The Recruitment Process of AAI’s new Executive Director (2017)
In the interests of transparency and accountability, for our staff, civil society, government and funding partners, AAI has documented the recruitment process of our incoming Executive Director, Ricki Kgositau (link to communique) In late March 2017 upon the resignation of then AAI Executive Director Daniel Molokele, the AAI Board decided to begin the recruitment of a new Executive Director in April 2017.
- Staff were asked to submit a list of the attributes (training, experience, demographic etc) they wished to see in a new ED. Names were not allowed, only attributes.
- Some AAI staff /AAI solicited similar input from trusted colleagues outside of AAI, this resulted in submissions from six of AAI’s colleagues.
- The Executive Chair and Director of Finance and Operations then developed the draft of the job description for discussion and approval at the Board meeting of May 2017. The Board also decided on a desired profile of the new ED.
- Prior to the discussion at the board meeting, Ricki Kgositau as an AAI Board Member expressed her intention to apply for the position and so recused herself from the discussion of the job description citing conflict of interest.
- The Board approved a later draft of the job description (Ricki was again recused from this procedure citing COI). on June 20. The job description is available here
- In late June 2017, the advert for the position was placed in various African including South African publications, as well as on AAI’s website, Facebook, Twitter account and sent out in our newsletter.
- By the deadline of 10 August, AAI had received one hundred and two applications.
- The Executive Chair and Finance and Operations Director eliminated those who clearly did not qualify from this list and creating the long list of eighteen.
- A recruitment agency (Personnel Search) in Cape Town South Africa was then tasked with interviewing these candidates and providing AAI with a shortlist. They were tasked with ensuring that a gender perspective was added to their work to ensure a level playing field for women candidates.
- From this process four candidates emerged.
- Phillipa Tucker and Mats Ahnlund as the Technical Directorate of AAI were then tasked with assessing the four candidates’ technical knowledge. (Phillipa Tucker as a good friend of Ricki Kgositau recused herself from the analysis of Ricki, citing conflict of interest. This was conducted instead by The Executive Chair and F&O Dir)
- One candidate was eliminated in this process, leaving two women and one man.
- The three remaining candidates were sent for a one-day psychometric testing in Pretoria by Rudi Frigenti, Industrial and Counselling Psychologist. From this the male candidate was strongly not recommended by the psychometric firm.
- The remaining two candidates were then asked to present their strategic vision for AAI if they became ED. This was done in mid-October 2017 at the Board meeting.
- Interviews were also held with the references for the two remaining candidates.
- The final decision was based on an analysis of interviews, test and references.