Why join Derby?

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Challenging, interesting and constantly changing, the University of Derby is an extraordinary place to learn and an incredibly rewarding place to work.

We believe that if we attract the right people, motivate them and provide development in a supportive, friendly performance-focused environment, then together we will enjoy continuing success.

Our staff love the work they do and the impact they have on the lives of our learners and the wider community. Our recent staff survey told us that 93% of staff have good work relationships, 80% are proud to work here and 73% get a sense of personal accomplishment from their role.

We welcome new ideas that improve what we do and the way we do it, creating opportunities for you to make an impact and be recognised for it.

University of ambition

At Derby, we have worked to build a powerful, regional university that addresses the needs of our students, the region and beyond. Recognised by the Times Higher Education as one of the top 250 young universities in the world, our reputation for delivering excellence in research, knowledge exchange and teaching continues to grow.

Our combined higher and further education offering is spread over campuses in Derby, Buxton, Leek and Chesterfield and we have some of the best university facilities in the UK, investing more than £200 million in facilities over the last 10 years.

We have the same ambitions for our people and because we specialise in identifying and developing individual potential, you can be confident you'll receive all the help and encouragement you need to build a rewarding career with lots of opportunities to progress.

The future and transformation of University of Derby’s estate

Read the annual impact report

#LOVEDERBYUNI

Find out what our staff and students love about the University of Derby.

#LoveDerbyUni

View #LoveDerbyUni video transcript

People strategy

Our Strategic Framework 2018-2030 sets out our long-term direction and aspirations for the University, our staff and our students. It informs the People Strategy, which describes how we will meet our ambitious goals through the people we employ and others who work with us, to help us deliver a world-class student experience.

We are proud of our staff and understand that the best student experience can only be delivered if the people we have working for us share our vision, our ambitions, and our dedication to delivering excellence. We understand the importance of high-quality staff experience to get the best out of people in a high-performance culture, where we strive to compete with the best in our sector.

Our People Strategy has been developed following direct consultation and engagement with our staff and other stakeholders as well as views submitted in staff surveys and in the development of our Strategic Framework.

Be part of our passion for learning and research

We achieve outstanding results for our teaching and research and with more than 34,000 people choosing to study with us every year, we depend on the dedication of a team of 2,200 academic and professional services staff.

Pay and benefits

As well as competitive salaries, we appreciate the importance of a healthy work/life balance and are therefore able to offer a benefits package that includes generous holiday entitlements and fantastic retirement provisions.

Those in academic roles receive 35 days annual leave per year, middle and senior management receive 30 days and all other roles including technical, administrative and supervisory receive 26 days. On top of this, all staff also receive bank holidays and 4 University days around Christmas and Easter.

All eligible staff can join a defined benefit pension (Teacher’s Pension Scheme for academics and Local Government Pension Scheme for all other eligible staff), this provides you with a retirement income based on your salary and the number of years you’ve worked for the university. This pension scheme pays you a secure income for life, which increases each year and provides life cover.

Our middle and senior management can access additional flexible benefits such as holiday trading, dental plans and private medical insurance.

Valuing people is a cornerstone of our values, hence we offer generous paid leave for maternity, paternity, special circumstances such as serious family illness and bereavement.

smiling people filming in the Atrium at Kedleston Road

Training and development

As an education institution, we have numerous training and development opportunities available to all staff to support their continuing professional development. We hold regular in-house training sessions to help our staff develop skills in everything from managing their time to brushing up on their Microsoft Office skills.

You can also study whilst you work and gain the technical knowledge, practical experience and wider skills you need for your future career through our Staff Apprenticeship Scheme. We also offer discounted tuition fees for our degree and postgraduate programmes of study for employee and family.

Employee perks

All employees have access to our discount platform, where you can benefit from discounts at hundreds of retailers such as Sainsbury’s, M&S and John Lewis, make huge savings on days out at attractions such as Alton Towers and receive money off Microsoft packages. These discounts could help some employees save over a thousand pounds per year.

Travel on university buses is free, these run frequently between campuses, the city centre and train station. We also run a salary sacrifice Cycle2Work scheme, where staff can get a new bike and safety equipment and save hundreds of pounds.

On campus, staff can make use of our £11 million Sports Centre which is fully equipped with state-of-the-art indoor and outdoor facilities.

All our sites have plenty of places to grab some lunch on the go. As well as our university catering services, our main campus offers Papa Johns, Subway and Starbucks.

Where we work

Our aim is to deliver a vibrant, immersive and high-quality experience for our students by working as efficiently and effectively as possible. Having significantly improved our digital capabilities in recent years, we are currently operating a hybrid working model that allows many staff to flexibly combine on-site and remote working to best meet the needs of colleagues and students.