Academic Career and Reward Framework project

At many universities there is a well-defined academic career path where an individual might join the institution as a researcher, a lecturer or perhaps an Assistant Professor and through a series of promotion steps, they progress in their career and also in their pay. At Oxford, we have such a path but it doesn’t align well with the approach at many other universities and lacks the clarity that others offer. We have taken some initial steps to address this over the last two years, and now have further work underway to make things better for our academic and research staff. 

In the staff survey two years ago, we heard very clearly from Associate Professors that workload was for many, difficult to cope with. This was in the midst of a pandemic but still the feedback was clear.  A working group including colleagues from departments and colleges considered the issues and developed a set of seven recommendations. Action was taken as a result: guidance went out to departments about the initial period of office, approaches to elements of workload and the joint career conversations bringing in both college and department. The last of the recommendations was also taken forward: “to discuss the likely parameters and feasibility of a fundamental review of the joint appointments model and the role of an Associate Professor.” 

At the same time there were other issues being raised; pay, the place of teaching, including college teaching, in the criteria for reward and the reward and recognition schemes themselves. None of these issues are independent from the others. And it was through recognising that we have an integrated set of issues that can’t be resolved independently, that the Academic Career and Reward Framework project was born. 

The project has a Steering Group comprising divisional representation, collegiate representation and the Pro-Vice-Chancellors for Education and Research. The project team similarly brings together expertise from across HR, Research Services, the Academic Administration Division, and academic departments. 

Together we are attempting to create a framework that will allow recognition for teaching, research and innovation, academic leadership and good citizenship. As a University, we need to be able to create pathways that suit different choices at points in the career – at some points perhaps focused on research and at others on innovation, or taking on an academic leadership role and/or teaching - and reward excellence in all that we aim to do.  Our present system often leaves individuals without a career track, or with feelings that not all choices are as respected as others. Recognising the efforts that are needed in teaching, research, administration and other parts of academic life and developing careers that allow focus in different areas will move us away from expecting everyone to do everything and to balance the various workloads more evenly. 

The needs of different parts of the institution vary too; the career paths of colleagues across the institution often do not follow the same path. Sometimes individuals will take time out to collaborate or work in industry, or they might arrive at the University from industry – perhaps taking time to take on a national or other leadership role. For colleagues in Medical Sciences there is often a clinical element to their role. The framework needs to be sufficiently flexible to allow divisions to use it in the most effective way. And our aspiration is to allow the collegiate University to move forward together, providing a framework that might be helpful for college-only academic staff, alongside joint appointments and University-only academics. 

The project began in 2022, before the Vice-Chancellor’s request for a pay and conditions review. There is some overlap in the activities and hence the reward and pay elements of benchmarking are being considered by the Pay & Conditions review. Work so far around the Academic Pathways Framework has been based on an in-depth review completed over the summer, considering existing systems elsewhere in Higher Education, and then mapping on to our own needs. The initial thinking for the framework is being discussed with colleagues in the divisions and colleges with the aim to formulate a model that we can take to committees and have agreed this academic year.  At that point, the Pay & Conditions review will inform the pay levels of the new structures and the promotion steps, and the relevant policies can be updated. 

Opportunities to get involved 

Gathering staff insight is critical to the success of this work. Focus groups will be held with academic and research staff in Hilary term 2024 and the project team will work with departments to ensure we reach a representative group. If you would like to nominate yourself to take part, please let us know by completing this form.  

For further information, visit the Academic Career and Reward Framework webpage.