Standard Operating Procedure · SOP-HR-01
Staff Recruitment SOP
Every hiring decision at I.B.S follows this SOP — from writing the job spec, through advertising and interviewing, to the signed offer and safeguarding checks. It is fair, structured, and auditable.
1 Purpose & scope
Why this SOP exists.
This SOP ensures every person joining IBS is selected fairly, checked properly, and welcomed well. It applies to every paid position and to volunteers who will spend more than 8 hours per term with pupils. It does not apply to one-off external speakers or contractors on-site for less than a day.
⚠ Safeguarding is a mandatory part of this SOP. No shortcut is acceptable — even for urgent hires.
2 RACI
R (Responsible — does the work): HR Officer
A (Accountable — signs off): Assistant Head (Administration)
C (Consulted): Hiring Manager · Headmaster · Bursar (for budget)
I (Informed): Proprietor · Governing Board (senior hires)
3 Vacancy approval (raise the requisition)
Every hire starts with a written business case, no exceptions.
- Hiring Manager completes a Vacancy Requisition Form (justification, class or department, replacement or new, budget).
- Sends to HR Officer within 5 working days of the need being identified.
- HR reviews against org chart and forwards to Assistant Head (Administration).
- Approval routes: Support / Officer roles → AH(A). Teacher / HOD → Headmaster. Senior Leadership → Proprietor + Board.
- Bursar confirms budget availability in writing before advert goes live.
🚫 No advertising, interviewing, or verbal offers before all four signatures are in the file.
4 Draft the job spec
A great job spec attracts great people.
The HR Officer, with the Hiring Manager, drafts a spec including:
- Job title, level, reporting line, department, location
- Purpose (1 sentence — see the page)
- Key expectations (5–8 bullets)
- KPIs that will measure success in year one
- Requirements (must-have qualifications, licences, experience)
- Qualifications & personal attributes (nice-to-have)
- Contract type, working hours, salary band (internal only), closing date
- How to apply (online / email / in person)
- Safeguarding statement + IBS Christian ethos statement
- Unique job reference (format
IBS-YYYY-MM-DEPT-CODE)
Final draft signed off by the Hiring Manager and Assistant Head (Administration) before publication.
5 Advertise (all channels below run in parallel)
- IBS website — /careers — always the primary source of truth
- Notice board at the school gate — printed A4 copy
- Local radio — sponsored slot on district station (for senior + volume roles)
- Church network — local church noticeboards + partner schools
- Ghana Job Search portals for senior officer roles
- Social media (Facebook, WhatsApp broadcast) with a link to the /careers page
🕐 Minimum advert window: 10 working days for Support/Officer, 15 working days for Teachers, 21 working days for Leadership roles. Do not shortcut.
6 Receive applications
Three ways in, one log book.
- Applications arriving via the website apply-form auto-save to the SchoolOS HR module.
- Emails to
careers@ibs-edu.orgare logged in the same list within 1 working day. - In-person applications: paper receipt issued, application scanned and filed the same day, original placed in the HR safe.
- Applicants receive an automated acknowledgement within 2 working days.
7 Shortlisting
Fair, blind (where possible), structured.
- Within 5 working days of closing, HR anonymises applications (remove name, address, tribe, church).
- Score each application against the job spec on a written rubric (Requirements = mandatory pass; Qualifications = weighted).
- Shortlist 3–5 candidates if they score above 60%. Fewer is fine; do not "make up numbers".
- Shortlist reviewed by Hiring Manager + one other panel member.
- All rejected applicants receive a polite email within 5 working days of shortlisting.
8 Interview
Structured, STAR-based, panel of at least three.
- Panel: Hiring Manager (chair), HR Officer (scribe + safeguarding), one independent (usually another HOD).
- Use the STAR Interview Question Bank. Every candidate gets the same core questions.
- Score each answer 1–5 on the rubric (Situation clarity · Task ownership · Action specifics · Result measurable · Reflection).
- Panel scores are combined after the interview, not during.
- Teaching roles: candidate delivers a 15-minute demo lesson to a real class (observed by Hiring Manager + HOD).
- Support roles: skills test where relevant (cooking demo, driving check, bookkeeping exercise).
- All panels sign the summary sheet the same day.
🚫 No family members of current staff on the panel. No informal "chats" — every conversation with the shortlist is logged.
9 References & safeguarding checks
Mandatory. Non-negotiable.
- Contact both named referees by phone and in writing before any offer.
- At least one referee must have direct line management of the candidate (or, for volunteers, a church leader who has known them 2+ years).
- Ask referees explicitly about safeguarding concerns.
- Police fingerprint check via the Ghana Police Service — offer is conditional until this is received.
- Verify certificates and licences (call the awarding institution if in doubt).
- Signed working-with-children declaration in the file.
- Any concerning reference or check → Headmaster + Proprietor decide, in writing. Two-adult approval required.
10 Offer
- Verbal offer only after all checks are complete and the panel has agreed.
- Written offer letter within 3 working days, signed by Headmaster (or Proprietor for senior hires).
- Offer letter includes: title, salary, benefits, start date, probation period (6 months), notice period, safeguarding clause.
- Candidate has 5 working days to accept in writing.
- If declined, HR may approach the second-choice candidate (if scored ≥ 60%).
11 Onboarding (first 14 days)
- Day 1: Signed contract, ID badge, staff handbook, SchoolOS account provisioned, safeguarding briefing.
- Day 1–3: Site tour, meet the team, meet the Headmaster.
- Week 1: Shadow an experienced colleague; class visits; first-aid briefing.
- Day 14: HR runs the Onboarding Checklist review — every item ticked.
- Day 30: First 1:1 with line manager.
- Day 60 & 180: Formal probation reviews. Confirmation or dismissal decision at Day 180.
12 Records & audit trail
- Every hire has a Recruitment Pack filed in HR (paper + digital):
- Approved requisition · job spec · advert copy · all applications received (rejected + shortlisted) · anonymised shortlist rubric · interview scores · reference call notes · police check certificate · working-with-children declaration · signed offer letter · onboarding checklist
- Recruitment Packs retained for 7 years after employment ends.
- Rejected applications retained for 2 years then securely destroyed.
- Every quarter, HR presents a Recruitment Summary to SLT: openings, time-to-hire, offer-accept rate.
13 Data protection
Every applicant's data is processed under the Ghana Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843). Applicants have the right to see, correct, or ask for deletion of their data. Requests handled by HR within 20 working days. Full detail in Data Protection Policy.
14 Non-compliance
Deviations from this SOP are handled under the Disciplinary Policy. Any recruitment made without following the steps above is void and may be reviewed by the Governing Board.