Summary of Appointment Procedures for Research Personnel

This document is intended as a summary of research personnel appointment procedures as an aid for principal investigators. Please refer to the GUIDE for Principal Investigators for complete information on all human resources matters relating to Research Personnel. Note: References to Appendices and Sections refer to information found on the Appendixes and Supporting Files page.

If you have questions regarding this or other information contained in the GUIDE, please contact your Human Resources Consultant or Analyst.

A. Appointment Procedures

Professional Research Personnel, including:
Professional Research Associate, Research Scientist, Senior Research Scientist, Professional Associate I, II, III

1. Once a candidate has been recommended, prepare

   1. a written "Letter of Offer" [see Appendix V] and
   2. an "Employment Equity Recruitment and Selection Data form [see Appendix III] completed by the principal investigator and/or the head of the department and/or the dean of the college with which the appointee is to be associated.
      
      
2. The conditional offer should then be signed by the:
   • Principal investigator
   • Department head
   • Dean or director
   • Candidate
     
     
3. Forward to Human Resources:
   1. the written "Letter of Offer" (Section 2.6)
   2. the "Employment Equity Recruitment & Selection Data form" (Section 2.3)
   3. a completed Job Information Form (Section 11.6)
   4. the candidates curriculum vitae and letters of reference
   5. two signed copies of the "Memorandum of Agreement"
   6. other documents pertinent to the appointment

PLEASE NOTE: this information no longer needs to be sent to Research Services.

Note: The Employment Equity form (Section 2.3) and copies of the candidates curriculum vitae are not required for casual/hourly paid personnel and for appointments of less than 4 months.

---

Administrative Research Personnel, including:
Research Assistants, Research Officers, Research Engineers, Research Coordinators

Without Term and Term Appointments
Half time or greater of 6 months or more:

1. Once a candidate has been recommended, prepare

   1. a written "Letter of Offer" [see Appendix V] and
   2. an "Employment Equity Recruitment and Selection Data form" [see Appendix III] completed by the principal investigator and/or the head of the department and/or the dean (or designate) of the college with which the appointee is to be associated.
      
      
2. The conditional offer should then be signed by the:
   • Principal investigator
   • Department head
   • Dean or director
   • Candidate
     
     
3. Forward to Human Resources:
   1. the written "Letter of Offer" (Section 2.6)
   2. the "Employment Equity Recruitment & Selection Data form" (Section 2.3)
   3. a completed Payroll Authorization form (Section 11.6)
   4. the candidates curriculum vitae and letters of reference
   5. two signed copies of the "Memorandum of Agreement"
   6. other documents pertinent to the appointment

Appointments of less than 6 months

The appointment process is identical to the above except that the appointment does not require Appointment Committee approval. The written offer does not have to be made conditional upon Appointment Committee endorsement.

Note: The Employment Equity form (Section 2.3) and copies of the candidates resume are not required for casual/ hourly paid personnel and for appointments of less than 4 months.

---

Research Support Personnel and Students, including:
Research Technical Assistants & Technicians, Research Clerks & Clerk Stenographers, Undergraduate & Graduate Student Assistants

Without term, Term or Casual
Appointments of 4 months or more:

1. Once a candidate has been recommended, prepare

   1. Prepare a written "Letter of Offer" [see Appendix V, VI, VII, VIII, IX].
   2. Complete an "Employment Equity Recruitment and Selection Data form" [see Appendix III].. This form is not required for Students and for casual/hourly paid personnel (Section 2.3).

   The offer can generally be made by the principal investigator, however, the principal investigator should confirm with the Department Head, Dean or Director if any additional approval is required.

2. The conditional offer should then be signed by the:

   • Principal investigator
   • Candidate
   • Other hiring officials as deemed appropriate
     
     
3. Forward to Human Resources for endorsement:
   1. the written "Letter of Offer" (Section 2.6)
   2. the "Employment Equity Recruitment & Selection Data form" (Section 2.3)
   3. a completed Payroll Authorization form (Section 11.6)
   4. the candidates resume (not required for students and casual/hourly paid personnel)
   5. two signed copies of the "Memorandum of Agreement"
   6. other documents pertinent to the appointment

B. General Notes on Appointments

1. If the candidate is not a Canadian citizen or permanent resident:

   • The offer should be made conditional upon the candidate obtaining the appropriate documents.
   • Contact Human Resources before conducting your search
   • See Section 2.4 – Immigration
     
     
2. Benefits: Principal investigators are encouraged to extend benefits, where funding permits, to all eligible research personnel (Section 6.2). Where benefits are offered, all documentation (Section 11.5, 11.6) should be prepared at least 3 weeks prior to the date of hire regardless of the payroll cutoff date (Section 11.2).
   
   
3. When making on offer, the GUIDE and/or the designated resource in Human Resources should be consulted to ensure that the terms and conditions of the offer meet legislative requirements and comply with university standards, practices and policies.

C. New Hires Checklist

Prepare and forward all required documents to Human Resources.

D. Classifications / Ranks

While there is no formal classification/ranking structure in place for most individuals engaged in funded research, most funding agencies required that, as a condition of funding, principal investigators conform to the standards, practices and policies of the University.

Refer to Section 1.2 for a summary of most forms of engagement associated with research personnel and to Section 4.3 and Appendices XII, XIII, XIV for information on associated salary scales.

Information
If you require further details about the duties or qualifications of a position to appropriately classify and compensate the candidate, contact your Human Resources Analyst.

A Sample Letter of Offer is available.