To find Duxbury’s next town manager, the board of selectmen are veering from past practices of appointing a search committee and hiring a consultant; instead they plan to rely on a “hiring team” made up of themselves, the town’s volunteer personnel board, the human resource director, and the current town manager.

They also hope to fill the position before the current town manager leaves office at the end of January.

Last month, Town Manager Richard MacDonald announced he will retire on January 31, although he said he can be flexible on the date.

MacDonald said that while other communities hire consulting firms to direct the search for a town manager, he recommends Duxbury use the resources already in place.

“We have a personnel board filled with individuals in the field of human resources and recruiting,” he said. “We have the best resources right under our nose.”

Also, MacDonald will be involved in finding his replacement.

In its last search for a town manager seven years ago, selectmen hired Duxbury’s first town manager, Thomas Groux, to serve as a consultant and also appointed a search committee. MacDonald noted that was before the town had hired a human resources director.

Duxbury has only had three town managers: Groux served from 1988 until 1994; Rocco Longo held the position until 2005 and MacDonald began in January 2006, after serving as interim town manager when Longo left.

MacDonald and Human Resources director Jeannie Horne have created a draft of the hiring process including a job description, advertisement and time frame, which MacDonald presented to selectmen Monday.

The document includes a time line that advertises the position by Nov. 13 with a deadline for applications on Dec. 14.  A new manager could be in place as early as Jan. 15, 2013.

“It’s an aggressive time frame,” said Selectman Shawn Dahlen.

MacDonald stressed that these dates were only suggestions and that he wanted selectmen to comment on the draft document.

He added that he appreciated the opportunity to assist in finding his replacement.

Selectmen chairman Ted Flynn said that finding MacDonald’s replacement “was the most important appointment we as a board make.”

The personnel board consists of Anita Stiles, Robert Molla III, Jean Riley, Wayne Heward, and Alexander Salmela.