 2008.

Submit your changes to the Public Service Commission Chief Executive (CCE). Email CandSES@psc.qld.gov.au for help.

Providing the CCE approves your request, they’ll submit your request to the Premier for consideration and approval to submit to the Governor in Council.

See the SES Profile management procedures policy for more.

You must advertise any vacant SES profile role or fixed term contract under section 122 (remunerated equivalent to an SES classification) if it’s for more than 6 months duration. See the Recruitment and selection directive.

You do not need to advertise the vacancy if it’s for less than 6 months, or if you intend to fill the vacancy through transfer, redeployment or secondment at or below level.

Contact the Public Service Commission before you start your recruitment process. The PSC will review your proposed recruitment strategy. They’ll advise if you need to advertise, if you should limit your advertising, or if you’re exempt from advertising the role. Email CandSES@psc.qld.gov.au.

For help creating a job ad, see Create a job advertisement.

Your selection panel for SES vacancies:

• must include one member from outside the Ministerial portfolio
• should not include a representative from a recruitment agency (potential for actual or perceived conflicts of interests).

Your decision maker should not be a member of the selection panel.

See Shortlist candidates for more on conflicts of interest, how to address unconscious biases and applying the merit principle.

Read the Appointment, secondment, and interchange arrangements senior executive services guide to find out how to appoint (or engage on a fixed term contract) a senior executive. The process differs based on whether you’re:

• appointing an officer by promotion, transfer or external recruitment to fill an advertised vacancy
• appointing an officer by transfer, redeployment or secondment to fill an unadvertised vacancy
• appointing an officer by interchange arrangement
• engaging an officer on a fixed term contract under Section 122 of the Public Service Act 2008.

Engaging an officer on a fixed term contract

Complete the contract that matches the officer’s current employment status:

• Existing tenured officers to fixed term contract (PDF, 2.3 MB)
• All other officers to fixed term contract (PDF, 1.5 MB)

See Engaging officers on fixed term contracts of employment directive for more.

Reporting on contracts

Your agency must report all fixed term contracts with a remuneration of SES2 or above to the CCE. Use the Contract engagement details form (DOCX, 33 KB) or enter these details directly into the Executive Leadership Information System (ELIS).

Email CandSES@psc.qld.gov.au for help.

Gazette notice

You must publish all senior executive engagements (under Section 122 of the Public Service Act 2008) from an advertised vacancy, within 1 month of the start of the engagement. See the Recruitment and selection directive.

Upload a copy of the Gazette notice to the ELIS along with the signed Contract.

Appointing an officer

Complete the Senior executive nomination form that matches your approved recruitment strategy:

• Senior executive nomination to fill an advertised vacancy (DOC, 173 KB)
• Senior executive nomination to fill a non-advertised vacancy (DOC, 172 KB)
• Senior executive nomination for an interchange arrangement (DOC, 167 KB)

You also need to complete the Senior executive profile confirmation form (DOC, 174 KB) or enter these details into the ELIS.

Submit your completed forms and the additional documents required as outlined in the Appointment, secondment, and interchange arrangements senior executive services guideline to the Public Service Commission Chief Executive (CCE) via the ELIS.

Email CandSES@psc.qld.gov.au if you need help.

Contract of employment

Complete a Contract of employment for senior executive service officer (PDF, 925 KB) once the CCE approves your nominated candidate. The contract can be for a period of not more than 5 years. See Section 113 and 114 of the Public Service Act 2008.

Employment conditions

See the Senior executive service employment conditions directive for employment conditions including pay for SES vacancies.

Gazette notice

In accordance with Section 110(2) of the Public Service Act 2008, you must publish a public notice of the SES appointment in the gazette or in another way the CCE considers appropriate. See the Recruitment and selection directive.

Upload a copy of the Gazette notice to the ELIS along with the signed Contract.

You can appoint a senior executive for an initial contract of up to, but not more than, 5 years.

If a senior executive's employment continues to the end of their initial contract, you can offer 1 or more further contracts. These contracts cannot cumulatively exceed 5 years (maximum extension term).

Once a senior executive reaches their maximum extension term, you must end their appointment or seek approval from the CCE to re-appointment them.

Submit your request for re-appointment into the ELIS or email CandSES@psc.qld.gov.au. Once the CCE approves your request complete a Contract of employment for senior executive service officer (PDF, 925 KB) .

See our list of current, re‑appointed senior executives working in the Queensland Government.