What we offer

The University of Leeds is in the top 100 universities for academic reputation in the QS World University Rankings 2019. Established in 1904, we have a strong tradition of academic excellence, reflected in first-class student education along with world-leading research that has a real impact around the globe.

We recognise that our staff are our greatest asset and have built our outstanding reputation. To maintain our position at the top, we must attract and retain brilliant and inspired people.

In this section we aim to give you a flavour of the University and tell you what’s available, in terms of our facilities, benefits, and personal and professional development opportunities.

Benefits

All employees have access to a wide range of benefits, from support and advice at work to discounts on shopping and leisure, including:

  • 25 days paid hol­i­day every year, plus ap­prox­i­mately 15.5 days off for bank hol­i­days and days when the Uni­ver­sity’s closed (de­pend­ing on how many hours you work and our campus closure schedule);
  • Gen­er­ous family leave;
  • Various discounts on shopping, health care, financial services and public transport;
  • Competitive pensions, with generous employer contributions;
  • Bright Beginnings, our award winning on-campus nursery;
  • Ac­cess to a range of poli­cies pro­mot­ing work life balance and flex­i­ble work­ing;
  • Financial help from our Relocation, Immigration loan and Reimbursement schemes (dependent on meeting the eligibility criteria);
  • Sick­ness ben­e­fits in­creas­ing with your length of em­ploy­ment.

Details of our full range of benefits are available on the HR website.

 

Community culture

We’re one of the UK’s largest, most prestigious and diverse universities, with more than 31,000 students from 146 different countries, more than 8,000 staff of 104 different nationalities and more than 220,000 alumni from over 180 different countries.

Our pursuit of academic excellence is based on increasing knowledge, respecting academic freedom, encouraging critical independent minds and promoting creativity and new approaches to education, research and innovation within an ethical framework.  None of this is possible without a constant commitment to collegiality, mutual respect, openness and transparency, equality and inclusion and continuous improvement in the services we provide.

The way we work together is shaped by our values of academic excellence, community, professionalism, integrity and inclusiveness.

We welcome and support individuals from under-represented groups and have various staff networks and events to help us progress equality.

We help new employees settle in through a central welcome event, local induction activities and online learning packages.  Our Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Hai-Sui Yu, also hosts a twice-yearly event to welcome new international colleagues.

To keep us all connected and up to date with University news and events we have For Staff, our intranet, along with a regular staff enewsletter and dedicated Twitter feed.

 

Development opportunities

Encouraging career development for all staff is one of our core values and we put this into practice through various services and initiatives.  Some of these include:

  • The Organisational Development and Professional Learning Unit (OD&PL), offers training and development for all employees, from short courses to credit-bearing programmes, networks to one-to-one advice.  Areas include academic practice, leadership and professional development;
  • Staff review and development scheme (SRDS) is a University-wide framework for all employees designed to facilitate career development and enhance effectiveness;
  • Probation periods for new employees provide a framework for discussing training and development needs and reviewing progress;
  • A range of free online courses on the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) FutureLearn platform;
  • The opportunity to attend lectures, seminars, concerts and other events held by University departments and institutions;
  • The LOGIK centre (Learning Opportunities for Gaining Information and Knowledge) provides a range of life and leisure courses, from African Drumming to Zumba!  They also work in partnership with the Skills Network and so are able to offer NCFE accredited courses free of charge.

 

Facilities

We have an impressive range of facilities for our staff to enjoy.  Our high-quality facilities include:

Sports

  • The Edge, our £12 million pound fitness centre, pool, climbing wall and sports halls providing state-of-the-art fitness, sport and well-being opportunities, all located on campus;
  • Sports Park Weetwood, three miles off campus, has newly refurbished, high-quality pitches for a variety of outdoor sports use;
  • Selside Outdoor Centre in the Yorkshire Dales which is perfect for an adventure-packed trip of caving, hiking, rock climbing, canoeing or mountain biking.

 

Services

  • Our award-winning student students’ union has everything you need for life at Leeds, from a supermarket and food outlets to a beauty salon, bars and clubs;
  • The Staff Centre is a welcoming recreational retreat that provides a chance to relax with a bit of TV, or meet up with friends and colleagues;
  • We have among the UK’s largest and most renowned libraries, spread over four sites. Our libraries include collections of international significance, more than 2.8 million items and over 33,000 online journals;
  • We have some of the best computing resources in the country, including many clusters across campus, along with a free, high-speed Wi-Fi network.

 

Museums, galleries, stage and events

  • The Stanley and Audrey Burton Art Gallery houses our collections of drawings and other works on paper.  It also offers a changing programme of exhibitions, as well as a designated space for research and teaching;
  • Treasures of the Brotherton Gallery displays the finest rare books, manuscripts, art and archives from our world renowned Special Collections;
  • Stage@Leeds is our public, licensed theatre complex where you can attend a variety of events and concerts.  It features a 180-seat auditorium as well as a studio and dance theatre;
  • Clothworkers Centenary Concert Hall is home to instrumental concerts, and our concert programme covers almost every musical genre;
  • We also hold exhibitions, seminars and lectures from great thinkers.  You can find a list of upcoming events on our event listings web page.

 

Food and drink

  • We have 17 cafés across campus, each selling a range of light snacks, sandwiches and drinks;
  • Our delivered catering service, Deli(very), has a variety of menus from the simple to the exquisite;
  • As well as our cafés, there are lots of other places to eat and drink including the trendy Faversham, the traditional Old Bar pub, the Terrace bar and kitchen with lots of outdoor space and cocktail classics, and the Refectory for food and gigs;
  • If you need a fine dining option, University House and the Refectory can both cater for this;
  • You can sign up for GFAL Club, our exclusive food and drink loyalty club. Use the GFaL app and be rewarded with fabulous offers!

Campus

Our single-site campus is one of the largest in the UK and is just a mile from Leeds city centre.

It has a diverse range of architectural styles, inspiring places and facilities along with a striking range of biodiverse and green spaces for you to enjoy.  It’s an eclectic mix of the old and the new, reflecting our 100+ year history.

People and Planet has awarded us a first class ranking in its 2019 University League table, the UK’s only comprehensive and independent green ranking of universities.

You can visit our campus at any time, but remember that University buildings aren’t normally open at weekends so, if there’s a particular academic department you’d like to see, you should contact the department directly beforehand to avoid disappointment.  Go to our Visit us web page to find details of campus tours (or download our self-guided tour), our campus map and directions to make the most of your visit. The page also has details of our upcoming open days.

 

Strategic plan

The main objectives of the University of Leeds Strategic Plan, Investing in Knowledge and Opportunity, are:

  • Students: To provide an outstanding education which will attract, excite and retain high-quality students from diverse backgrounds, and equip them to succeed in a competitive global employment market and to make a difference;
  • Research and Innovation: To be an outstanding research university, securely placed in the UK’s top ten and achieving significant increases in research quality, income and impact;
  • Partnership: To create and enhance strategic partnerships and collaborations in education, research and innovation – regionally, nationally and internationally;
  • Enterprise: To provide an integrated approach to enterprise which promotes creativity, innovation, enterprise and impact at the University and across the city region;
  • International: To increase the University’s international reach, ensuring that the impact of our education, research and alumni community is globally relevant;
  • People: To attract, retain and develop the very best people in a high-trust, academically-led working environment;
  • Campus: To ensure that our campus offers an exceptional student experience, providing leading-edge facilities for education, research and working with partners.