Meeting summaries and upcoming milestones

An introductory meeting where the Chair welcomed all Project Support and Working Group members. The meeting commenced with the Chair thanking everyone who put themselves forward to be a member of this Group in order to represent their area and contribute to the work which will be involved. 

During this introductory meeting, discussions pertained to the roles Group members would undertake as a representative in this Review, the scope of work involved in addition to the approach to this work. The webpages were presented to the Group for their review, feedback, and comments before they were published live.

The Chair welcomed all members to the second meeting for the PTO&L Framework Review Working Group. New members who had joined the Group membership since the preliminary meeting which took place in November 2024 were introduced. The Chair and Project Support team provided an overview of the project, the proposed timeline, and the objectives. The team also discussed the remit of the tasks that the Group members will be involved in through collaborative working (both within the Group and to the stakeholders that each Group member represents).

The main discussion at this meeting pertained to a paper which was circulated to all Group members in advance of the meeting which provided a high-level overview of Imperial’s current remuneration approach. The paper outlined  how base pay is determined in some other sectors. The research was shared to stimulate thought and discussion as the Review commences.

Group members provided their views and comments, with a focus on how the university may approach performance related pay with regards to the future job family framework and reformed pay structure. Potential areas for further review pertained to how performance and delivery would be quantified, how to differentiate between senior employees who line manage teams/areas as opposed to those who are specialists in their subject matter/roles. There was also discussion on the potential issue where staff were line managed by a colleague from a different job family (e.g. a professional services staff member being line managed by a member of academic staff).,

Discussions took place on potential approaches for Group members to utilise when engaging with colleagues and stakeholders within their local areas throughout the project timeline to ensure all viewpoints and perspectives were taken into consideration in order to bring about achievable and positive outcomes to this Review.

Dates for the next meeting are currently being considered for early April, with a further paper on Imperial’s current and other sectors’ approach to the grading structures, job families, and progression processes being circulated to the Group beforehand for their review and to also obtain feedback from their wider community. Depending on the progress on the production of the paper, it was agreed that the date for the next meeting would be tentative for the moment and may change to enable further work to be undertaken if required.

The Chair welcomed all members to the third meeting for the PTO&L Framework Review Working Group. Prior to the  meeting, further research was undertaken to encapsulate how grading structures, pay progression, and career development are approached in external organisations, alongside guidance from the CIPD and The Equalities and Human Rights Commission. This research was outlined in the next paper and circulated to all Group members and also included more in-depth insights into Imperial’s current pay and grading structure for PTO&L staff, with data analysis substantiating the existing situation. An online Qualtrics survey accompanied this paper for Group members to share their views, insights, and feedback from the paper (in addition to obtaining feedback from the areas and colleagues they represent) in advance of the 1 May meeting.

The meeting commenced with the Chair and Project Support team thanking all Group members who had so far responded to the survey questions and/or sent their feedback to the project team inbox. The Chair presented a re-cap of the deliverables which had so far been completed within the project timeline. The remainder of the meeting focused on a presentation which highlighted the emerging themes received so far from the feedback received on the research which prompted further discussion at the meeting . The presentation followed the  order of the survey questions with a mix of graphs and charts to delineate the quantitative responses, plus slides that summarised findings and themes from the qualitative feedback. During the session colleagues engaged, with further examples provided by members on specific efficiencies and/or concerns within their areas in addition to examples of how other employers approached their pay and progression. Much of the dialogue from members centred around the future approach to incremental progression, the distinction between remuneration for those who are subject matter experts and those who are line managers, in addition to preliminary discussions on how the future job family structure could be approached.

Dates for the next meeting are currently being considered for the end of June. The Chair confirmed that in the meantime, the Qualtrics survey would remain open for Group members who had not yet completed it to respond with their feedback in addition to engagement with all of Imperial’s Professional Services leaders and the Joint Trade Unions continuing throughout May. The Project Support team will analyse all  feedback received up to the end of May and then present the full set of responses and outcome of engagement in the June meeting.

Following the meeting  on 1 May 2025, the online Qualtrics survey (which accompanied the research paper covering how grading structures, pay progression, and career development is approached in external organisations) remained open for the month of May for Group members to continue sharing their views, insights, and feedback (in addition to obtaining feedback from the areas and colleagues they represent). The same research paper and survey were circulated to the Joint Trade Unions (JTU), all Professional Services leaders, and the People Function to elicit their feedback. Follow-up meetings were scheduled with the JTU and PS leads during May to obtain their views and commentary on the topics and questions posed within the paper and survey. Group members and other stakeholders also continued to submit feedback to the dedicated PTOL Review inbox.

During June, all feedback submitted via these channels was reviewed and consolidated into a presentation to the Working Group of the key themes emerging. The presentation followed the order of the survey questions, with a combination of charts and graphs to outline the quantitative responses, in addition to updated text slides to summarise the qualitative findings and themes. During the session, Group members followed up with further examples on specific areas (both individual to their circumstances and examples provided by their colleagues) on processes which currently work well at Imperial, in addition to flagging areas of concern which need to be considered. It was noted that the survey had provided excellent insights into opportunities and challenges identified by some key colleagues but was not intended to be a representative sampling of the community’s views.

The Chair and Project Support team concluded the meeting by confirming the next steps and the establishment of three dedicated workstreams to focus on high-level areas (Pay Progression, Job Families Informing Career Pathways, and Salary Structure) to support the shaping of the future framework.

Following the meeting on 26 June 2025, three dedicated workstreams were established to focus on high-level areas (Pay Progression, Job Families Informing Career Pathways, and Salary Structure) to support the shaping of the future framework. The Working Group reconvened in September and October to hear updates on the progress and discussions of the Workstream meetings that had taken place throughout July and August, and to receive information on the expected next steps.   

Following the Working Group meeting that took place on 3 October 2025, a paper detailing the findings from the surveys and workstreams was submitted to the October University Management Board who were then asked to propose the future strategic direction and focus of the Working Group. 

• The Project Support team are aiming to share additional research on Imperial’s current and other sectors’ approach to the grading structures, job families, and progression processes with the Group by late-February, for their review and to obtain feedback from colleagues.
• In order to collate Group members’ feedback accurately and to provide a means for members to share views ahead of meeting, an online Qualtrics survey has been created to obtain insights during the papers’ review period. Members are also very welcome to bring their feedback to the next meeting.
• The next Working Group meeting will be tentatively scheduled for early April. This date may change due to the time needed to write the extended paper, and all Group members will be informed with advance notice if this is required. The next meeting will be shaped around summarising contributions that have been shared, discussing different perspectives and ideas, and clarifying points as required.

• The Project Support team will keep the Qualtrics survey open for Group members who have not yet been able to complete it. Group members who have already responded to the survey will also have the opportunity to re-submit responses along with any additional feedback they receive from the colleagues/areas they represent throughout May.
• The Chair and members of the Project Support team will continue engaging with Professional Services leaders and the Joint Trade Unions to obtain their feedback throughout  May through attending their meetings and/or other preferred methods of communication.
• The next Group meeting will be scheduled at the end of June to share the full set of responses and outcome of engagement (from the PS leaders, the Joint Trade Unions and the remaining Group members via the survey) to fully explore the findings.

The Chair and Project Support team confirmed that the Review is still in the discovery phase. To inform the future direction and approach, three workstreams will be established.  The output from the three workstreams will be shared in a paper for UMB in September for the Board to determine the strategic direction and future areas of focus.

• The three workstreams will cover: Pay Progression (to be chaired by Martina Quinn, Head of People Partnering (Medicine)), Job Families Informing Career Pathways (to be chaired by Angela Kehoe, Head of HR (Natural Sciences & Progression)) and Salary Structure (to be chaired by Audrey Fraser, Director (Employee Experience & Culture)).

Please follow the link below to access the PTOL Framework Review slides

PTOL Framework Review slides - 26 June 2025.pdf