MPLS Division: Recruitment Protocol Request for Divisional Approval
Departments should complete ALL relevant sections of the form where divisional approval is required.
Check the Recruitment Protocol webpage for detail on the types of request that currently require divisional approval.
For professional services, teaching posts, and support posts also attach a job description and org chart.
For academic and permanent research posts, attach the financial projection spreadsheet.
Note that MPLS Divisional approval is required for ALL Statutory Chairs, ALC6 posts and ALL Associate Professorships, irrespective of the source of funding for the post. Divisional and SAP approval is also required for RSIV posts, but does not require this form. Instead contact the Academic HR Team Leader re RSIV requests.
The completed form should be emailed with attachments (as above) to recruitment@mpls.ox.ac.uk
Summary Information
Post title:
Department:
Grade:
Is the grade changing? If so what from?
Fixed term or permanent?
Period if fixed term:
Full or part time?
FTE/hours if part time:
Is the FTE or permanency changing? If so, what from?
Source(s) of funding:
This request is to (mark all that apply):
- Fill a new budgeted post:
- Fill a new unbudgeted post:
- Fill an academic post:
- Extend a fixed term contract (>4 week extension):
- Make a post permanent:
- Make an unbudgeted increase to FTE (of >25% of postholder’s hours):
- Upgrade a post on refilling:
- Other (please explain):
Business and/or academic case
Points to Consider: What is the post and what does it entail? What are the overwhelming operational imperatives for the request? What is the departmental and divisional strategic context? For academic/research posts what about external context, such as funding landscape in the area or relevance to national strategic priority research areas? For academic posts, what exactly are the research and teaching needs the post will fulfil? Are there safety risks to the University if the post is not filled, or legal requirements to fill the post? Will leaving the post unfilled result in a financial loss, or will filling it result in a saving or significant extra income? Is it part of a restructure that will result in greater efficiency or savings overall? Will a vacancy in this post leave a team very overstretched and/or leave a college with a lone tutor? What other options have you considered and rejected (eg halting or delaying the work; absorbing the work via existing staff, perhaps with some retraining; absorbing the work in some other way etc). For Associate Professorships, has a fixed term appointment for the near term such as a DL, been considered instead? Are other posts not being filled or other relevant budget savings being made?
You can cross-refer to the job description, org chart, financial projection, as appropriate to the post type.
For Academic and Permanent Research Posts only
Note that a successful business plan for these types of post requires at minimum that the proposed activity must cover its costs within three years of starting and must have made an overall ‘inception to date’ surplus within five years of starting. In your financial planning, you should have considered a full 10 year horizon, and included the likely costs of salary, equipment, start up funds, space etc in your financial projection spreadsheet.
For existing Academic posts
What college is the post associated with?
Has the college been consulted?
Approval
Signed (Head of Administration or equivalent/Head of Department as appropriate):
Date:
Signed (on behalf of the Division):
Date:
Divisional Comments:
The completed form, accompanied by the job description and an org chart (for teaching, professional services and support posts) or a financial projection spreadsheet (for research and academic posts) should be emailed to recruitment@mpls.ox.ac.uk for Divisional panel consideration.
Your post request should not be approved, nor any other change actioned until the divisional approval has been confirmed.