Targeted Promotion to Associate Professor Grade Policy

The University is committed to rewarding, retaining and attracting staff of outstanding quality who perform in ways that contribute to its reputation, nationally and internationally. High calibre members of academic staff are the cornerstone of the University and a range of policies is available to appropriately recognise, reward and retain such staff.

This policy outlines the situations whereby consideration needs to be given to promotion for strategic reasons (“Targeted Promotion”) that may not be compatible with the normal competitive process from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor grade.

Targeted promotion from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor may be triggered by the relevant Executive Dean of Faculty for the following reasons: 

1. where a School (or in the case of DCU Business School, an Academic Group) has a low senior: junior staff ratio ^[1];

2. where an academic employee at Assistant Professor grade has been seconded to a non-academic post of university-wide strategic importance, involving increased responsibility;

or

3. other unique strategic situations that may arise and are not covered by normal competitive mechanism and need consideration from time to time.

[1] In line with sector norms and the University Strategy, each Faculty should aim to achieve a senior / junior ratio of 40/60, where senior refers to roles at the level of Associate Professor to Full Professor and junior refers to roles at Assistant Lecturer (above and below bar).

This Policy applies to all Academic employees of the University at Assistant Professor (Lecturer above bar) Grade. 

DCU has a well-established promotions process whereby academic staff at Assistant Professor grade may apply for promotion to Associate Professor grade. The process (which normally runs annually) involves university-wide competition for a number of Associate Professor promotional posts offered by the university. The Faculties initially assess and rank Faculty applicants based on a comprehensive set of published criteria, the ranking process also establishing whether or not the applicant has achieved the minimum set thresholds to warrant further consideration for promotion. The Academic Promotions Committee (APC), taking into consideration the Faculty outcomes, determines the overall university ranking and recommends the appropriate number of highest-ranked applicants for promotion.

Where considerations do not warrant the establishment of an additional Associate Professor post to be filled by open competition, this policy will apply to the 3 situations outlined above, namely those relating to senior: junior ratios, secondments and other unique strategic situations.  

General Principles

It is a condition of this policy that:

• the candidate under consideration has been deemed to have achieved, the minimum threshold for promotion to Associate Professor in the most recent completed round of the university-wide promotion competition.   In the case of a secondment situation (see (b) below), this requirement extends to the last three preceding University rounds.

• that the candidate is interviewed for promotion to Associate Professor unless they are the next ranked candidate on the Faculty Review Panel (FRP) list in the most recent completed round of promotions to Associate Professor. 

More specifically, the following principles will apply to the 3 situations outlined above.

1. Senior : Junior Ratio

Where an Executive Dean considers that a School (or in the case of the DCU Business School, an Academic Group) is disadvantaged by having a low senior : junior staff ratio a case may be made to the University Executive by the Dean via the Director of HR. Under the senior : junior arrangement, the promotion will be by reference to the next ranked candidate on the relevant FRP list as it relates to most recent round of the University-wide promotions competition. Subject to the approval of Executive, the promotion can be progressed without the requirement for an interview.  

2. Secondment Situation

In a situation where an academic at the level of Assistant Professor has been seconded to a non-academic leadership post within the University and seeks promotion, they should have in the first instance pursued the normal competitive process for promotion to Associate Professor.

Where an Executive Dean and/or Director of Unit considers that the seconded staff member has met the following criteria, they can make a case for promotion via the Director of HR to the University Executive:   

• Achieved the minimum benchmark for promotion through the competition to Associate Professor in any of the last three preceding University rounds;

and 

• has a minimum commitment of 5 years to the secondment post, which may mean that it is improbable that the staff member can remain sufficiently competitive to succeed via the normal competitive process. 

Subject to approval of Executive, the application can proceed to interview stage in line with the normal recruitment and promotion procedures.     

(c) Other Strategic situations

Other unique situations may arise for strategic reasons from time to time that are not covered by the normal competitive mechanism. The development of leadership capacity, strategic research and retention of strategically important female talent (in Schools where these numbers are low) are examples (but not limited to) the reasons under which this arrangement can be triggered.

1. Where a Dean considers a unique situation has arisen and, for strategic purposes, wishes to consider an academic employee for promotion to Associate Professor, they can make a case to the University Executive via the Director of HR. 

2. Where the President - in consultation with the Deputy President, as Chair of the Academic Promotions Committee (APC), the relevant Executive Dean, the HR Director, the Vice President for Research and Innovation and/or the Vice President for Academic Affairs / Registrar - considers that a unique situation has arisen and, for strategic purposes, they can take a case to the University Executive via the Director of HR.  

Subject to approval, the application can proceed to interview stage unless the applicant is the next ranked candidate on the Faculty Review Panel (FRP) list in the most recent completed round of promotions to Associate Professor. In such an instance, the promotion can be progressed without the requirement for an interview in line with the normal recruitment and promotion procedures.

Academic Promotions Committee (APC)

• Overall responsibility for the University Targeted Promotion Policy.
• Maintain oversight of the policy and ensuring that it is being correctly implemented as it relates to the work of the APC.

University Executive

• Consideration and approval of all submissions made to the University under this policy.

The Executive Dean

• Preparation and submission of proposals under this policy to the University Executive.
• Liaison with the HR Director in the first instance regarding any proposals being made under this policy.

Human Resources (HR) 

• Provide support and advice to Heads/Deans regarding the policy.
• Administration and implementation of this policy including scheduling interviews and submission of proposal (on behalf of the Dean) to the University Executive.
• Ensure the outcomes of the targeted promotions processes are communicated to the applicant, contracts are issued and instructions issued to payroll.  

This policy should be read in conjunction with the following:

• Assistant Professor Progression Policy
• Promotion to Associate Professor

Any queries regarding this policy should be sent to the Director of HR in the first instance or your HR Representative.

This policy will be reviewed as and when is needed.