Wikimedia Chapters Association/Resolutions/2012 SG recruitment

Resolution

The WCA resolves to take up an offer of a temporary consultant to support a recruitment process for the WCA Secretary General.^[1] The transitional cost will be covered by WMDE.^[2] This resolution is an amendment to the previous resolution establishing the Wikimedia Chapters Association/Election committee.

The WCA Council supports the following plan of action previously agreed with the consultant:

1. finalize the Secretary General Job Description (by October 19th)

2. word a statement and manage appropriate channels to publish a search for candidates (by October 26th)

3. set up a system for applications and contact for/with candidates [most likely OTRS^[3]] (by October 26th)

3A. if response is poor, we plan to contact one or two specialized head-hunting companies to brief [at no cost for the moment]

4. present a first round of candidates for comment and ranking by Council Members (by November 16th)^[4]

4A. if there are insufficient good applications, intensify our own search and take up proposals from head-hunters (from November 26th)

5. conduct a first round of phone interviews of the best matches (first week of December)

6. present a "best of 3" (by December 10th)

7. final presentations/interviews with Council Members and expert advisers

Vote by Council Members

The following discussion is closed:

Summary by WCA Chair:
The vote was closed without meeting the conditions of voting. It is worth noting that a significant proportion of Council Members were not prepared to proceed with a recruitment process until location was agreed, however there was little disagreement to the principles of the recruitment process proposed in this resolution. --Fæ (talk) 17:15, 9 November 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Conditions of voting

Voting will close on 30 October or earlier if the necessary majority is achieved.^[5]

A majority vote applies in accordance with the WCA charter.

As of 10 October there are 21 Members, so a majority of 11 applies.

Council Members may change their vote at any time until voting closes.

All Council Members were invited by direct email to vote on this resolution on 10 October 2012.

Support

Fæ (talk) 21:47, 10 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Ziko (talk) 11:29, 12 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Mglaser (talk) 15:57, 12 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Kjetil_r 09:32, 24 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]
I agree with the concerns below, but figured out that we will need a recruitment consultant regardless of where we incorporate. The consultant will be hired as WMDE staff so there will be no confusion over employment laws. Der yck C. 15:48, 25 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Against

I appreciate that finally we hired someone to handle that, but as I wrote before, the first step is to define the organization. --Itzike (talk) 22:40, 10 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]
We need to determine where the WCA will be incorporated before we can proceed with this; it would be irresponsible to hire someone without knowing, at a minimum, what set of laws will govern their employment. Kirill ^[talk] 22:52, 10 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]
We need to determine first the location of the WCA -as it was decided in Washington - before we can proceed to an hiring or to choose a recruitment company. Chantal Ebongue 12 October 2012 (UTC)
Let's vote on the location first (this should not take so long) Anthere (talk)
I prefer we decide on the location first, as mentioned by others above. -- Chuq (talk) 04:59, 24 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]
(At least) location first. - Laurentius (talk) 13:01, 24 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]
we need a location, bank account and money in that account before we can sign a working contract and pay salary - therefore: incorporate first. --Manuel Schneider^(bla) (+/-) 17:27, 24 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]
Just like the other say, location needs to be established first. We gotta build the walls and the ceilings before we say who gets to move in. DamianFinol (talk) 20:38, 28 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]
I like the procedure in a very general way but more details should be coined regarding as well the SG job as WCA organization and the consultant itself. As we in WMPL support the Keep It Simple principle and perceive WCA as a slim body, subsidiary to the Chapters, we can go with simple and low cost solutions like help (staff, office space, other resources) of already existing entities - Chapters. This means we may consider the Swiss proposal (or one made by any other Chapter). In that time we can focus on principles like defining more precisely both WCA and the very position of SG, which in our beliefs should be more volunteer-oriented and less compensation-and-benefits oriented. I assume we need to have a clear picture of what we want - for us, the employed consultant and the candidates for the SG position. So far, I am afraid I see more differences in ideas for WCA than a common ground. Best Regards, aegis maelstrom δ 23:17, 30 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Abstain

Mostly, I agree with the procedure, but it might be more practical to have a location first. We don't have many restrictions for the SG, so they should survive this one. --Oop (talk) 07:37, 25 October 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Notes

↑ A legal identity for the WCA will be established before any offer is made. As the first round of candidates is planned for November 2012, it would make sense if this is in place by then. The legal identity need not be the long term "location" for the WCA office and any later administration support.
↑ WMDE is covering the costs of the consultancy supporting the SG recruitment process above out of the budget allocated for the WCA in 2013. The cost is estimated at €3,000 to €4,000.
↑ The use of OTRS may be limited by privacy and legal concerns. Depending on the nature of correspondence a suitably secure system may be required. The extent to which short-listed candidates can have profiles published more widely may be limited due to privacy, data protection concerns and may vary depending on country of incorporation. Professional advice will guide our decision.
↑ Mid-November may be a suitable time to incorporate a Non-profit organization to hold the SG's employment contract.
↑ Deadline extended by a further week, due to low turn out and after there were no objections to this change in an email request "Urgent reminder: Your vote for WCA resolution" sent 23 October 2012 by the Chair to all Council Members. Note, there is no agreed procedure for the WCA Council online vote process, including time required for voting or how resolutions are officially tabled to the Council. This will be added to the standing orders of the WCA.

[1] A legal identity for the WCA will be established before any offer is made. As the first round of candidates is planned for November 2012, it would make sense if this is in place by then. The legal identity need not be the long term "location" for the WCA office and any later administration support.

[2] WMDE is covering the costs of the consultancy supporting the SG recruitment process above out of the budget allocated for the WCA in 2013. The cost is estimated at €3,000 to €4,000.

[3] The use of OTRS may be limited by privacy and legal concerns. Depending on the nature of correspondence a suitably secure system may be required. The extent to which short-listed candidates can have profiles published more widely may be limited due to privacy, data protection concerns and may vary depending on country of incorporation. Professional advice will guide our decision.

[4] Mid-November may be a suitable time to incorporate a Non-profit organization to hold the SG's employment contract.

[5] Deadline extended by a further week, due to low turn out and after there were no objections to this change in an email request "Urgent reminder: Your vote for WCA resolution" sent 23 October 2012 by the Chair to all Council Members. Note, there is no agreed procedure for the WCA Council online vote process, including time required for voting or how resolutions are officially tabled to the Council. This will be added to the standing orders of the WCA.

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