Intent

This procedure provides detailed guidance for eligible staff members to apply for Academic Promotion in accordance with the Academic Promotion Policy.

This procedure is designed to align with the Higher Education Standards Framework 2021 (HESF) Standard 3.2: Staffing.

Scope

This procedure applies to academic staff members who are covered by the James Cook University Enterprise Agreement (the EA) and who meet the eligibility requirements for academic promotion.

Definitions

Except as otherwise specified in this procedure or the Academic Promotion Policy, the meaning of terms used are as per the Policy Glossary.

Academic Head/Supervisor/Line Manager – the person who undertook the most recent Performance Development Plan (PDP) process.

Procedure

1. Pre-application

1.1 Prior to making an application for promotion, the immediately prior Performance Development Plan (PDP) will incorporate evidence of an intention to apply and the associated approval by the applicant’s supervisor. Where appropriate an academic’s performance must be considered within the workload model and the Academic Performance Development Framework (APDF).

1.2 To be eligible for promotion the applicant will have:

1.2.1 completed a minimum of two annual PDP cycles or have progressed satisfactorily through the Probation plan, if relevant; and

1.2.2 completed all mandatory training as required by the University at the time of application; and

1.2.3 not hold excess leave balances, (unless there is an adequate annual and long service leave plan in place to avoid accruing excess leave balances within the coming calendar year).

1.2.4 no academic, research or conduct breaches recorded or under investigation, since appointment or last promotion. Where a breach has been recorded the Dean/Director will determine if the matter has been resolved and the applicant has demonstrated sustained appropriate conduct.

1.3 Applicants should review of the Academic Promotion website and attend academic promotion workshops or information sessions to assist with preparation, however it is not compulsory.

1.4 Applicants are encouraged to regularly update their research profiles online including JCU Research Portfolio (GECO), ORCID, etc., as well as ensuring evidence of impact and other achievements is accessible and verifiable.

2. Application

2.1 Applications for promotion must be made via the University’s online system and completed in accordance with the Policy and requirements below pertaining to the relevant level of application.

2.2  Applicants are encouraged to carefully review the application requirements prior to commencing the collection of their supporting evidence and the completion of the online application form. Promotions will only be assessed on material included in the original application.

2.3 Application Requirements:

Part A Individual Information

• This information is provided in lieu of a current CV.
• The Individual Information provides key information from the applicant’s recent academic career. It should focus on the applicant’s current employment noting significant awards, grants and key impactful activities since last promotion or commencement at JCU. This is to be linked to pre-existing data.

Equity Consideration (Relative to Opportunity - ROPE)

• This portion of the application will not exceed 300 words.
• This section allows presentation of any factors that have affected the applicant’s career profile and quality of output. This information is to be incorporated in the assessment of the application.
• Equity considerations or private/personal matters may require clarification from the applicant’s supervisor or Dean/Director, to provide further context to the application.

Part B Case for Promotion

• This section provides the Case for Promotion Statement (citing core evidence) supporting the application. This will be made up of the following statements:
  • Summary Case for Promotion Statement (maximum 500 words);
  • Impact Statement that provides the opportunity to make specific narrative regarding the impact of the outputs and achievements since last promotion (or appointment), the alignment with the respective level in the Academic Performance Development Framework and how it will be further enabled through academic promotion (maximum 2000 words); and
  • Career Vision Statement (maximum 500 words).
• The Case for Promotion will be an impact focused narrative on the reasons for the application, with a particular focus on the applicant’s key individual achievements in any relevant domain of academic activity (and consistent with workload) since their last promotion or appointment. Applications will be evaluated against level criteria to which the academic is applying. To demonstrate sustained impact, generally, an academic will have evidence of where they have identified an issue, innovated or adapted to address the issue, implemented a form of intervention, tested/evaluated the outcomes and communicated or embedded the innovation/adaption into current practice. It is especially important that the applicant provide verifiable evidence in the Impact Statement to support any claims made and to explain what made the contribution distinctive, impactful and in line with the University’s strategy and values rather than simply listing outcomes (e.g. publications and grants). For validation purposes, evidence directly relating to the impact statement, can include weblinks to external or internal information sources (i.e. publication repositories, newspaper articles etc.). Supplementary evidence in addition to the to the three components listed above, may be included or linked via a URL or Sharepoint site, the additional material must not exceed five pages. Such evidence may include any relevant documents to support the Case for Promotion that are not readily available online.

2.4 Exceptional circumstances applications

2.4.1 Out of round applications

a. A Dean/Director who considers there are exceptional circumstances warranting out-of-round consideration of a promotion application may make a recommendation for such consideration to the Vice Chancellor. This may include an academic staff member appointed to a non-teaching or research role or who has management or leadership responsibilities as the key output required of their role.

b. The recommendation and application must include:

• a statement outlining:
  • the nature of the role currently being undertaken by the academic staff member (i.e. balanced Teaching-and-Research, Teaching Specialist, or Research-Only);
  • the strategic importance of the staff member to the College/Discipline/ Institutes/University;
  • the rationale for retention of the staff member; and
  • the exceptional circumstances necessitating the use of an out-of-round process rather than the scheduled promotion round (including evidence of an offer from another organisation, if relevant).
• the proposed level of promotion supported by an assessment of the staff member’s contributions against the relevant APDF or workload model;
• the staff member’s current Curriculum Vitae; and
• other material considered relevant to supporting the application. In some instances this may require the staff member to complete the full application process.

c. If the Vice-Chancellor agrees that the recommendation/application warrants consideration, it must be considered and determined by a committee consisting of:

• the Vice-Chancellor or nominee (Chairperson)
• two Deputy Vice-Chancellors nominated by the Vice-Chancellor
• Chair, Academic Board

d. The committee will consider the recommendation and application on its academic merit and the strategic significance of the staff member’s contribution to the University, and make a determination that:

• the staff member be promoted, or
• the staff member is not promoted, but recommend consideration of a paid retention allowance until they gain promotion through the next scheduled process, or
• no change be made to the staff member’s remuneration and academic classification level.

e. A determination of this committee is final.

f. The effective date of any promotion determined under this process will be the first pay period commencing on or after the date of determination.

2.4.2 Applications within the two-year eligibility period

a. A Dean/Institute Director who considers there are exceptional circumstances warranting the waiving of the minimum two-year service period may make a recommendation for such consideration to the Chair, Academic Board and relevant Deputy Vice Chancellor (determined by the Organisation unit of the applicant).

b. The recommendation and application must include:

• a statement outlining:
  • the nature of the role currently being undertaken by the academic staff member (i.e. balanced Teaching-and-Research, Teaching Specialist, or Research-Only);
  • the strategic importance of the staff member to the College/Discipline/ Institutes/University;
  • the rationale for retention of the staff member; and
  • the exceptional circumstances necessitating the use of an early consideration for promotion rather than the scheduled promotion round (including evidence of an offer from another organisation, if relevant).
• the proposed level of promotion supported by an assessment of the staff member’s contributions against the relevant APDF and workload model –
• the staff member’s current Curriculum Vitae, and
• other material supporting the application such as the implications of not considering the early promotion application to both the College/Discipline/ Institutes/University and the staff member.

c. If the Chair, Academic Board and relevant Deputy Vice Chancellor agree that the recommendation warrants consideration, the staff member will be advised to submit their application during the next round for assessment through the designated processes.

d. If the Chair, Academic Board and relevant Deputy Vice Chancellor do not agree that the recommendation warrants consideration, the staff member will be advised to submit their application once they meet the minimum service term of two years.

e. The determination of the Chair, Academic Board and Deputy Vice Chancellor is final.

3. Endorsement

3.1 Applicants are strongly encouraged to seek advice from their relevant Supervisor (Academic Head/College Dean/Director) prior to commencing an application for promotion, expressing their intention to apply. This will be part of the PDP process.

3.2 Once completed, the application must be submitted via the online portal by the deadline as prescribed in the Academic Promotion Schedule.

3.3 The Supervisor or equivalent manager will review and verify applications via the online portal by the deadline as prescribed in the Academic Promotion Schedule. Completion of mandatory training, and contextual issues including ROPE must be considered and referenced in the Supervisor’s certification.

3.4 Verified applications are reviewed via the online portal by the College Dean (or Director if relevant) by the date prescribed in the Academic Promotion Schedule for endorsement.

3.5 The applicant will be notified if the application is not being supported by the Dean/Director with appropriate feedback provided, to be incorporated into PDP and other development activities.

3.6 Where an application is not endorsed by the Dean/Director the applicant may write to the relevant DVC in confidence, seeking exemption from the relevant section of the application form citing their particular circumstances.  The relevant DVC may provide endorsement for the application to be forwarded directly to HR for Academic promotions processing without the relevant section completed.

4. Assessment

4.1 All applications for promotion will be assessed by an appointed panel, and assessed against the guidelines (Appendix 1).

4.2 Referee and independent assessor reports are not required for promotion to any levels, although credible testimonials/references can be included in the application if desired.

4.3 All Level E applicants will be required to deliver a succinct presentation (5-10 minutes) to the panel in support of their application.

4.4 An external panel member will be appointed to Level D and E panels. This member will be nominated by the Chair, Academic Board and approved by the Vice Chancellor. This member will be invited from a comparable university and will be an expert in their university’s promotions processes and performance expectations of Level D and E academics within their institution.

4.5 The panel will reach consensus and the Chair will submit the decision to the DVC Academy for levels B to D or to the Vice Chancellor for level E for ratification.

5. Outcome and Notification

5.1 Applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application upon conclusion of the assessment process.

5.2 Where an application is unsuccessful the Chair of the Panel will be available to provide constructive feedback for a future promotion application if formally requested via email to the Chair. The Chair of the panel will also notify the respective Dean/Director where an application that has been endorsed by the College/Institute has not been successful.

5.3 Unsuccessful applicants will be required to wait one full promotion round before reapplying, unless otherwise advised by the Chair of the Panel.

6. Appeals

6.1 Where an applicant is not satisfied with a decision and believes they have grounds for an appeal in relation to Procedural Fairness, they may initiate an appeal.

6.2 The appeal must be lodged in writing with the DVC Academy (or a nominee of the VC if the DVC Academy is conflicted) within 20 University working days of the date on the application outcome notification.

6.3 The appellant statement must explain and identify why the process used by the Assessment Panel was procedurally unfair (namely in breach of the policy) and/or why any conditions contained within the decision are inappropriate and attach relevant documentation that supports this/these explanations.

6.4 The DVC Academy/nominee will evaluate appeal applications including the evidence provided to determine whether the appeal will proceed.

6.5 If the DVC Academy/nominee deems the appeal to meet the criteria above, the appeal will be referred to an Academic Promotion Appeal Panel comprising of three representatives; one from within Human Resources, a member of Academic Board and one member of Council with Academic expertise.

6.6 The Academic Board representative will chair the Academic Promotion Appeal Panel.

6.7 The Appeal Panel will assess the process used to determine the original application outcome for procedural fairness in line with policy/procedure assessment processes and report findings to the DVC Academy/nominee prior to determination by the Vice Chancellor of the final outcome.

6.8 The final outcome will be communicated to the DVC Academy/nominee who will notify the appellant.

6.9 Should the promotion be awarded upon completion of the review, this will be back-dated to the original effective date for the scheduled round in which the application was submitted

6.10 Should the original decision be upheld upon completion of the review, the DVC Academy/nominee will determine when the staff member will be eligible to reapply for promotion

6.11 Appeal Panel decisions are final and there is no further right to appeal.

Related policy instruments

Academic Promotion Policy

James Cook University Enterprise Agreement

Human Resources Sub-delegations Register

Conflict of Interest Guidelines

WHS-PRO-004 WHS Training and Competency Procedure

Recruitment, Selection and Appointment Policy

Mandatory Training Policy

Academic Performance and Development Framework

Schedules/Appendices

Appendix 1 - Minimum Promotional Criteria and Key Elements and Performance Levels

Administration

NOTE: Printed copies of this procedure are uncontrolled, and currency can only be assured at the time of printing.

Approval Details

Revision History