Departmental Review Panels

Heads of Departments should ensure that all staff are considered as to whether they are suitable for promotion. All staff should be given equal opportunities to develop their careers and be given encouragement to advance in ways which support the Department/Faculty/University objectives.

At each stage throughout the promotion procedure, those involved in recommending, assessing and confirming promotions should take particular note of the special circumstances of those members of staff who are on part-time or fixed-term contracts or who are on externally funded contracts. In addition, they are reminded that, as an equal opportunity employer, the University aims to treat all people equally irrespective of race, ethnic origin, gender, marital or parental status, sexual orientation, creed, disability, age or political belief.

Before making a recommendation for promotion, the Head of Department must convene a Departmental Review Panel (DRP) meeting(s) to include colleagues with knowledge reflecting a range of areas and expertise.

The DRP should consult and consider all staff in the Department to determine whether they should be considered for promotion based on the nature of their role and the needs of the Department. This should be done with reference to the Grade Profiles which give the main factors differentiating one grade from another and may be informed by SRDS discussions and Departmental plans to identify if it is the right time for promotion.

Heads of Departments should ensure staff are aware of the date of the DRP meeting(s) and provide a deadline by which staff should submit any documentation as determined by the Head of Department for consideration by the DRP. [Note for promotion cases to Personal Chair, or the conferment of the title of Reader which will ultimately considered by the Readerships & Personal Chairs Committee, specific documentation is required – please see the relevant section in this guidance for further details.]

The DRP will make recommendations for those staff identified by the Department to be promoted to a broader Faculty/Professional Services based panel (as determined by the Faculty/Professional Services Executive) to allow for final ratification of the Departmental decisions, taking into account, cross-Faculty moderation and perspective.