Recruitment, Selection and Appointment Procedures - Adjunct Appointments

Parent Policy

Recruitment, Selection and Appointment

Preamble

The University’s Associated Academic Workforce is comprised of four appointment categories - Adjunct, Emeritus, Eminent Honorary and Sessional.

This procedure describes the process for appointing adjuncts and the responsibilities and expectations of adjunct appointees during their time at the University. With effect on and from 1 January 2009, adjunct appointments replaced the University’s former honorary appointments in teaching and research, other than Emeritus and Eminent Honorary appointments.

A person may be appointed as an adjunct if his or her professional standing or specialist expertise would contribute to the teaching and/or research activities of a particular department or research centre in the University. S/he must have achieved recognition in an area of the teaching and/or research program of the academic or organisational unit in which the appointment will be held.

This procedure applies to the appointment of all adjuncts to the University. Normally, such appointments are unpaid.

Definitions

Adjunct appointee: a person appointed in accordance with this procedure who is appointed to contribute his or her professional standing and specialist expertise to the teaching and/or research activities of a particular department or research centre in the University. Adjunct appointees can be teaching and research or research-only adjunct appointees.

Adjunct Appointment Nomination Form: is the completed form required in support of an application to make an adjunct appointment. At Level D and E, the completed Form must include contact details of three referees (and referee reports, where possible).

Conflict of interest: refers to a situation where a conflict arises for an individual between two competing interests. This refers to a reasonably perceived, potential or actual conflict of interest. Conflicts of interest can involve financial or non-financial interests of the individual and the interests of a business partner or associate, family member, friend or person in, or has had a close personal relationship with the staff member.

Dean: the dean of the faculty or his or her nominee in any cases where the dean has formally nominated the person to act as his or her nominee.

Employment: engagement under a contract of employment and excluding unpaid adjunct appointments.

Faculty or Divisional Cluster: refers to a cluster of faculties and/or administrative Divisions that is serviced by a particular HR Service Hub.

Head of unit: head of an academic or organisational work unit, for example head of school, head of department or where applicable, a person acting as his or her nominee.

Honorarium payment: an ad-hoc payment made in recognition of the contribution made by an adjunct appointee in his/her unpaid adjunct appointment which is not a payment for “work performed”.

HR Business Partner: is a member of Monash HR who operates as a strategic partner responsible for providing a range of human resources services for an assigned Faculty or administrative division. HR Business Partners are located within a HR Service Hub.

HR Service Hub: is the centre for human resources services and activities within a Faculty or Divisional Cluster.

Job Request: is the screen in Rex where all necessary information relating to a particular position is recorded.

Lead HR Business Partner: is a member of the Monash HR management team who operates as a senior HR Business Partner responsible for the strategic and operational management of the human resources services and activities in a HR Services Hub.

Rex: is Recruitment Express, the University's online recruitment system, which administers requests to advertise, selections and appointments and generates employment contracts.

Unit: refers to an academic or organisational work unit within a faculty and includes schools and departments.

Types of adjunct appointments

The following are teaching and research adjunct appointments:

• Adjunct Lecturer (Level B)
• Adjunct Senior Lecturer (Level C)
• Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor (Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences) (Level D)
• Adjunct Associate Professor (Level D)
• Adjunct Clinical Professor (Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences) (Level E)
• Adjunct Appointment as a Professor (Level E)

The following are research-only adjunct appointments:

• Adjunct Junior Research Associate
• Adjunct Research Associate (Level A)
• Adjunct Research Fellow (Level B)
• Adjunct Senior Research Fellow (Level C)
• Adjunct Associate Professor (Research) (Level D)
• Adjunct Appointment as a Professor (Research) (Level E)

Eligibility

Ordinarily only persons not already employed by the University will be considered for an adjunct appointment.  However, an existing staff member may be considered for an unpaid adjunct appointment where the eligibility criteria for an adjunct appointment as set out below are satisfied and the adjunct appointment will not:

• create a conflict of interest for the staff member in his/her existing employment with the University; and/or
• adversely affect the staff member’s performance in his/her existing employment with the University

An example of when this may occur is when an academic staff member working within one of the central portfolios seeks an adjunct position within a faculty for the purposes of being included in, and contributing to, the faculty’s research network and for the purposes of academic promotion.

Eligibility for teaching and research adjunct appointments

To be eligible for a teaching and research adjunct appointment, the professional standing and specialist expertise of the proposed appointee must be such that s/he will make a significant contribution to the teaching and research activities of a particular unit or research centre in the University (or, in the case of a clinical adjunct appointment, in a hospital setting).

Level B and C teaching and research adjunct appointees must have achieved recognition in an area of the teaching and research program of the unit in which the appointment will be held. Level D and E teaching and research adjunct appointees are expected to have achieved eminence in the relevant area within the unit, with Level E adjunct appointees having an established international reputation in the area.

Eligibility for research-only adjunct appointments

To be eligible for appointment as an Adjunct Junior Research Associate, a person must be a Monash University graduate research student who is awaiting the outcome of the examination of his or her PhD thesis and is considered by the head of unit in which the appointment is proposed to be making a significant contribution to the unit.

To be eligible for appointment to any other research-only adjunct appointment, the professional standing and specialist expertise of the proposed appointee must be such that s/he will make a significant contribution to the research activities of a particular unit or research centre in the University.

Levels A, B and C research-only adjunct appointees must have achieved recognition in an area of the research program of the unit in which the appointment will be held. Level D and E research-only adjunct appointees are expected to have achieved eminence in the research program of the relevant area within the unit, with Level E adjunct appointees having an established international reputation for research in the area.

Appointment

Adjunct appointments are for a set period of up to five years and are specific to a particular faculty (or area within the central portfolios).

Normally, adjunct appointments are unpaid appointments.  However, from time-to-time during an unpaid adjunct appointment and depending upon the skills available, as well as the needs of the unit, that appointment may be converted to fixed-term part-time employment with the University by mutual agreement between the University and the adjunct appointee.  The part-time employment can be for periods of up to three years, at a maximum time intensity of 0.2 of full-time (which notionally is the equivalent of one day per week).  In exceptional circumstances, this time fraction could be higher, but must not exceed 0.5 of full-time

If the adjunct appointee already holds a concurrent contract of employment with the University, the following conditions also apply.

• Conversion of an unpaid adjunct appointment to paid fixed-term part-time employment with the University is not permitted where the adjunct appointee already holds a concurrent full-time contract of employment with the University.
• The paid adjunct appointee’s aggregate fraction of employment with the University must not exceed full-time (ie. a 1.0 employment fraction).
• The activities performed pursuant to the adjunct appointment must be discrete from and additional to the appointee’s concurrent contract of employment with the University.

An unpaid adjunct appointee who enters into a contract of employment with the University in addition to his/her adjunct appointment (and which is not a conversion to a paid adjunct appointment as described above) will ordinarily be required to vacate the adjunct appointment on commencement of the contract of employment.  However, the requirement to vacate the adjunct appointment may be waived in the following circumstances:

• where the contract of employment is for a sessional teaching associate position (in accordance with the Recruitment Selection and Appointment Procedure – Recruitment of casual and sessional staff); or
• where the waiver is approved by:
  • the Provost for unpaid adjunct appointees at Levels A-D or nominee; or
  • the Vice-Chancellor for unpaid adjunct appointees at Level E or nominee.

and the duties performed in the contract of employment are discrete from and additional to the adjunct appointment.

Roles and responsibilities

Teaching and research adjunct appointees are expected to participate in the unit’s teaching, research and/or related activities relative to their academic level. For further information, please refer to teaching and research position classification standards.

Research-only adjunct appointees are expected to participate in research and/or related activities of the unit relative to their academic level. For further information, please refer to the research-only position classification standards.

An adjunct appointee must:

• ensure that there is no conflict of interest between his or her adjunct appointment at the University and any outside work or activities or his/her employment with the University (if applicable);
• comply with the University’s intellectual property requirements as outlined in the letter of offer;
• acknowledge adjunct status in academic attributions related to the adjunct appointment; and
• attribute his or her academic publications to the University in accordance with the requirements of the University’s Research Outputs and Authorship Policy and Procedures.

An adjunct appointee may:

• use the adjunct title provided to him or her, including on a business card and official correspondence; and
• supervise research higher degree students.

An adjunct appointee may not as part of his/her adjunct appointment:

• supervise the performance of a staff member under the University’s Staff Development Procedure – Performance development process: academic staff;
• authorise the expenditure of University funds; and/or
• commit the University to any contractual or other legally binding agreement.

Adjunct appointees are required to comply with applicable University policies and procedures, in particular:

• Research Outputs and Authorship Policy and Procedures;
• Conduct and Compliance Policy and Procedures;
• Information Technology Use Policy – Staff and Other Authorised Users;
• Occupational Health and Safety Policies; and
• Equal Opportunity and Sexual Harassment Policies and Procedures.

Entitlements

As already noted, adjunct appointments are normally unpaid appointments.

Adjunct appointees can be provided with access to University services and support, as appropriate in particular appointments, e.g. email, use of University computing hardware and software, library services, access to relevant research space (laboratory, studio), reimbursement of pre-approved out-of-pocket expenses.

In exceptional cases, it can be recommended that an unpaid adjunct appointee receive an honorarium payment.

Appointment Approval Process

When a proposed adjunct appointee is identified, the relevant head of unit will:

• satisfy him/herself that there is no conflict of interest between the candidate’s work outside the University or employment within the University and his or her proposed adjunct contribution to the activities of the unit (for further information on conflict of interest see the Conduct and Compliance Procedure – Conflict of interest);
• ensure that the appointment is being offered at the appropriate academic level relative to the academic classification standards;
• complete basic information relating to the appointment in the Job Request in Rex;
• complete and upload the Adjunct Appointment Nomination Form; and
• upload the proposed appointee’s curriculum vitae (CV).

The relevant HR Business Partner will:

• provide advice and assistance to the head of unit throughout the appointment process;
• complete all detailed information in the Job Request in Rex; and
• confirm that all required documentation is uploaded in support of the appointment.

The completed Job Request will then be forwarded electronically via Rex to the relevant approvers. Although the required approvals may vary between Faculty/Division, the table below summarises the approvals that are required for all adjunct appointments at the University. Approvers may request additional information clarifying and supporting the case for appointment.

All proposals for adjunct appointments at Level E must be recommended by the dean before submitting to Senior Academic Appointments (Monash HR) for approval by the Vice-Chancellor, on endorsement of the Provost.

Appointment Offer

If the appointment is approved, a letter of offer will be generated through Rex by the relevant HR Business Partner.

The letter of offer will then be forwarded electronically to the appointee through Rex.

The head of unit will be able to track the progress of the offer in Rex. The HR Business Partner will notify the dean and the head of unit when the appointment has been offered and when it has been accepted.

Honorarium Payment

If during the period of an adjunct appointment, the head of unit wishes to recommend payment of an honorarium payment to the adjunct appointee, the head can make such recommendation by way of written case to the dean.

If the recommendation is supported by the dean, the faculty will forward the written case to their HR Service Hub for approval by the Director, Workplace Relations for payments up to $20,000, or the Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President for greater amounts.

Conversion from Unpaid to Paid Adjunct Appointment

If during the period of an adjunct appointment, the head of unit wishes to recommend conversion to a fixed-term period of paid part-time employment for the adjunct appointee, the head of unit can initiate the process by completing basic information relating to the part-time employment in a Job Request in Rex.

The HR Business Partner will then complete the required detailed information in the Job Request and ensure that the request is electronically forwarded to the dean of the faculty for approval. Part-time employment arrangements for adjunct appointees at greater than a 0.2 fraction must only be requested in exceptional circumstances and must be approved by the Director, Workplace Relations.  

As above, if the part-time arrangement is approved by the dean (and the Director, Workplace Relations, where required), the HR Business Partner will generate an amended letter of offer through Rex and forward the offer electronically to the appointee for acceptance.  The adjunct appointee’s acceptance of the paid appointment will be advised by the HR Business Partner to the dean and head of unit.

Renewal of adjunct appointments

Adjunct appointments may be renewed on the approval of the dean provided it has been less than 10 years since an Adjunct Appointment Nomination Form has been completed and submitted to the appropriate authorities outlined in the table above. If it has been 10 years since a nomination was fully considered and the head of unit wishes to retain the adjunct, a new Adjunct Appointment Nomination Form must be completed and submitted for approval in accordance with the requirements of this procedure.

The HR Business Partner will facilitate the process for the renewal, non-renewal or reappointment of adjuncts.

Responsibilities

Head of unit

The head of unit is responsible for:

• satisfying him/herself that there is no conflict of interest between the candidate’s work outside the University or employment within the University and his or her proposed adjunct contribution to the activities of the unit (for further information on conflict of interest see the Conduct and Compliance Procedure – Conflict of interest);
• ensuring that the appointment is being offered at the appropriate academic level;
• completing basic information relating to the adjunct appointment in the Job Request in Rex;
• completing and uploading the Adjunct Appointment Nomination Form;
• uploading the proposed appointee’s CV to Rex; and
• recommending the payment of an honorarium payment or a period of part-time employment for an adjunct appointee to the dean.

Dean

The dean is responsible for:

• considering and approving all appointment proposals in Rex at Levels A to D;
• considering and endorsing appointment proposals at Level E;
• considering and endorsing a head of unit’s recommendation for an honorarium; and
• approving recommendations from the head of unit that an adjunct appointee convert to a period of fixed-term part-time employment through Rex.

Vice-Chancellor

The Vice-Chancellor, acting on the recommendation of the Provost, is responsible for:

• approving appointment proposals at Level E; and
• approving any unpaid Level E adjunct appointee entering into employment with the University without the requirement to vacate his/her adjunct appointment.

Provost

The Provost is responsible for:

• endorsing appointment proposals at Level E; and
• approving any unpaid  Level A-D adjunct appointee entering into employment with the University without the requirement to vacate his/her adjunct appointment.

Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President

The Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President is responsible for approving honorarium payments by exception that are greater than $20,000.

Monash HR

HR Business Partner

The HR Business Partner is responsible for:

• ensuring that all detailed information is completed in the Job Request in Rex;
• confirming that all required documentation is uploaded to Rex for the approver’s consideration;
• ensuring that adjunct appointments at Levels A to D are approved within the requirements of this procedure;
• generating the letters of offer for appointments, and any part-time employment arrangements, at all academic levels; and
• ensuring the head of unit and dean are notified of the offer and acceptance of the offer.

Lead HR Business Partner

The Lead HR Business Partner is responsible for ensuring that honorarium payments are approved within policy.

Manager (Senior Academic Appointments), Monash HR

The Manager (Senior Academic Appointments) is responsible for ensuring that adjunct appointments at Level E are approved in accordance with the requirements of this procedure.

Director, Workplace Relations

The Director, Workplace Relations is responsible for:

• confirming whether there are exceptional circumstances for a paid adjunct appointment at greater than a 0.2 fraction; and
• as the delegate of the Executive Director, Monash HR, approving honorarium payments up to $20,000.

Related Procedures

• Honorary appointments: Professional Staff

Related Documents

• Teaching and Research positions
• Research only positions

Related Forms

• Adjunct Appointment Nomination Form [word] or [PDF]
• Paid Adjunct Notification Form [word] or [PDF]