Policy: Academic promotion - Promotion - Human Resources at the University of York

1. General

1.1 All applications for promotion from academic, research and teaching staff will be considered by Faculty Promotions Panels and by the Academic Promotions Committeefor approval.

2. Applications

2.1 Members of staff seeking promotion have sole responsibility for submitting an application for consideration by the Academic Promotions Committee.

2.2 Staff may make only one application per promotions round.

2.3 Applicants may be considered for promotion and for an advertised post at the same time. If an individual applies for an advertised post while they are being considered for promotion, their promotion application will continue through the process. If an applicant is offered and accepts the new role, their application will be withdrawn from the promotions process.

2.4 It is the responsibility of applicants to demonstrate that they meet the criteria. Evidence should be open to scrutiny and in the case of research and scholarship, the demonstration must be based on publicly verifiable and peer-reviewed achievements.

2.5 Applicants do not need to be at the top of their current grade before applying for promotion. Staff who successfully gain promotion move normally to the minimum point of the relevant pay scale or continue progression where grades/scales overlap.

2.6 In exceptional circumstances, a member of staff may apply for a two-grade promotion. In these instances, the Academic Promotions Commmittee may decide to offer a one-grade promotion.

2.7 Staff on an open or fixed-term contract are eligible to apply for promotion.

2.8 If an applicant wishes to draw to the Committee’s attention a development of considerable significance after submission of their application, they should do so by writing to academic-promotions@york.ac.uk.

2.9 The two-year rule: Applicants for promotion who fail to meet the criteria will not normally be eligible to submit an application in the following round.

This is designed to allow sufficient time for applicants to address any weaknesses in their profile and for further evidence to be amassed before another application is made.

The exceptional circumstances when a waiver will be considered by the Academic Promotions Committee, or through Chairs’ action, include where evidence is clearly available to show there has been significant changes in the circumstances associated with research, teaching, scholarship and professional practice or academic citizenship which constitute a substantial change towards the sustained performance of the applicant.

The request for a waiver can be submitted by the individual or their Head of Department, although it is expected that the Head of Department is made aware of it. Any request to waive the two-year rule should be sent to academic-promotions@york.ac.uk for consideration by the Chair of the Academic Promotions Committee.

2.10 Staff may not transfer between the academic, research and teaching grade structures as part of the academic promotions process. Where a member of staff wishes to pursue such a change, they are requested to discuss this with their Head of Department, who will advise on the correct protocol outside the promotions process.

3. Consideration of applications

3.1 The University will ensure that the criteria and procedures for promotion conform to the equality and diversity strands and policies detailed at https://www.york.ac.uk/about/equality/.

3.2 The Committee will have due regard to career breaks and relevant personal circumstances such as part-time working, maternity/paternity leave, disability, long-term illness. While career breaks might explain delayed career development, they are not viewed as a weakness in a career profile. Applicants are invited to make use of the individual circumstances section of their application to draw attention to such factors.

3.3 The Academic Promotions Committee alone is responsible for determining whether or not to consult referees for promotions to Grade 8, Reader and Professor; Heads of Department and members of advisory panels should not express an opinion on this matter to the applicant.

3.4 The number of promotions is not cash limited: the University will disregard potential funding issues in considering applications for the promotion of academic, research and teaching staff.

3.5 The costs associated with promotion are met by the University normally for the remainder of the financial year in which a promotion is effective; thereafter costs are absorbed into departments’ planned budgets. This also applies to promotions approved for retention.

3.6 Any queries on general matters or individual cases should be sent to academic-promotions@york.ac.uk

4. Notification to applicants

4.1 Applicants are informed when the decision is taken as to whether or not to consult referees. In the latter case applicants will be able to obtain feedback; applicants are encouraged to discuss this with their Head of Department.

4.2 When the Committee has completed its work, its decision will be communicated to each applicant by letter (copied to the Head of Department) by the end of the Summer term.

4.3 Promotion is effective from the beginning of the following academic year (1 October).

5.Post-promotion feedback and review process

5.1 Where an applicant is unhappy with the outcome of their application, or would like further feedback, they are invited to write to academic-promotions@york.ac.uk in the first instance. Once further feedback has been provided, if the applicant remains dissatisfied, the Committee will be asked to review its decision.

5.2 Any concerns about procedural irregularities should be sent to academic-promotions@york.ac.uk. If, after these steps have been completed, an applicant remains dissatisfied, they may utilise the grievance procedure.

6. Privacy notice

6.1 A privacy notice is provided for individuals applying for promotion at the University of York. This sets out the ways in which the University gathers, uses, stores and shares your data. It also sets out how long we keep your data and what rights you have in relation to your data under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

6.2 For the purposes of this privacy notice, University of York is the Data Controller as defined in the General Data Protection Regulation. We are registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office and our entry can be found here . Our registration number is: Z4855807

Referee requirements for academic promotion

Where references are required, it is vitally important that you do not include referees with whom you have worked closely with in the last five years. This would include, but is not limited to, joint publications, joint research projects, joint teaching modules etc. Failure to provide suitable referees will cause delays in the assessment process so if you are unsure please contact academic-promotions@york.ac.uk for advice.

Lecturer

No references required

Senior Lecturer / Senior Research Fellow

ART / Research only - Two external referees (with the option of one being internal where the applicant is proposing Level 2 for Teaching and Scholarship)
T&S - One external and one internal* referee

The applicant will be required to provide a long list of potential referees with their application who they have not worked closely/collaborated with during the last five years.

The Head of Department is asked to nominate two referees either from the list provided by the applicant or further names put forward by themselves, as per the above requirements and in consultation with senior colleagues.

*The internal referee may either be from the same department or the wider University. Emeritus professors are not considered to be internal referees.

Reader

ART / Research only - Two external referees
T&S - One external and one internal* referee

The applicant will be required to provide a list of potential referees with their application who they have not worked closely/collaborated with during the last 5 years. Referees should be of a professorial status.

The Head of Department is asked to nominate two referees from the list provided by the applicant, as per the above requirements and in consultation with Senior colleagues and the applicant.