Professional Staff Pathways

Professional Staff Pathways is designed to support a crucial pillar of our ANU community - professional staff. Shaped through dynamic co-creation, this distinctive career framework will offer a bespoke journey tailored to individuals’ expertise and career aspirations.

What is Professional Staff Pathways?

Announced by former Vice-Chancellor Professor Brian Schmidt at the 2023 State of the University Address, Professional Staff Pathways is designed to enhance the professional and career development of ANU professional staff.

Why is this a priority?

Results from the 2023 ANYOU Staff Engagement Survey revealed the need for the University to consistently recognise employees.

Actions we are exploring to address these concerns include:

Peer to-peer or leader-led recognition programs.
Growth opportunities that demonstrate value in individuals.
The implementation and rollout of the Professional Staff Pathways project.

Professional Staff Pathways will support our Strategic Plan by:

Implementing the infrastructure required to drive results, accountability and career growth. 
Creating a model for leadership.
Equipping staff with the skills to perform their role now and into the future.
Enabling staff to understand the career options available across ANU.

The ultimate goal of Professional Staff Pathways is to create an environment where all professional staff thrive, feel empowered and supported to grow and develop at ANU.  This program of work is crucial to deliver a staff experience that will ensure our campus and community is the best place to work and study in Australia.

What development options can I currently access?

There are a number of professional development opportunities, scholarships and leave provisions staff can access to assist with their career journey.

Staff can still access development opportunities while the Professional Staff Pathways project is in planning.

For a full list of resources and tools visit Professional Staff Pathways development opportunities.

Aligning with the ANU Strategic Plan 2021-2025, these development options reflect the University’s commitment to strengthen and refresh our approach to staff performance development and promotions.

What's next?

To date, input and feedback on Professional Staff Pathways  has been received from the ANYOU Staff Survey, ANU Enterprise Agreement negotiations and the Professional Services Leadership Forum.  As we continue to build our Professional Staff Pathways roadmap, we would value your input.

In addition to those held at the end of 2023, People and Culture are hosting two additional online sessions for staff to provide input and feedback on how to ensure the Professional Staff Pathways meets the needs of our community.

Monday 8 April from 11.00am – 11.45am (join Teams meeting here)

Friday 12 April from 11.00am – 11.45am (join Teams meeting here)

Actions taken from the ANYOU Engagement Survey

The ANYOU Staff Engagement Survey was held in March 2023. In response to the survey, 122 actions were identified by local area teams against specific focus areas. The most frequently selected focus areas for action are:

feedback and recognition; 
collaboration and communication; and
demonstrating action in response to the survey.

A key action from the feedback and recognition umbrella was to uplift the PDR process to ensure all staff have an active PDR in place and have clarity around their performance goals. The PSP program will help to uplift the PDR process by providing staff with opportunities for professional and career development at ANU.

Professional staff career development is also a recognised aspect in the The Australian National University Enterprise Agreement 2023-2026. As outlined in the Agreement, the University recognises that the contribution of highly skilled and dedicated professional staff are critical to the success and future of ANU.