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 155 of the Public Sector Act 2022).

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 Public Sector Governance Council (the council) approval for changes to:

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

See Section 249 of the Public Sector Act 2022.

Submit your changes to the Public Sector Commissioner (the Commissioner). Email CandSES@psc.qld.gov.au for help.

Providing the Commissioner approves your request, they’ll submit your request to the council for consideration and approval.

See the SES Profile management procedures policy for more.

You must advertise any vacant SES profile role or fixed term contract under section 155 (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 Sector 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 employ (or employ on a fixed term contract) a senior executive. The process differs based on whether you’re:

• employing an officer by promotion, transfer or external recruitment to fill an advertised vacancy
• employing an officer by transfer, redeployment or secondment to fill an unadvertised vacancy
• employing an officer by interchange arrangement
• employing an officer on a fixed term contract under Section 155 of the Public Sector Act 2022.

Employing 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, 1.6 MB)
• All other officers to fixed term contract (PDF, 1.7 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 Commissioner. 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 155 of the Public Sector Act 2022) 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.

Employing an officer

The chief executive (CE) of a public service entity may, on behalf of the State, employ a senior executive in the public service entity.

Enter these details into the ELIS.

Only submit documents required as outlined in the Appointment, secondment, and interchange arrangements senior executive services guide to the Public Sector Commissioner (the Commissioner) via the ELIS if an exemption is being sought.

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

Contract of employment

Complete a Contract of employment for senior executive service officer (PDF, 1.5 MB) once the CE approves your nominated candidate. The contract can be for a period of not more than 5 years. See Section 191 of the Public Sector Act 2022.

Employment conditions

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

Gazette notice

You must publish all senior executive engagements 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.

You can employ a senior executive on contract of up to, but not more than, 5 years.

If a senior executive's employment continues to the end of their contract, a further contract may be entered into. An extension of the senior executive’s contract, can not be more than 5 years.

An extension of employment may happen as occasion requires. See our list of reappointed senior executives working in the Queensland Government under the Public Service Act 2008.