How to Apply to UTS

Key Takeaways

UTS is a major public research university in the Sydney CBD (Ultimo and Broadway), with around 46,000 students and 5,000 staff, founded in 1988 and identified as Australia's leading technology-focused younger university.
All recruiting flows through PageUp at uts.edu.au/jobs, and applications are scored against documented Selection Criteria; address each criterion explicitly.
Academic compensation is set by the UTS Enterprise Agreement against Levels A through E (Associate Lecturer to Professor); professional staff are remunerated at HEW Levels 1 through 10 with employer superannuation usually paid at 17 per cent.
UTS is a member of the Australian Technology Network (ATN), not the Group of Eight, and signal alignment with applied, industry-engaged research carries weight in interviews.
Strong research alignment exists in artificial intelligence, data science, cybersecurity, design, communication and media, sustainable futures and health; signal alignment with one of these areas in research-track applications.
The Frank Gehry-designed Dr Chau Chak Wing Building (UTS Business School) and the broader Ultimo precinct put UTS in the centre of Sydney's professional services economy; CBD location is a recurring theme in the candidate value proposition.
Sessional and casual academic work remains a significant entry route, but is also a structural feature of the sector under active scrutiny by NTEU and the Accord process.
International applicants are welcome and routinely sponsored for academic and senior professional roles, though the 2024 international student cap has tightened broader institutional finances, with UTS particularly exposed given its large international student base.

About UTS

The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) is a major Australian public research university with its main campus in the Sydney CBD, occupying the Ultimo and Broadway precincts immediately south of Central Station. It enrols approximately 46,000 students and employs around 5,000 academic and professional staff, making it one of the largest employers in inner Sydney. UTS was established in its current form in 1988, when the New South Wales Institute of Technology was elevated to university status under state legislation. That comparatively recent founding date matters: UTS is one of Australia's leading younger universities and identifies explicitly as a technology-focused, industry-engaged institution rather than as a traditional sandstone. UTS is a member of the Australian Technology Network (ATN), the alliance that also includes RMIT, Curtin, Deakin and the University of Newcastle, and it consults across Innovative Research Universities (IRU) and other sector groupings. It is not a member of the Group of Eight (Go8), the elite cluster comprising the University of Sydney, UNSW Sydney, ANU, Melbourne, Monash, Queensland, Western Australia and Adelaide. UTS sits in the highly-regarded tier immediately adjacent to the Go8 and consistently appears in the global top 100 of the QS World University Rankings, with particular strength in younger-university league tables such as the QS Top 50 Under 50 and the Times Higher Education Young University Rankings. The university is organised into nine faculties and schools. The UTS Business School, AACSB-accredited and located in the iconic Frank Gehry-designed Dr Chau Chak Wing Building, draws on the Sydney CBD location for industry adjacency to Australia's banking, professional services and media sectors. The Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology has built an Australian leadership position in artificial intelligence, data science, software engineering and cybersecurity, anchored by the Australian Artificial Intelligence Institute (AAII), one of the country's largest AI research concentrations. UTS Law sits in the Faculty of Law, with strong applied and clinical programs. The Faculty of Health and the new Graduate School of Health cover nursing, midwifery, pharmacy, public health and allied health. The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences carries the university's well-known Communication and Media heritage, including the long-respected journalism program. Design, Architecture and Building, Science, and the Centre for Indigenous Education round out the academic portfolio. UTS College (formerly UTS Insearch) provides pathway and English-language preparation for international students. The operating environment in 2024 and 2025 has been challenging. The Albanese government's National Planning Level on international student commencements has materially affected revenue across the Australian higher education sector, and UTS, with one of the largest international student populations in Australia, is particularly exposed. Vice-Chancellor Andrew Parfitt, in post since 2021, has been navigating budget pressure, the implementation of recommendations from the Australian Universities Accord, ongoing debate over the casualisation of academic labour, and a multi-year city-campus master plan. Despite the macro pressure, UTS continues to recruit across academic, research, professional, clinical and operational functions, and it remains a meaningful employer in Sydney's central business district.

Application Process

1
Search openings on uts
Search openings on uts.edu.au/jobs, the university's PageUp-powered careers portal, filtering by faculty, role type (academic, professional, casual/sessional, research) and work pattern.
2
Create a PageUp candidate profile with a single email address; you will reuse th
Create a PageUp candidate profile with a single email address; you will reuse this account for any future UTS application, and updates to your profile carry across submissions.
3
Tailor a cover letter that explicitly addresses each Selection Criterion or Capa
Tailor a cover letter that explicitly addresses each Selection Criterion or Capability listed in the position description, since Australian university recruiting panels score against these line by line.
4
Attach a CV, plus role-specific evidence: academic roles require a research stat
Attach a CV, plus role-specific evidence: academic roles require a research statement, teaching philosophy and publication list; clinical and health roles require AHPRA registration details where relevant.
5
Submit before the closing date (Australian Eastern Time); PageUp does not accept
Submit before the closing date (Australian Eastern Time); PageUp does not accept late applications, and academic posts often close 4-8 weeks after advertising to allow international applicants to apply.
6
Initial screening is conducted by HR against essential criteria, with a shortlis
Initial screening is conducted by HR against essential criteria, with a shortlist forwarded to the chair of the selection committee or hiring manager within 2-3 weeks of close.
7
Shortlisted academic candidates deliver a research seminar and a teaching demons
Shortlisted academic candidates deliver a research seminar and a teaching demonstration, then meet faculty leadership, prospective colleagues and students across a half- or full-day campus visit at the Ultimo precinct.
8
Professional staff candidates typically progress through a competency-based inte
Professional staff candidates typically progress through a competency-based interview with a panel of three to five (hiring manager, HR partner and a peer or stakeholder), sometimes preceded by a phone screen.
9
Reference checks (minimum two, usually three including a current supervisor) and
Reference checks (minimum two, usually three including a current supervisor) and pre-employment background verification follow a verbal offer; written contracts are issued through PageUp.
10
Onboarding includes an Enterprise Agreement induction, mandatory modules on work
Onboarding includes an Enterprise Agreement induction, mandatory modules on workplace health and safety, the Code of Conduct, Indigenous cultural awareness (drawing on the Jumbunna Institute), and faculty- or unit-specific orientation.

Resume Tips for UTS

recommended

Mirror the language of the Position Description and Selection Criteria; PageUp k

Mirror the language of the Position Description and Selection Criteria; PageUp keyword matching and human panel scoring both reward exact phrasing from the advertised capabilities.

recommended

Use Australian English spelling (organisation, programme for academic programmes

Use Australian English spelling (organisation, programme for academic programmes, behaviour, recognise) and Australian date format (DD/MM/YYYY) throughout; this is a small but consistently observed signal.

recommended

For academic roles, structure a separate Research Statement and Teaching Stateme

For academic roles, structure a separate Research Statement and Teaching Statement; do not bury research outputs inside a single CV section, and use the standard categories (refereed journal articles, books, book chapters, conference papers).

recommended

Quote ARC, NHMRC, MRFF or international grant outcomes by scheme, year, role (CI

Quote ARC, NHMRC, MRFF or international grant outcomes by scheme, year, role (CI/AI/PI), and dollar amount; Australian academic panels expect this level of grant-funding specificity.

recommended

Cite teaching evaluation scores (the UTS Student Feedback Survey or equivalent),

Cite teaching evaluation scores (the UTS Student Feedback Survey or equivalent), subject coordination experience, HDR (Higher Degree Research) supervision completions, and any contribution to curriculum design or accreditation.

recommended

For professional staff, calibrate seniority with the HEW (Higher Education Worke

For professional staff, calibrate seniority with the HEW (Higher Education Worker) level you are targeting; quantify scope of role using budget managed, headcount supervised, projects led and stakeholders served.

recommended

Reference any prior experience at Australian universities, particularly ATN (Aus

Reference any prior experience at Australian universities, particularly ATN (Australian Technology Network), Go8 or IRU institutions; familiarity with Australian sector frameworks is highly valued at UTS.

recommended

Highlight commitment to UTS's strategic priorities visible on uts

Highlight commitment to UTS's strategic priorities visible on uts.edu.au: research impact, social justice and Indigenous engagement (UTS publishes a distinctive Indigenous Graduate Attribute), industry partnership, sustainability, and equity, diversity and inclusion.

recommended

Note any relevant union, professional association, or sector body membership (NT

Note any relevant union, professional association, or sector body membership (NTEU, CAUL for librarians, ATEM for tertiary education managers, AHPRA for clinicians, Engineers Australia, AIIA) where appropriate.

recommended

Keep total length to two pages for professional roles and four to six pages for

Keep total length to two pages for professional roles and four to six pages for academics; avoid graphics, tables and columns that PageUp's parser sometimes mishandles.

ATS System: PageUp People

UTS recruits through PageUp People, the dominant ATS across the Australian higher education sector. PageUp at uts.edu.au/jobs handles job advertising, candidate profiles, application submission, panel scoring against Selection Criteria, offer management and onboarding workflow. It is reasonably forgiving of standard PDF and Word resumes but parses cleanest when documents use a single column, conventional headings and embedded text rather than scanned images.

Submit a Word .docx or text-based PDF; avoid scanned PDFs, image-only documents, and resumes built on heavy graphic templates.
Use one PageUp account per candidate across all applications; duplicate accounts cause profile and document confusion for recruiters.
Complete every form field, including Equal Employment Opportunity questions where shown; these are voluntary but support the university's reporting obligations.
Address each Selection Criterion as a separate paragraph or numbered point in the cover letter or supplementary statement, with a STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) example.
Upload supporting documents in clearly named files (LastName_FirstName_CV.pdf, LastName_FirstName_CoverLetter.pdf, LastName_FirstName_ResearchStatement.pdf) so panels can locate them quickly.
Check your PageUp inbox and the email address linked to your profile regularly; interview invitations and offer correspondence both flow through the platform.

Interview Culture

UTS's interview culture reflects the broader norms of Australian public university hiring: structured, criterion-based, panel-led, and oriented toward documented evidence rather than rapport alone, with a distinctive UTS overlay of industry orientation and Sydney CBD professionalism. For academic roles, expect a half- or full-day campus visit comprising a 45- to 60-minute research seminar open to faculty and students, a teaching demonstration or sample lecture, separate meetings with the head of school, dean, peer academics and HDR students, and a closing panel interview structured around the Selection Criteria. Panels typically include the hiring head, two academic peers, an external academic and a HR representative, with formal scoring against capabilities. Engineering and IT searches frequently include an industry partner on the panel, reflecting UTS's applied research model. For professional staff, interviews are competency-based and conducted by a panel of three to five drawn from the hiring manager's team, a partner unit and HR. Questions are typically behavioural ("Tell us about a time when...") and you should prepare STAR-format examples mapped to each Selection Criterion in the position description. For health and clinical roles, expect additional clinical scenario discussion and AHPRA verification. The tone is professional and collegial, less hierarchical than some Asian or European academic cultures but more formal than typical private-sector interviews. Candidates are expected to ask thoughtful questions about research alignment, teaching load, the Enterprise Agreement, hybrid working arrangements, the city-campus master plan, and equity and inclusion priorities. The Ultimo campus is two minutes' walk from Central Station, served by trains, light rail, buses, and the Sydney Metro extension that opened in 2024, making on-site interviews easy to combine with a campus tour. Outcomes typically arrive within two to four weeks of the final interview, with negotiated start dates that respect academic calendar transitions for teaching-active roles.

What UTS Looks For

Demonstrated alignment with UTS's strategic priorities, particularly social justice and Indigenous engagement, industry partnership, technology-focused research impact, sustainability, and student experience.
For academics: a competitive publication record in respected venues, evidence of grant capture or strong potential, and a credible research trajectory aligned with one of UTS's priority areas (AI, data science, sustainable futures, health, communication and media, design).
Teaching effectiveness with documented evidence: Student Feedback Survey scores, subject coordination, curriculum innovation, work-integrated learning design, and supervision of Higher Degree Research candidates.
For professional staff: specific competency match against the HEW-level descriptors, experience operating within complex stakeholder environments and a track record of delivery in higher education or comparable settings.
Familiarity with the Australian higher education regulatory environment: TEQSA standards, the Australian Universities Accord, ESOS for international student handling, and ARC/NHMRC processes for researchers.
Cultural competence and demonstrated commitment to working with Indigenous Australians, international students, and a diverse staff community; UTS embeds an Indigenous Graduate Attribute across its curriculum.
Industry engagement instinct: UTS's identity is intertwined with applied research and Sydney CBD industry adjacency, so collaboration with industry partners is genuinely valued, particularly in business, engineering, IT and design.
Right to work in Australia, or eligibility for sponsorship through skilled migration channels (Subclass 482, 186 or Distinguished Talent visas) for academic and senior professional roles.
For clinical and health roles: current AHPRA registration in the relevant profession, plus credentialing acceptable to UTS partner health services.
Professional integrity and adherence to the UTS Code of Conduct, the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research, and the Higher Education Standards Framework.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is UTS part of the Group of Eight?

No. The Group of Eight comprises the University of Sydney, UNSW Sydney, ANU, the University of Melbourne, Monash University, the University of Queensland, the University of Western Australia and the University of Adelaide. UTS is highly regarded and consistently ranks in the global top 100 on QS, with particularly strong placement in younger-university tables such as the QS Top 50 Under 50, but it sits outside the Go8. UTS is a member of the Australian Technology Network (ATN), an alliance focused on technology-oriented, industry-engaged universities.

What does academic compensation look like at UTS?

Academic salaries are set by the UTS Enterprise Agreement against five levels. As of the most recent agreement, Level A (Associate Lecturer) sits roughly in the A$85,000-110,000 range, Level B (Lecturer) A$115,000-135,000, Level C (Senior Lecturer) A$140,000-165,000, Level D (Associate Professor) A$170,000-200,000, and Level E (Professor) A$210,000-310,000-plus, with named chairs and clinical academics at the higher end. All figures attract employer superannuation, typically at 17 per cent for ongoing academic staff.

How are professional (non-academic) staff paid?

Professional staff are paid against HEW (Higher Education Worker) Levels 1 to 10. Indicative ranges: HEW 4 around A$70,000, HEW 7 around A$95,000, HEW 9 around A$130,000-150,000, HEW 10 senior management A$150,000-220,000-plus. Each HEW level has incremental steps. Superannuation, leave loading, salary packaging through the not-for-profit education sector exemption, and access to UniSuper are standard.

Does UTS sponsor visas for international hires?

Yes, routinely for academic and senior professional roles where local Australian talent is unavailable. The most common pathways are the Temporary Skill Shortage visa (Subclass 482), the Employer Nomination Scheme (Subclass 186), and for distinguished academics the Global Talent visa (Subclass 858). UTS has a dedicated mobility team that handles the Standard Business Sponsor process; expect 6-12 weeks for visa grant once nomination lodges.

What is it like to work at the Sydney CBD campus?

The main UTS campus occupies several blocks in Ultimo and Broadway, two minutes' walk from Central Station and surrounded by the Tech Central precinct, the Powerhouse Museum, Darling Harbour and the southern edge of the Sydney CBD. The campus is well-served by trains, light rail, buses, and the Sydney Metro extension that opened in 2024. Lunch options, gym facilities, after-work culture, and proximity to industry partners (banks, consultancies, media organisations, technology firms) are excellent by Australian university standards. The trade-off is a dense, urban, vertical campus rather than a suburban green-field site.

What is the Frank Gehry building like as a workplace?

The Dr Chau Chak Wing Building, opened in 2014 and designed by Frank Gehry, houses the UTS Business School. Its sculpted brick eastern facade and undulating glass western facade have made it one of the most photographed pieces of contemporary architecture in Sydney. As a workplace it is unconventional, with curved walls, sculpted internal stairs and bespoke joinery; staff report it is striking and identity-defining but has the practical quirks of a signature architectural building, including some narrow circulation spaces and idiosyncratic office layouts. Faculty offices, teaching spaces and PhD areas are all housed inside.

What is the deal with sessional academic work at UTS?

Sessional academics (often called "casuals") deliver a meaningful share of undergraduate teaching at UTS, as at most Australian universities. The arrangement provides flexibility but has been the subject of sustained criticism from the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) and the Accord process around precarity, underpayment and limited career progression. UTS has been involved in sector-wide wage-recovery activity in recent years and is bound by reform commitments. Sessional work can be a legitimate entry path but should be entered with eyes open and with a clear plan to convert to ongoing teaching-and-research or teaching-focused roles where possible.

Does the National Tertiary Education Union represent UTS staff?

Yes. The NTEU represents both academic and general (professional) staff at UTS and is a party to the UTS Enterprise Agreement, which sets pay rates, leave entitlements, workload formulas and dispute procedures. Membership is voluntary. The Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) also organises among professional staff in some areas.

How significant is the UTS AI and data science research footprint?

Very significant by Australian standards. The Australian Artificial Intelligence Institute (AAII), based at UTS, is one of the country's largest concentrations of AI researchers, with depth across machine learning, computer vision, natural language processing, optimisation, and AI for health and social good. The Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology also runs nationally recognised programs in cybersecurity, software engineering and data science. Academic and research roles in these areas are competitive, and industry partnerships (with banks, telcos, consultancies and government) are central to how the work is funded and applied.

What is UTS College and how does it relate to the university?

UTS College, formerly UTS Insearch, is the university's pathway college for international students, providing English-language preparation, foundation programs and diplomas that articulate into UTS undergraduate degrees. UTS College operates as a separate entity but is wholly owned by UTS and shares brand, governance lineage and a campus presence in Ultimo. It runs its own recruitment for teaching, student-services, marketing and operational roles, advertised separately from the main UTS jobs portal.

How has the 2024 international student cap affected hiring?

The Albanese government's National Planning Level on international student commencements, introduced from 2024, materially constrained revenue across the Australian higher education sector. UTS, with one of the largest international student populations in Australia, has been particularly exposed and has had to manage budget pressure that affects discretionary hiring, although core academic and clinical recruitment continues. Vice-Chancellor Andrew Parfitt has spoken publicly about the cap's impact. Expect more disciplined hiring approvals and a sharper focus on revenue-aligned roles.

What entry-level pathways exist for new graduates?

UTS runs Graduate Programs in professional services areas (typically marketing, finance, HR, IT and student services), advertised through PageUp once or twice a year. The UTS internship and work-integrated learning programs, including the long-running co-op model in business and IT, place students with industry partners across the Sydney CBD; alumni of these programs are often well-placed to compete for entry-level UTS roles. For aspiring academics, the typical pathway is a research-aligned PhD followed by a postdoctoral research fellowship, often externally funded by the ARC DECRA scheme or NHMRC equivalents.

How does UTS compare to USyd, UNSW and Macquarie for working there?

USyd and UNSW (both Go8) tend to offer larger research budgets, deeper postgraduate cohorts and more historic prestige, but operate at greater scale and with more institutional process. Macquarie is suburban, integrated with a tech-park ecosystem and a private hospital. UTS sits distinctively as the technology-focused, design-forward, Sydney CBD university: younger institutional culture, direct industry adjacency, urban vertical campus, AAII-anchored AI strength, and an ATN identity that values applied and translational research. Compensation is broadly comparable across the four under sector-wide Enterprise Agreement norms.

What is the UTS approach to industry collaboration and innovation?

UTS's positioning around industry collaboration is not decorative; it shapes how research is funded, how teaching is designed and how staff are evaluated. UTS is a foundational tenant of the Tech Central precinct around Central Station, partners deeply with NSW Government, the CSIRO and major firms, and runs work-integrated learning across most undergraduate programs. The university is home to the Innovation and Entrepreneurship hub UTS Startups, which has supported hundreds of student-founded ventures. For staff, this translates into expectations around external engagement, joint grants and translational outcomes, particularly in business, engineering, IT and design faculties.

Key Takeaways

About UTS

Application Process

Resume Tips for UTS

Mirror the language of the Position Description and Selection Criteria; PageUp k

Use Australian English spelling (organisation, programme for academic programmes

For academic roles, structure a separate Research Statement and Teaching Stateme

Quote ARC, NHMRC, MRFF or international grant outcomes by scheme, year, role (CI

Cite teaching evaluation scores (the UTS Student Feedback Survey or equivalent),

For professional staff, calibrate seniority with the HEW (Higher Education Worke

Reference any prior experience at Australian universities, particularly ATN (Aus

Highlight commitment to UTS's strategic priorities visible on uts

Note any relevant union, professional association, or sector body membership (NT

Keep total length to two pages for professional roles and four to six pages for

ATS System: PageUp People

Interview Culture

What UTS Looks For

Frequently Asked Questions

Open Positions

Related Resources

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Sources