Introduction

1. The Northern Ireland Assembly Commission (Assembly Commission) is an equal opportunities employer and is committed to the principle that recruitment should be solely on the basis of merit.

2. We welcome applications from all eligible applicants, irrespective of religious belief, political opinion, race, age, gender, disability, marital status, sexual orientation or people with dependants or without.

3. The appointment process will be fair and applied consistently to ensure equality of opportunity.

4. Recruiting the right individuals is crucial to organisational performance. Good recruitment helps us to recruit the right people, for the right roles, at the right time. It ensures that we have the relevant skills and abilities to meet our current and future needs.

Purpose

5. The purpose of the Recruitment and Selection Policy Statement is to set out how we intend to attract and retain people with talent and experience from diverse backgrounds.

Scope

6. The Policy will apply to all applicants for external and internal recruitment competitions.

Key Principles

7. We will:

• Appoint on merit on the basis of fair and open competition.
• Treat all applicants fairly, equally and with respect.
• Recruit and select staff in a professional, timely and responsive manner.
• Seek to encourage applicants from under-represented groups.
• Encourage the recruitment of people with disabilities. We operate a Guaranteed Interview Scheme for applicants with disabilities. We will also consider reasonable adjustments during all stages of the recruitment process as well as any reasonable adjustments required in order for a successful applicant with a disability to undertake the role.
• Comply with employment legislation and use methods that identify the best person for the role.
• Seek to ensure that the applicant experience is positive, irrespective of the outcome.
• Ensure the selection panel is balanced in terms of gender and community background.
• Advertise roles through a range of media including for example, the Assembly’s website, newspapers, recruitment websites and social media.
• Monitor all equality categories in line with good practice.
• Treat all documentation relating to applicants confidentially in accordance with GDPR and all data protection legislation. Further information is available in the privacy notice for job applicants.
• Provide feedback for applicants on request in writing.

General Information

8. This document is effective from 18 February 2020.