The Nomination Process for Headship Positions

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THE NOMINATION PROCESS FOR HEADSHIP POSITIONS

Notes for Prospective Applicants

WHO CAN APPLY FOR HEADSHIP POSITIONS

Article 9(4) of the Public Administration Act (PAA) CAP 497 delineates the fields of eligibility for headship positions.

Eligibility

Heads of Department listed in the Second Schedule of the Public Administration Act, CAP 497.

The eligibility in respect of these positions is as follows:-

(a) senior public officers who have a substantive grade in scale 7 or higher; or

(b) senior public officers who have served for six consecutive years in the Public Service in positions classified in scale 7 or higher.

Other offices with statutory powers listed in the Second Schedule of the Public Administration Act, CAP 497 and other positions of Director General and Director not so listed.

The eligibility in respect of these positions is as follows:-

(a)  senior public officers as indicated in (a) and (b) above; or

(b)  other public officers who have served for four consecutive years in the Public Service in scale 7 or higher.

Officers who occupy a headship position and who have served at least one year of the term of their current performance agreement may apply subject to having satisfied the pertinent eligibility requirements. The one-year term eligibility criterion does not apply when one is applying for a higher position.

While candidates may indicate up to a maximum of four positions as an indication of their preference, it will be the prerogative of the Senior Appointments Advisory Committee (SAAC) to nominate candidates it considers best suited for a particular post.

THE SENIOR APPOINTMENTS ADVISORY COMMITTEE (SAAC)

The role of the Senior Appointments Advisory Committee is defined under Article 9(1) of the PAA as follows: “There shall be a Senior Appointments Advisory Committee, hereinafter referred to as the Committee, that shall: (a) consult the relevant Minister about the duties attached to and the results expected from any headship position that is vacant or expected to become vacant; (b) identify candidates for the position in accordance with subarticle (2) of article 21 [hereof], within the parameters set by the Constitution; and (c) give due account about the candidates and propose for the Prime Minister’s consideration the candidate who in its opinion is best suited on the basis of merit to fill the position.”

As indicated above, the role of the SAAC, which is chaired by the Principal Permanent Secretary, can be simply stated: to identify and propose to the Prime Minister the officer who, taking into account various circumstances – not least that of merit, is considered to be the most capable of meeting the specific requirements of a particular position. A great deal of importance is attached to this function for on the calibre of those selected depends the effectiveness of Ministries and Departments and the ability of the Public Service to serve the country well.

The SAAC is required to identify the best person from among those eligible, as opposed to the best person from among those who apply. Hence why the Committee may look beyond the field of applicants if it believes that there are officers who are better suited for the position and who have not applied for one reason or another. In some instances too, it may be found necessary to fill a headship post by the lateral transfer of an officer in another position at the same level. In all cases, the Permanent Secretary responsible for the position/s will be consulted.

The Committee considers both the individual merit of candidates and their relative merit. In other words, in addition to asking who among the eligible candidates is suitable for a particular post, it also asks who among suitable candidates is most likely to be the best officer in that post. If the Committee concludes that no candidate meets the individual merit criterion even if the field is widened in the manner outlined above, it may opt not to make any nominations.

Such cases are, however, rare and most positions are filled from among those who apply under the relevant call for applications.

The Preliminary Shortlisting and the SAAC Interview Procedure

Eligible applicants will be required to sit for a psychometric test, held at the CDRT, which will serve as part of the preliminary shortlisting.

Subsequently, and as a course of the interview, candidates will be expected to demonstrate their proficiency in the following areas: - Public Administration Act (PAA), Directives under the PAA, Freedom of Information, Customer Care, Public Service Management Code, Disciplinary Procedures, Data Protection, Public Procurement, Structural Funds, EU Related Matters, Domestic Agenda (Better Regulation, Green Initiatives, Governance and Official Secrets Act) and International Agenda.

In evaluating the suitability and merit of candidates for specific positions, due weight shall be given not only to the actual managerial competence and commitment of the officers concerned in attending to their current duties but also to their anticipated performance on higher responsibilities. Consideration will also be given to the individual’s mobility within the public administration and how this has enabled him/her to have a better overview of the workings of the Public Administration. Similarly, consideration will be given to the individual’s Continuous Professional Development record.

As a norm each shortlisted applicant will not be interviewed by the SAAC more than once even if he or she has applied for more than one position under the same call for applications. Moreover, where the Committee has recently interviewed an officer in connection with a previous call for applications it may opt to rely on the assessment it made then.

Conversely, an applicant may be called for a second interview if the Committee finds it necessary to fine-tune its opinions in respect of a particular candidate.

Prior to being called for the interview, prospective applicants would be required to fill a declaration indicating any possible or potential conflict of interest (e.g.business interests, private work, etc). Applicants who have already submitted such a declaration in the past are to confirm in writing that there are no changes and need not resubmit it. In the cases where there has been a change, a new declaration would need be to be submitted.

Additional Information

Prospective applicants are encouraged to apply regardless of whether or not there is an incumbent whose performance agreement has expired and who is re-applying for the position. Applicants should bear in mind that incumbents have no guarantee of retaining their position, and there have been a number of instances where another applicant was appointed in the incumbent’s stead. Moreover, well-performing incumbents may be promoted, and where an incumbent is approaching retirement a successor may be chosen and appointed on a designate basis even though the incumbent is reappointed. For these reasons, deference to incumbents on the part of prospective applicants for headship positions is misplaced.

Moreover, all current incumbents will be directed to organise a familiarisation session for eligible applicants who may be interested to learn more about the area of responsibility of a particular headship position.

Where an incumbent in a headship position is due to be superannuated or where the SAAC recommends that an incumbent should not be recommended for re-appointment, another officer may, if it is considered appropriate, be appointed in a designate capacity, up to the date of retirement or the date when the incumbent Head commences pre-retirement leave, whichever is the earlier, or the date of the expiry of the incumbent’s performance agreement at which time the designate Head will be appointed formally to the position. During this period this designate Head will not be entitled to the benefits attached to the relative position.

NOMINATION CRITERIA AT THE INTERVIEW

The key requirements of merit for headship positions can be simply summarised as integrity, competence and commitment in achieving results.

Integrity

Integrity is the key attribute in the absence of which an officer, however competent and committed, could become a liability to the Public Service and his/her Ministry. Candidates must understand the values of the Public Service and the ethical obligations of public officers in a democratic state. They should have a record of observance of such obligations. They should be prepared to stand their ground where necessary on matters of professional integrity, or where they receive directions, through their chain of command or otherwise, which they know to conflict with wider Government policy. In all other circumstances, however, candidates for headship positions should accept the discipline of service in a Ministry. Their willingness to follow legitimate directions or to give a full contribution as a team player should not be impaired by any personal agenda, issues, disputes or grievances.

Competence

Competence refers to the skills which are required by officers in headship positions, and which are the Committee’s first consideration. These requirements include:

· Leadership skills. In most headship positions, getting results through others is at least as important as one’s own personal output. The ability to motivate and get the best out of subordinates will be particularly important to officers in charge of large organisations.

· Management skills. Heads of department may have diverse academic and professional backgrounds but their most important role will be that of managing a public organisation of significant size. The modernisation of working practices in departments often means applying up-to-date management techniques in areas such as human resource management, financial management or project management, and heads will be better prepared for this role if they are conversant with the tools and techniques of management.

· Representational skills. Representing the Department’s or the Ministry’s views to other actors within Government and beyond can constitute a significant part of the duties of an officer in a headship position. This role calls for tact coupled with an ability to effectively communicate one’s views. Another aspect of a senior manager’s representational role is that of projecting the right image of professionalism to the public and to his/her own staff. This requires attention to matters such as personal conduct and appearance as well as to how staff are discharging their duties and serving the public.

· Analytical skills. Another important attribute at headship level is the ability to grasp detail without losing sight of the big picture; to piece together information from different sources and rapidly pick out the key issues; and to present information to one’s superiors and others that is selectively tailored to what they need to know.

· Knowledge, skills and experience specific to the job. Many positions have particular requirements in addition to those listed above. In many instances a background in a relevant field will greatly assist an appointee to get to grips with his or her new Department (provided he or she has the other requisites). For some positions, specialised knowledge or qualifications may be essential.

Commitment in achieving results

Competence will not necessarily translate into tangible achievements on the job unless it is accompanied by commitment in achieving results. The latter includes:

· A sense of initiative. Dealing with one’s daily in-tray, however diligently, is not enough at headship level. Candidates should be able to demonstrate to the Committee that they take a proactive approach, anticipating problems and addressing them, and keeping themselves and their units abreast of developments in their sphere of operations.

· An orientation towards results. Candidates should understand their primary obligation to the public of delivering better services and better value for money, and they have to show the Committee that they have obtained genuine results in pursuit of these twin goals. Candidates have to demonstrate that they “own” the performance of their unit. They must bring to their work a passion for quality and the motivation to get results.

· Vision. Candidates have to show that they understand the essential requirements of the vacant position and the key challenges and priorities that go with it. The Committee will want to know how each candidate would interpret and develop his or her role and what he or she hopes to achieve in that particular position. A sense of direction and the ability to come up with policy proposals is a sine qua non.

· Awareness of recent changes within the Public Service. The Public Service has to respond to many challenges—higher public expectations, technological changes, new means of service delivery—and candidates should understand the role of Head of Department in this new environment. Candidates need to show that they are prepared to bring about changes in keeping with the Service-wide change initiatives that have been launched in response to these challenges.

HOW THESE REQUIREMENTS ARE ASSESSED

On submission of application, candidates are required to write a short motivational statement explaining why they consider themselves to be qualified for top management positions, in which level they consider themselves suitable and the area they would prefer. The motivational statement carries weight in the final assessment. Both the presentation and the content thereof will be taken into account.

The SAAC will assess most of the key requirements referred to previously primarily with reference to candidates’ track record. Candidates must be prepared to speak about specific achievements and initiatives for which they can claim credit. They should present sufficient information to enable the Committee to assess their claims, but without going into time-consuming detail (this is in itself an important test of their analytical and communication skills).

Naturally, candidates should also be prepared to highlight those elements of their work experience and any qualifications which they feel to be of particular value in preparing them for the specific demands of the job. One should, however, bear in mind that the Committee does not take a mechanistic approach to appraising candidates. A candidate with fifteen years management experience does not have an advantage over one with ten: what is important is what the individual has achieved during those years. A candidate with an MBA who has been content to follow established routine is at a disadvantage over a candidate who is self-taught but has genuinely sought to apply management techniques in pursuit of better results.

Likewise, service in the Department where there is a vacant headship could, but does not automatically, confer an advantage over applicants who have served elsewhere. Greater familiarity with the Department may be counterbalanced by complacency about its performance or an inability to recognise that it is facing new challenges.