Recruitment, Selection and Appointment Procedure – Academic titles

Parent Policy

Recruitment, Selection and Appointment Policy

Preamble

The University confers academic titles on its staff in accordance with the established nomenclature applied across Australian higher education institutions and the particular requirements of the Monash University Enterprise Agreement (Academic and Professional Staff) 2009. With the exception of academic sessional appointments, each academic title aligns with an academic level ranging from level A to level E. The requirements at each academic level are outlined in the University’s level descriptors for teaching and research staff (including education-focused) and research-only staff.

This procedure applies to all academic staff, except those appointed to eminent professorial positions. It does not apply to professional staff, trades and services staff or adjunct appointees.

Definitions

Academic performance standards: faculty or discipline specific performance standards for all academic staff against which academic performance will be measured, particularly for the purpose of probation, promotion and performance development. The standards are qualitative, quantitative or a mixture of both across the three key areas of academic activity - research, education and service. They include identified minimum performance standards, below which the staff member would be managed for unsatisfactory performance in accordance with the Staff Development Procedure – Managing Unsatisfactory Performance: Academic Staff.

ARC: means the Australian Research Council.

Education-focused staff: are teaching and research staff whose primary role is to provide a high standard of learning and teaching, educational design and delivery and educational leadership.

NHMRC: means the National Health and Medical Research Council.

Research-only staff: are staff who are employed on a research-only contract of employment and who are appointed to undertake predominately research and research-related activities.

Sessional academic staff: are academic Teaching Associate staff who are appointed to undertake a single or specific number of sessions related to demonstrating, tutoring, lecturing, marking, supervision, academic research assistance, music accompanying with special educational service, undergraduate clinical nurse education or other required academic activity.

Teaching and research staff: are academic staff who participate across all three key areas of academic activity – research, education and service.

Appointment of academic staff

Academic appointments can be made on a continuing, fixed-term or sessional basis. Academic staff are appointed in accordance with the relevant recruitment procedure as follows.

• Recruitment Selection and Appointment Procedure – Recruitment of fixed-term and continuing staff
• Recruitment Selection and Appointment Procedure – Recruitment of casual and sessional staff
• Recruitment Selection and Appointment Procedure – Recruitment to an advertised position as professor
• Recruitment Selection and Appointment Procedure – Direct appointments).

Fixed-term and continuing academic staff are normally appointed as either teaching and research staff (including education-focused) or research only staff. Position description sta ndards set out the roles and responsibilities (general standard, specific duties and skill base) for academic staff by academic level. There are separate position description standards for teaching and research staff and for research-only staff. In addition, the University has established a set of academic performance standards which determine the performance expectations for each academic level across the three key areas of academic activity – research, education and service.

The terms and conditions of appointment for academic staff are outlined in the staff member’s letter of offer and the policies and procedures of the University.

Fixed-term and continuing academic staff may be promoted to a higher academic level in accordance with the relevant academic promotion procedure as follows.

• Staff Development Procedure – Academic promotion for candidates level B
• Staff Development Procedure – Academic promotion for candidates level C – E

Titles for sessional academic staff

As outlined in the Monash University Enterprise Agreement (Academic and Professional Staff) 2009, sessional academic staff are conferred the title Teaching Associate.

Titles for teaching and research staff

The following titles are conferred on teaching and research staff when appointed or promoted to the following academic levels in accordance with the teaching and research position classification standards and the academic performance standards for that level.

Titles for research-only staff

The following titles are conferred on research-only staff when appointed or promoted to the following academic levels in accordance with the research-only position classification standards and the relevant academic performance standards for that level.

*The titles of Associate Professor (Research) and Professor (Research) were introduced by the University on 6 June 2012. All research-only staff who previously held the titles Senior Research Fellow (Level D) or Principal Research Fellow (Level E) have had their titles automatically translated effective 6 June 2012.

Recipients of the following research grants will be appointed at Level E and conferred the title Professor (Research):

• ARC Laureate
• ARC Discovery Outstanding Researcher Award (DORA) Step 3
• ARC Future Fellows Level 3
• NHMRC Senior Principal Research Fellow
• Such as other grants as determined by the Provost and provided the conferral is consistent with the conditions of the grant.

Related procedures

• Recruitment Selection and Appointment Procedure – Recruitment of fixed-term and continuing staff
• Recruitment Selection and Appointment Procedure – Recruitment to an advertised position as professor
• Recruitment Selection and Appointment Procedure – Direct appointments
• Staff Development Procedure – Academic promotion for candidates level B
• Staff Development Procedure – Academic promotion for candidates level C – E

Related documents

• Academic performance standards website
• Academic promotion website
• Categories of Employment website
• Academic workforce taxonomy