Project overview & timeline
The project overview and timeline for the Academic Career and Reward Framework (ACRF).
The ACRF has been developed collaboratively, shaped by an extensive programme of engagement undertaken by the ACRF Programme Team and Subject Matter Experts with staff across the collegiate University. This iterative process ensures that the framework reflects the values and needs of the Oxford community. Its success relies on continued informed engagement and dialogue, and we invite colleagues to engage with the information presented here in advance of a formal consultation commencing in Hilary term 2026.
The ACRF programme timeframe (below) is ambitious, as the new framework touches on all elements of existing academic roles and related policies. We hope that with your continued input, we can produce a robust framework fit for implementation.
The ACRF story
https://www.youtube.com/embed/LnCPRTSsPfI?si=oZHzYV_-SpO8Wf8s
The future of academic progression at Oxford: an overview of the Academic Career and Reward Framework presented by Rachael Theophile, ACRF Programme Manager
Key components
Job families: Research-focused, Research and Education, Education-focused
Research and Education: Academics in this job family balance responsibilities across both research and teaching, contributing to the University’s intellectual output and educational mission.
Research-focused: Roles in this family concentrate on research, innovation and societal impact, with a focus on generating and applying knowledge both within and beyond academia.
Education-focused: This family’s roles focus primarily on teaching, learning, supervision and educational leadership.
The ACRF creates dedicated space for educational specialists to thrive; supporting parity of esteem between research and education and affirming that excellence in both areas simultaneously is not a requirement for career progression.
Each job family is associated with clearly articulated promotion pathways, with advancement determined by successful assessment against a transparent set of criteria appropriate to the role and career stage. Movement between job families will be possible.
Promotion criteria: career advancement will be determined by assessment against a transparent set of criteria appropriate to role and career stage.
Career stages: delineated by the titles Assistant Professor, Associate Professor and Professor which replace the various titles currently in use. Progression through career stages will replace Recognition of Distinction, Professorial Merit Pay and recruitment and retention supplements, thereby replacing individualised exercises in determining an academic’s ‘value’ with fair, transparent and role-specific assessment.
We are currently in the pre-consultation phase of the ACRF timeline (see below) and anticipate a formal Consultation commencing in Hilary term 2026 once the framework has passed through the relevant governance stages.
Timeline
