Professor Irene Tracey, Vice-Chancellor on the need for change ‘The ACRF is forging a positive new foundation for people’s working lives, setting us on course for sustained success by supporting the academic, reputational and financial sustainability of the collegiate University.'
The University is rethinking how it structures academic roles, recognises contributions and enables career growth. The Academic Career and Reward Framework (ACRF) is a transformative proposal, designed to support academic progression, enhance transparency and align Oxford’s practices with those of its peer institutions.
The ACRF programme emerged from a recognition that Oxford’s existing academic pay and promotion mechanisms do not fully support the needs of our workforce, as they lack transparency and do not always reflect the complex balance of responsibilities encompassed by academic roles. In addition to being strongly informed by the Pay and Conditions review, it is linked to targets in the University’s Strategic Plan and is a key component of the People Strategy’s commitment to enabling talent to thrive. It proposes a new approach, a structure designed to support academic success across multiple pathways and career stages, enabling the University to recognise excellence, in all its forms, fairly and transparently.