Recruitment and Hiring Policy

  1. Purpose

This policy establishes the recruitment and hiring process for positions funded in whole or in part by a Horizon Europe grant for work contracts that represent more than €6000.

Work contracts lower than this amount can be give on an ad-hoc basis as long as smaller contracts aren’t used to avoid the process hereforth defined. For example, a second contract cannot be signed with the same person right after the end of their last contract if this person is essentially doing the same work, and the sum of both the first and second contract goes beyond €6000. In this case, the board should consider opening a position and mobilising the hiring process.

As a member-driven and predominantly volunteer-led organization, postmarketOS seeks, where appropriate, to provide its members and active contributors with opportunities to take on paid roles within the Association, while maintaining a fair, transparent, and properly documented recruitment process.

  1. Recruitment Principles

Recruitment is guided by the following principles:

  • Member priority: Existing members and active contributors are given a first opportunity to apply for funded positions;

  • Suitability: The selected candidate must have the skills, experience, and capacity required to perform the role;

  • Transparency: Roles, requirements, and employment conditions are clearly communicated;

  • Diversity and Inclusion: The association is committed to promoting an inclusive and fair working environment and thus recognizing diversity of experiences in the workplace;

  • Proportionality: The recruitment process is appropriate to the size and nature of the position;

  • Conflict of interest: Anyone involved in recruitment must disclose any actual or potential conflict of interest;

  • Traceability: Recruitment decisions are sufficiently documented to demonstrate how and why the final candidate was selected.

  1. Board Responsibilities

The Board is responsible for:

  • Identifying and approving the creation of the position and its budget;

  • Creating and approving the job description, including the role’s responsibilities, required qualifications, and employment conditions;

  • Appointing a Selection Committee;

  • Delegating the recruitment and selection process to the Selection Committee.

Once the recruitment process has been delegated, the Selection Committee manages the selection of the candidate in accordance with this policy.

Board members must resign from the board before being considered as a candidate for a job posting.

  1. Selection Committee

The Board appoints a Selection Committee of 3 people.

The Selection Committee is responsible for the recruitment process, including:

  • Posting and communicating the vacancy;

  • Creating the job postings;

  • Coordinating internal and external recruitment;

  • Defining pre-selection and selection criteria based on job requirements;

  • Receiving and reviewing applications for pre-selection;

  • Conducting interviews and, where appropriate, additional assessments;

  • Selecting candidates against the selection criteria;

  • Documenting the process and the rationale for the final decision;

  • Making the employment offer within the conditions and budget approved by the Board.

Committee members must disclose any actual or potential conflict of interest concerning a candidate. Where a significant conflict exists, the member should recuse themselves from the selection committee.

  1. Two-Stage Recruitment Process

To prioritize members and recognize the contribution of the Association’s volunteer community, recruitment will normally take place in two stages.

Stage 1 — Internal Recruitment

The position will first be communicated internally to the Association’s members and, where appropriate, active volunteers and contributors.

The internal vacancy will remain open for a defined period of at least 14 days.

Internal candidates will be assessed against the requirements of the position.

In addition to the skills and experience required for the role, the Selection Committee may take into account:

  • Membership of the Association.

  • Demonstrated commitment to the Association’s objectives.

  • Knowledge of the Association’s mission, community, and ways of working.

  • Relevant skills, qualifications, and experience.

If a suitable candidate is identified during the internal recruitment stage, the Selection Committee may proceed directly to their selection and hiring.

Stage 2 — External Recruitment

If no suitable candidate is identified during the internal recruitment stage, the Selection Committee may open the position to external candidates.

The external vacancy will be advertised through appropriate channels and assessed against the same core requirements established in the approved job description.

The Selection Committee may consider relevant prior involvement with the Association as one factor in assessing candidates, but selection will ultimately be based on the candidate’s suitability for the position.

  1. Final Selection and Hiring

The Selection Committee has delegated authority from the Board to make the final selection, provided that:

  • The selected candidate meets the requirements of the approved job description;

  • The proposed employment conditions remain within the approved budget;

  • The recruitment process has followed this policy.

The Selection Committee will document the final decision and provide the Board with the relevant record for governance and record-keeping purposes.

The employment relationship will be formalized in accordance with applicable Belgian employment law and the Association’s internal rules.

  1. Volunteers, Members and Employment

Membership or volunteer status does not by itself create an entitlement to employment.

However, because postmarketOS is a member-driven and volunteer-led organization, the Association considers existing contribution, knowledge of the organization, and commitment to its mission to be relevant factors when assessing candidates.

  1. Diversity and inclusion

The association reflects the commitment to actively combating all forms of discrimination during the hiring process notably by:

  • Using gender-neutral and accessible language in communications;

  • Focusing on essential skills instead of requiring unnecessary degrees or credentials that might exclude qualified applicants;

  • Stating salary ranges and remote work options upfront to attract a wider and more flexible talent pool;

  • Partnering with diverse professional networks, community groups, and targeted job boards instead of relying only on traditional word-of-mouth referrals;

  • Using structured interviews by asking every candidate the exact same core questions and grading them with a fixed evaluation rubric;

  • Forming diverse hiring panels to reduce individual bias during candidate assessments.

  • Evaluting other strategies to promote diversity and inclusion in hiring practices.

  1. Documentation and Audit Trail

For each Horizon Europe-funded position, the Association will retain sufficient documentation to demonstrate the recruitment and selection process in the interest of 1) keeping an audit trail of decision and 2) demonstrating that we conform to Beglian employment and non-discrimination law.

This includes:

  • The following documents:

    • Board resolution approving budget and conditions;

    • The job description;

    • Job advertisement;

    • Selection and pre-selection criteria.

  • The selection committee minutes, including notably:

    • Anonymized pre-selection, selection and evaluation summary;

    • Conflicts of interest declared during the process;

    • Final selection decision and its rationale.

  1. Compliance

Recruitment and employment will comply with:

  • Applicable Belgian employment and non-discrimination law;

  • Applicable EU data protection laws (i.e. GDPR);

  • The Association’s statutes and internal rules;

  • The applicable Horizon Europe Grant Agreement and funding requirements.

Where the Horizon Europe requirements or applicable law impose a more specific or stringent requirement, those requirements will prevail.

  1. Review

This policy will be reviewed after the end of the Horizon Europe grant.