Who are Technical Specialists?

The UKRI definition of Technical Specialist is:

Technology/skills specialists maintain and develop new and improved approaches to implement technologies and methodologies to better address research questions. Technology/skills specialists have specialist knowledge and expertise and they often work as part of coordinated teams spanning different disciplines and geographical centres, which work together to tackle contemporary research questions. May include, but not limited to: data scientists, data engineers, archivists, informaticians, statisticians, software developers, audio-visual technologists, technical professional staff and individuals staffing core facilities, across all disciplines.

Technical Specialists underpin our research, enable us to maximise the benefits our world-class research infrastructure can provide, train researchers, and often input into teaching. They are one part of our larger technical staff community, on the 'Technical Specialist’ pathway, with other technical staff on the 'generalist / management pathway'. As part of the Technician Job Family roll-out, each role has been assigned a position on the career pathway below. If you are unsure where your role sits, please contact technicians@warwick.ac.uk. We will have a process for those that believe they should be transferred to the technical specialist pathway, to independently determine if the role best aligns to the pathway.

Above: Warwick technical career pathway with technical specialist roles circled in dotted red.

Key Dates

• 27^th October 2023 – Explainer session dedicated to technical specialists and finalised process guidance published

• 15^th December 2023 - Departments to notify Academic Processes of anticipated technical specialist applications

• 26^th January 2024 – Deadlines for technical specialists submission of paperwork

• Spring/summer 2024 – Consideration of applications.

• End of Summer 2024 – Outcomes communicated to applicants.

• End of Summer 2024 – Feedback from Departments, ASC and applicants on the pilot to enable refinement of paperwork and processes.
• 1^st August 2024 - Date from which promotions are effective.

Why open this pathway to technical specialists?

Academic staff have a well-established route and process for promotion based upon a framework with four core criteria. Increasingly, technical specialists are ‘blurring the boundaries’, through their direct input to research, teaching and training, and knowledge exchange. This is further demonstrated through recent successes with our technical specialists securing funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). However, due to the highly specialised nature of technical specialist roles, there are often extremely limited opportunities for progression. Therefore, with modifications to the four criteria used for the Academic Promotions Process, we are able to reflect the differences in roles between the three academic pathways and a pathway suitable for technical specialists, to enable promotion based on individual merit. This includes equivalency in threshold scores at each level to the academic pathway.

We acknowledge that not all technical specialist roles will be in a position to take advantage of the pathway due to the nature of a particular role, and so progression will still be achievable through applying for a new position at a higher level, or where there is a business need and significant change in responsibilities, potentially via job re-evaluation. This is in line with all other professional services staff.

FAQs - Technical Specialist Promotion Pathway Transfer Process from Academic Pathway

Can someone transfer from Research and/or Teaching focussed to the Technical Specialist progression pathway

It is possible for someone to transfer from the Academic career progression pathway to the Technical Specialist career progression pathway if it is believed that their role more accurately meets the criteria for technical specialist. There are specific criteria which will need to be met for anyone to transfer across or to be considered for promotion via the technical specialist pathway. Technicians are categorised as Professional Services staff, rather than academic and therefore, any processes and policies applicable to academic staff would no longer apply (see FAQ on Terms and Conditions).

When considering whether a transfer is appropriate, it is also important to consider how your post is currently funded and whether, or not, overheads are recoverable on your costs. Whilst this is something that will need to be dealt with at department level, it may be an issue for some funders who have approved funding for an academic role (research fellow) as opposed to a technician. In some circumstances, dependent on funder rules, it is possible that a transfer to the Technician Specialist route might not be possible until the funding ends.

What would be the impact on Terms and Conditions of Employment

It would mean a change of terms and conditions from academic terms and conditions to professional services terms and conditions. Whilst the majority of terms would remain the same, there would be some areas, specific to those on academic terms and conditions, such as academic leave, that would no longer apply. Also, any processes normally aligned to the University Statutes and Ordinances, that apply specifically to academic staff, would no longer be relevant if moving onto a professional services contract. It is possible that reporting lines may also change as most professional services staff report into a Department Administrator and would not normally report into an academic member of staff. Your job title will also need to change and you will need to have a specific role descriptor that aligns to the role that you are undertaking; this may need to be ‘evaluated’ to ensure that it aligns with the generic roles approved for the technician job family. In some cases, this might result in a lower grade post.

Can other roles be included in scope

This process is only currently available to those staff already categorised as Specialist Technician (in line with Warwick’s Technician Commitment) or who are currently on academic terms and conditions of employment and feel that their role more closely aligns to the specialist technician role profile rather than research and/or teaching role profiles. This process is not available to research/teaching staff who are not yet deemed to meet the criteria for promotion via the academic promotion process. The profile of the role must meet all elements of the Technical Specialist criteria.

What is the process for transferring

The process for transferring must be discussed with your line manager, department administrator and head of department and include your HR Business Partner to ensure that any contractual changes are understood, together with any other issues such as multiple appointments (see below). All cases must receive approval before any change can be initiated. If it is deemed that your role more accurately meets the criteria of a technician, rather than an academic (research fellow, assistant professor, associate professor) then you would need to complete complete the form for requesting to change career pathway linked below. This must set out, in detail, how you feel that you meet the criteria, and this should be submitted along with a CV to your Head of Department.

When completing the transfer process it is possible to be considered for a sideways move (to a Technical Specialist role at the same grade) or a diagonal move (to a Technical Specialist role at a higher grade). However, staff must be aware that undertaking the transfer process does not guarantee promotion and may result in a move to a role at the same, or in some cases, a lower grade.

Form for transferLink opens in a new window

What about joint appointments split across departments

For roles that are split across department/joint appointments (on the same terms and conditions), this would need the approval of both departments before any changes can be considered.

What if I have two roles with different terms and conditions of employment in each

It is unlikely that anyone undertaking two part-time roles, with different terms and conditions, would meet the criteria fully and would therefore not be eligible to transfer to the Technical Specialist promotion pathway. Any cases should initially be raised the Technician Commitment Steering Group and with your HR Business Partner for advice.