Offer Details

Institutions have the discretion to offer a salary within the first three service points of the relevant grade where they have a sound justification for doing so, having assessed the ‘Factors to consider in salary determination cases’ set out below. They may also offer a salary within the service points for the grade,  providing a short case which accompanies the candidate’s  appointment papers, in line with the ‘Factors to consider in salary determination cases’ set out below. 

Recruiters should always consult their department administrator in advance about the salary that they wish to offer and why. This will ensure that due consideration has been given to Factor 1 below (equal pay with employees in comparable roles).

Please note that, depending on the salary level at which you intend to appoint, you may need to obtain central approval (normally by submitting an HR4 Salary Case for Approval form to your Lead HR Business Partner / HR Business Partner) before you make an offer of employment. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that you read the relevant parts of this section of the Recruitment Guidance before notifying the successful applicant of the outcome of your selection process.

Requests for salary appointments above the first three salary points:

• Appointments above the first three service points and within the service points for the grade:-

The justification provided should be based on a consideration of the ‘Factors to consider when determining a starting salary’ table below

• Appointments within the contribution range:

Cases where authorisation to offer a salary in the contribution range is sought should be exceptional and the strength of the justification for the intended offer detailed in the form should reflect this.

It should be noted that appointments in the contribution range is not possible under the points-based immigration system, unless HR authorisation was given in advance to include the discretionary range in the adverts used to meet the Resident Labour Market Test.

After following the steps above as appropriate:

• Where there is justification for offering a salary above the bottom three points of the relevant salary scale, the Head of Institution (or person delegated by them) should, before an offer of employment is made, confirm approval of a short, written case.
• Where there is justification for offering a salary in the contribution range of the relevant salary scale, the Head of Institution (or person delegated by them) should, before an offer of employment is made, make a case to the relevant Lead HR Business Partner / HR Business Partner on the HR4 Salary Case for Approval form.
• An approved HR4 or written case, as appropriate, must be provided to the New Appointment Team where one is required when an Appointment Request is made. In most cases, this will mean uploading the HR4 or case into the Web Recruitment System.

Factors to consider when determining a starting salary

Before any offer of employment is made, there are a number of factors to be considered in order to assess the starting salary for new appointments. These aim to balance the need to ensure fairness in the starting salary offered and to reduce the potential for discrimination, as well as to secure a desired appointment. The can be viewed in the Starting Salary: Factors to consider document. 

Appointments where authorisation is granted outside of the HR4 process

There are certain University appointments where authorisation to offer a salary above the minimum of the first three service points for a grade is sought and granted by alternative processes to the HR4. These are shown below:

• Principal Research Associate (Above point 63)

Approval granted by Pro-Vice-Chancellor for University Community and Engagement.

• Grade 11/12 Academic Related (Above minimum of the grade)

Approval granted by Pro-Vice-Chancellor for University Community and Engagement.

• Director of Research (Above Point 6)

Approval granted by Pro-Vice-Chancellor for University Community and Engagement and HR Business Manager to include the proposed salary in a letter seeking approval.

• Professors (Grade 12)

Approval granted by the Vice Chancellor as per the normal process for professorial recruitment.

Where an alternative process has been used, evidence of this (e.g. copy of a letter / email containing approval, with the relevant section marked) should be uploaded into the Web Recruitment System as part of the Appointment Request (or posted to the HR New Appointment Team) instead of the HR4 form.

Where agreement on a salary to be offered is not reached in the first instance

In the unlikely event that agreement on a case for offering above the first three points of the grade cannot be reached between the institution and HR Business Partner, the matter will be referred to the Assistant Director or Director of Human Resources.

If at this stage the matter cannot be resolved, it will be referred to the Chair of the HR Committee, who may take a decision on the matter on behalf of the General Board or the Council.

However, if the Chair of the HR Committee is of the view that it would not be appropriate for the matter to be dealt with in this way, they will refer it to the General Board or the Council, as appropriate, who will decide the matter in the light of advice from the HR Committee.

Appointments where no HR4 is required

• Research Associate:- For Research Associates, the minimum starting point is point 41, with discretion to appoint to the next two service points after this.
• Research Assistant under-appointment:- Any individual being under-appointed as a Research Assistant should be appointed on Point 38. This will be prior to the expected successful completion of their PhD and their resulting appointment to Research Associate, with corresponding increase in salary. Please see the Research under-appointments section for further information.
• Professor (Grade 11) or Principal Research Associate:- Any individual being appointed as a Professor (Grade 11) or Principal Research Associate should be appointed on Point 63. Although this is a contribution point in Grade 11, it is the standard salary point offered to Readers and research staff equivalents.

Clinical Appointments

• Clinical Lecturers, Clinical Research Associates and Allied Health Professionals (excluding nurses)

Salaries for Clinical Lectures and Clinical Research Associates joining from the NHS scales. Staff generally move across on the same salary point and retain their NHS incremental date. 

• Honorary Consultant Staff 

Salaries are based on when the consultant completed their CCT, and the length of their NHS consultant level experience. Newly qualified consultants join at the first point of the scale. New staff already on the consultant scale retain their existing salary point and progression on taking up employment with the University. Honorary Consultant Staff must have a GMC license and license to practice.

Instead of offering a higher salary, it may be more appropriate in certain circumstances for institutions to consider alternative means of securing an appointment. For example:

• Scheme Incentive Payment:- Recruitment incentive payments are one-off, taxable, ex gratia payments that do not form part of the employee's salary and may be made on appointment as a means of assisting recruitment. The payments may be made to both professorial and non-professorial staff. 
• Relocation Assistance:- There are a number of schemes to support new employees to relocate to Cambridge (and the surrounding area) to take up employment with the University. This includes the Reimbursement of Relocation Costs scheme, Shared Equity scheme and the Rental Deposit Loan scheme.
• Market Pay:- Where evidence indicates that similar posts outside the University command a higher salary than that determined by role analysis, it may be appropriate to request a Market Pay (MP) award in order to secure the recruitment or retention of an individual. MP is aimed at assistant and academic-related posts.
• Advanced Contribution Supplement:- An Advanced Contribution Supplement (ACS) may be awarded as the primary means of supplementing the salary of an academic member of staff for retention or recruitment purposes. An ACS is awarded on the expectation that an individual will reach a certain level of achievement.

Pay Guidance for Existing Employees

Determine in the same way as external appointments: 

Appointment to a different type of role:

Where an existing employee chooses to apply for a different type of role within the University and is selected, the salary offered to the individual should be determined in the same way as external appointments (that is, by reviewing the ‘Factors to consider in salary determination’ in the External Appointments section of this guidance). This includes giving due consideration to any relevant transferable skills and experience that the individual brings to the new role. There is no requirement to maintain the individual’s salary at its existing level where this is not commensurate with their new appointment and the salary determination factors considered.

Internal promotion (appointment to a higher grade):

Anyone appointed to a higher graded and similar type of post within the University should either move to step one of the higher grade or by two increments, whichever is the greater.  

Internal same grade appointments: 

Anyone being appointed to a similar type of post on the same grade within the University should remain on the same scale point. 

Internal lower grade appointments:

Anyone being appointed to a similar type post at a lower grade within the University should be appointed on the nearest available service point on the lower grade salary scale without loss of salary if possible. A pay protection policy exists for those moving posts as result of organisational change. 

Note: When appointing an internal candidate, it is important to consider their existing increment date and when this is likely to continue to the new role and when it will change.

Where an institution has advertised as role as a 'Research Assistant / Research Associate' and the successful applicant does not yet have a PhD, they will normally be under-appointed as a Research Assistant in a Research Associate post (on the understanding that they will be appointed as a Research Associate upon successful completion of their PhD).

In these circumstances, the individual should initially be appointed to Grade 5, Point 38. An HR4 case for appointing above the first three points of the grade is not required. Upon award of their PhD, the individual will be appointed to Grade 7, Point 41. The higher Research Associate salary should be backdated to the submission date of their thesis.

In exceptional circumstances, where a preferred candidate has not yet been awarded their PhD, but their previous experience is commensurate to that of a Research Associate, the relevant institution may make a case to their Lead HR Business Partner / HR Business Partner to appoint them as a Research Associate.

The advert will need to have specified that experience would be considered as an alternative to a PhD. Where such an appointment is approved, the individual will not be entitled to an increase in salary upon award of their PhD.

Wherever possible, appointments must be made to a grade and point on the single salary spine (with the grade being determined through the grading process for assistant and academic-related posts). This helps to provide a fair, equal and consistent framework for rewarding employees. Salaries that are not found on the single salary spine are known as spot salaries.

As spot salaries do not have a grade or corresponding salary range, those paid them are not normally entitled to salary progression. It is not expected that appointments will normally be made to a spot salary, although there are certain types of posts that have to be remunerated in this way. This is normally because complexities relating to how the salary and/or allowances are calculated mean that there is not a corresponding point on scale.

Common appointments made to spot salaries are:

• Cambridge Archaeological Unit (CAU) staff
• Ceremonial Officers
• Constables
• Library/Museum Invigilators
• Marie Sklodowska-Curie Fellows and Researchers
• Slade Visiting Professors
• Leverhulme Visiting Professors**

• Royal Academy of Engineering Visiting Professors

  
  **Please seek advice on specific cases from the New Appointment Team as a spot salary is not always required)

Please note: Spot salary appointments will only be approved in exceptional cases where it can be demonstrated that there is not an appropriate means of making an appointment on the single salary spine (with additional supplements to salary such as an Advanced Contribution Supplement or Market Pay, as required).

In the rare event that you believe that a spot salary should be offered for an appointment that is not found on the above list, please speak with your Lead HR Business Partner / HR Business Partner in advance for advice. You will be required to complete an HR4 Salary Case for Approval form to obtain approval to proceed with offering a spot salary (except where detailed above).