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 members of this Group to represent their area and contribute to the work ahead. 

During this introductory meeting, discussions focused on the roles Group members would undertake as representatives in this Review, the scope of work, and the approach to this work. The web pages were presented to the Group for review, feedback, and comments before publication.

The Chair welcomed all members to the second meeting for the PTO&L Framework Review Working Group. New members who had joined the Group since the preliminary meeting 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 scope of tasks the Group members will undertake through collaborative work (both within the Group and with the stakeholders each Group member represents).

The main discussion at this meeting focused on a paper circulated to all Group members in advance, providing 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, focusing on how the university should approach performance-related pay in relation to the future job family framework and the reformed pay structure. Potential areas for further review included how performance and delivery would be quantified and how to differentiate between senior employees who line-manage teams/areas and those who are specialists in their subject matter/roles. There was also discussion of the potential issue of staff being line-managed by a colleague from a different job family (e.g., a professional services staff member being line-managed by an academic staff member).

Discussions took place on potential approaches for Group members to utilise when engaging with colleagues and stakeholders in their local areas throughout the project timeline, to ensure all viewpoints and perspectives were considered and to deliver achievable, positive outcomes for 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’ approaches to grading structures, job families, and progression processes to be circulated to the Group beforehand for their review and to 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 now and may change to allow further work if required.

The Chair welcomed all members to the third meeting for the PTO&L Framework Review Working Group. Before 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, allowing Group members to share their views, insights, and feedback in advance of the 1 May meeting (in addition to providing feedback from the areas and colleagues they represent).

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 recap of the deliverables that had been completed to date within the project timeline. The remainder of the meeting focused on a presentation highlighting emerging themes from the research feedback received to date, which prompted further discussion. The presentation followed the order of the survey questions, with a mix of graphs and charts to present the quantitative responses, and slides that summarised findings and themes from the qualitative feedback. During the session, colleagues engaged with additional examples from members on specific efficiencies and/or concerns within their areas, as well as on how other employers approached pay and progression. Much of the dialogue from members centred on the future approach to incremental progression, the distinction between remuneration for subject matter experts and line managers, and 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 provide feedback, and that engagement with all of Imperial’s Professional Services leaders and the Joint Trade Unions would continue 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 the outcome of the engagement at 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 input 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 in May to obtain their views and comments on the topics and questions posed in 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 on the key themes emerging. The presentation followed the survey question order, using charts and graphs to present quantitative responses and 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 provided excellent insights into opportunities and challenges identified by key colleagues, but it was not intended to be a representative sample of the community’s views.

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

The Working Group reconvened in September and October to receive updates on the progress and discussions from the Workstream meetings held throughout July and August, and to receive information on the expected next steps.   

Following the Working Group meeting on 3 October 2025, a paper detailing the survey and workstream findings was submitted to the October University Management Board, who were then asked to propose the Working Group's future strategic direction and focus. 

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

• The Project Support team will keep the Qualtrics survey open for Group members who have not yet completed it. Group members who have already responded to the survey will also have the opportunity to resubmit their responses, along with any additional feedback they receive from colleagues/areas they represent throughout May.
• The Chair and members of the Project Support team will continue to engage with Professional Services leaders and the Joint Trade Unions to obtain their feedback throughout May by attending their meetings and/or other preferred communication channels.
• The next Group meeting will be scheduled at the end of June to share the full set of responses and the engagement outcomes (from 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 outputs 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 Progression Team (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

The Working Group met for the fifth time on 11 November 2025, providing a helpful chance to pause, take stock of what we have done so far, and look together at what is coming next. There was plenty of open discussion, helpful challenges, and shared reflections, which is exactly what we need at this stage of the project.

We have been steadily building a clearer picture of how our current approach to pay, job families, and career pathways is working, and where colleagues feel things could be improved. So far, we have:

• Spoken with colleagues across the University and gathered views through a targeted survey.
• Spent time exploring three big areas in more depth:
  • Pay Progression: Looking at how automatic progression and contribution-based approaches compare.
  • Job Families & Career Pathways: Thinking about clarity, mobility, and future career development.
  • Salary Structure: Reviewing how well our current salary structure aligns with the organisation's needs.

All of this has helped shape the direction for the next stage of work.

What is Next (Now–March 2026)

Following the University Management Board’s review in October, we now have three key areas to focus on:

1. Refreshing Job Families

We’ll begin developing a more detailed set of functional and sub-functional groupings.

Why it matters: It will make it easier for colleagues to understand career pathways, support succession planning, strengthen performance conversations, and help the University plan for the future.

2. Strengthening Processes and Support

Over the coming months, we will review a number of processes, including ARC and start shaping the practical resources colleagues will need, such as clearer guidance, improved communications, and targeted training. This should help everyone feel more confident navigating future changes to pay arrangements.

3. Modelling Hybrid Pay Options

The team will now begin exploring hybrid pay progression models, combining automatic progression with contribution-based elements. The aim is to build options that feel fair, transparent, and workable across different roles.

Project Team Updates

To support the next phase of work, the project team has been refreshed. The team will include more voices and input from representatives of the Joint Trade Unions. As the Learning role elements move into the Specialist Review, the project will now be called the Professional, Technical and Operational Framework Review. It’s a clearer reflection of the work in front of us.

Next Steps

• Key messages will be included in the Staff Briefing.
• The next project update will be shared at the 9 December 2025 meeting.

We concluded the meeting with an open Q&A, giving colleagues space to share thoughts, raise questions, and help shape the work ahead. We thank everyone for the time, energy, and honest feedback; it’s genuinely appreciated and makes a real difference to the work ahead.