Appointing arrangements for certain academic-related offices: Notice by the Council and the General Board

19 July 2004

In their Joint Report on the appointing arrangements for certain academic-related offices and analogous unestablished posts (Reporter, p. 197) the Council and the General Board proposed replacing the existing regulations for academic-related officers by a general regulation which stated that appointments were to be made in accordance with arrangements agreed from time to time by the competent authority. The proposals were approved by Grace 2 of 18 February 2004 and this Notice sets out the arrangements that have been agreed by the Council and the General Board.

1. University offices covered by this Notice

This Notice concerns the arrangements for making appointments and reappointments to the following:

The appointing provisions contained in the regulations for the offices referred to above require that appointments and reappointments shall be made in accordance with arrangements agreed from time to time by the competent authority. Set out below are the arrangements which shall apply until further notice.

2. General

Membership and constitution of the new appointing bodies

The appointing bodies may be constituted anew for each particular appointment. Members selected for appointing bodies should be in a grade of office or post at least equivalent to the officer to which appointment is being made.

Secretary

The Council and the General Board would expect the Secretary, where possible, to be the relevant institutional administrator.

Procedural advice

The relevant Personnel Consultant/Officer from the Personnel Division will attend meetings as required to provide advice on procedures and legal aspects relating to the appointment and employment of individuals.

Documentation

There must be a formal agenda of business together with appropriate documentation, for example copies of applications, references, lists of candidates, and a record of the shortlisting process and outcome. There must also be formal Minutes recording the decisions. The Personnel Division shall be notified of meetings of appointing bodies and of the outcomes of the meetings.

Number of votes required for a valid decision

The number of members that must be present at a meeting and voting in favour shall be a majority of the members present or not less than three, whichever is the greater number.

Training

The Council and the General Board expect persons chairing appointing bodies to undertake training in their role before embarking on their duties. In due course, the Council and the General Board would expect all those who are likely to be members of such bodies to undertake such training.

3. Offices in the Unified Administrative Service

For the offices of Director, Deputy Director, Assistant Director, Principal Assistant Registrary, Senior Assistant Registrary, Principal Assistant Treasurer, Senior Assistant Treasurer:

For offices in grades other than these:

4. Secretaries, Assistant Secretaries, and Superintendents of Faculties, Departments, and of other institutions

Quorum: 4. Either the senior academic or academic-related officer must be from outside the institution.

5. Offices in the University Library and dependent libraries

For offices other than the University Librarian and the office of Curator:

Quorum: 4. One of whom must be one of the academic nominees.

6. Librarians of Faculties, Departments, and other institutions

Quorum: 3. One of whom must be from outside the institution.

7. Computer Officers

For offices in the grades Computer Officer Grades I-IV, Senior Computer Officer, and Principal Computer Officer:

Quorum: 4. At least one of the members must be from outside the institution.

In any pre-committee selection arrangements, the Head of the institution should ensure that a Computer Officer (at the level of Grade I or above) is involved. If there is no such officer on the staff of the institution, the Head of the institution should ask the Director of the University Computing Service to provide a senior member of his staff.

8. Technical and Senior Technical Officers

When an appointment or reappointment is to be made to an office whose holder will have responsibilities for the care of protected animals under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, the Committee shall include two additional members, appointed by the General Board - the holder of the designation certificate for the University and one of the persons appointed as the named veterinary surgeons for the University.

When an appointment or reappointment is to be made to an office whose holder will have responsibility for matters concerning safety in the University, the Head of the institution shall be as specified in the Schedule below. Two additional persons shall be appointed by the Health and Safety Executive Committee.

SCHEDULE

For an office established in:
An institution under the supervision of the General BoardThe Head of the institution concerned.
An institution under the supervision of the CouncilThe Head of the institution concerned.
An institution under the supervision of the Unified Administrative ServiceEither the Registrary, if the officer appointed is to have responsibilities in a Council institution, or the Academic Secretary if the officer appointed is to have responsibilities in a General Board institution.

Quorum: 4. Either the academic or the Senior Technical Officer must be from outside the institution.

1 The Registrary may be involved as a member at his/her discretion.

2 Such a senior academic would normally be a member of the Council, General Board, or Finance Committee, or chair the Committee that oversees the work of the Division, or be the Head of the institution to which the officer or post-holder is to be assigned.

3 In the case of appointment to the office of Deputy Librarian, these two members shall be replaced by up to three persons appointed by the Chairman of the Library Syndicate, at least one of whom shall be from outside the University.