New Civil Service Commissioner Doron Cohen, who took office last month, has ordered a major change in the way 2,300 senior civil service jobs are filled. From now on, the ministries themselves will run the tenders for senior posts, while the Civil Service Commission will serve only as a guiding and supervising body.
The move covers top positions across government ministries, including deputy directors general, department heads and legal advisers. According to the report, the commission is already preparing internal work, and instructions are expected within about two months. Until now, the commission handled the selection and management of the tender committees for senior appointments. Under the new plan, each ministry will manage its own process and may determine committee members within the existing rules or any new ones that are issued.
Supporters inside the commission say the change should make appointments more efficient and shorten the process. Critics fear it will make it easier for a minister or director general to appoint political allies, or to cancel an internal tender and move to an open competition where a preferred candidate could win. The report says the move was not coordinated with the attorney general’s office. The change would also give ministries and their leaders significantly more influence than they have had until now.
The article also says the senior legal-adviser posts are included in the shift, though no decision has yet been made on changing the composition of those tender committees. At present, committee summons are handled by a commission employee who is not affiliated with any ministry. In a separate development, a tender for the legal adviser of the National Transportation Authority was canceled at the last minute after Director General Idan Muallam traveled abroad, and the commission said it will be rescheduled.
