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The role of Heads of Research Departments (HoRDs) was introduced by the Vice-Provost Health/Dean of Faculty of Biomedical Sciences and Dean of Faculty of Life Sciences in 2008. This development created a leadership hierarchy to manage cognate academic areas and enable the Directors of LMS Divisions and Institutes to delegate aspects of their duties and responsibilities. The establishment of the HoRD role has also provided a framework to support succession planning.
HoRDs were appointed by the Dean upon the recommendation of the Director having consulted with the academic community. These arrangements reflect the process used to appoint Directors of Divisions and Institutes which is mandated in the Regulations for the Management of UCL (see extract at Appendix 1). Whilst the regulations do not apply to HoRDs as they are not academic departments established by Council the consultation process has been adopted to mirror good practice. The appointment of HoRDs is a Faculty/LMS matter.
Appointments are normally for an initial term of three to five years (1), with the option to renew. The majority of LMS Divisions and Institutes are managing the appointment/re-appointment of HoRDs using a formal process which culminates with a letter of appointment sent by the Dean of the Faculty. However, there has been some inconsistency in how these appointments are being managed, to address this SLMS has agreed a transparent procedure to be followed for the appointment of HoRDs across SLMS; this supports more effective succession planning and career development.
There is no payment for undertaking the role of HoRD, unlike HoDs, and there is no mandated “Job Description” for the role of UCL Head of Research Department, although the duties and responsibilities comprise a sub-set of those for UCL Heads of Departments (LMS Directors of Divisions/Institutes) which are set out in the UCL Academic Manual.
Achievements in this role are recognised in the Academic Careers Framework and are taken into account when considering applications for promotion and Professorial re-banding.
Process
Heads of Research Departments (HoRDs) are appointed by the Dean on the recommendation of the Director of Division/Institute following an appointment process and written consultation with staff of the academic unit concerned.
A call for expressions of interest will be circulated internally to the relevant research department (2). Applicants will be asked to prepare a presentation outlining their vision for the research department on which all relevant staff will have the opportunity to comment (in confidence) to the Director of the Division/Institute. Presentations will be followed by a formal interview.
Interview panel
The interview panel to appoint a HoRD should include:
- Dean (or nominee)
- Division/Institute Director (Chair)
- Division/Institute Manager
- Senior academic member of staff from another research department or Division/Institute
- Education lead or delegate
As with all interview panels within LMS, the panel should ensure balanced representation in terms of gender and ethnic diversity to ensure an appropriate range of viewpoints is expressed. LMS is committed to securing BME representation on all panels.
Confirmation of appointment
- On recommendation of the Director to the Dean, a new HoRD will be appointed. The HoRD will receive a formal appointment letter from the Dean specifying start and end dates of the term of appointment and this will append the LMS HoRDs duties and responsibilities.
- HoRDs are normally appointed for an initial term of three years (1), which can be renewed where appropriate, normally up to a maximum of two terms in total.
- Extensions/Renewals:
- Faculties will maintain a record of all HoRD appointments and their term of office. As these change the respective Faculty will ensure the LMS website is updated to reflect new appointments/extensions. Twelve months prior to a HoRD’s term coming to an end, the Faculty will issue a notification to the Director of the Division/Institute concerned.
- The Director will then consult informally (3) with the staff of the relevant research department, as well as other staff within the Division/Institute where appropriate. Based on this, the Director will make a recommendation to the Dean to either extend the current HoRD’s term or to appoint a new Head, at least 6 months before the end of the term.
- When a new HoRD is to be appointed the post should be advertised within the relevant Research Department of UCL and expressions of interest invited from staff.
Duties and Responsibilities of Heads of Research Departments
- A standard core “Job Description” is provided for the role of UCL Head of Research Department, comprising a sub-set of those for UCL Heads of Departments (LMS Directors of Divisions/Institutes) which are set out in the UCL Academic Manual. Local variation or addition may need to occur to reflect specific responsibilities in units, but the core description must be retained. Any changes to the core job description should be agreed with the Dean and Director of Operations.
- All appointments must be signed off by the Dean. A standard letter of appointment should be utilised by Deans, with a copy of the standard HoRD Job Description appended. Any specific variation of duties will also be noted in the letter of appointment.
Formation of New Research Departments
- Restructuring below the level of LMS Divisions and Institutes does not require formal approval at Council/Academic Board level. New Research Departments can be created by the Dean of the relevant Faculty in liaison with the HR Division who are responsible for the management of the UCL organisational hierarchy.
Appendix 1
Extract from the Regulations for the Management of University College London (UCL) [November 2014]
Appointment of Heads of Departments
11.3 Heads of Departments shall be appointed by the Council on the advice of the Provost, in the light of the Provost's consultation of staff of the academic Department concerned. The Secretary to Council, on behalf of the Provost, shall issue a written invitation to staff of the Department, and to Heads of other Departments within the Faculty concerned, to convey views to the Provost, via the Secretary to Council. On receipt of these views, the Provost shall consult with the Dean of the Faculty and, where the Provost sees fit, with an appropriate academic Vice-Provost before recommending to the Council the appointment of a Head of Department.
Where the process of selection of a Head of Department is conducted by external advertisement of the position, the Provost will normally make a recommendation on the headship to Council without consultation of the full academic staff of the Department concerned but instead on the advice of a committee set up to conduct the selection process and to report to the Provost, that committee to include the Dean of the Faculty concerned and a selection of members of the academic Department concerned. Council may also, according to the above procedure for consultation, appoint, on the recommendation of the Provost, an Acting Head of Department either (i) in the event that a Head of Department is on sabbatical leave or other period of leave extending over at least one term of the period of his or her current headship or (ii) as an interim arrangement in the event of an interregnum resulting from the resignation of a Head of Department before the end of her or his appointed term or from other unforeseen circumstances causing a vacancy for the headship. [Statute 10(2)]