Apply & Negotiate - Your Expertise Matters

The appointment commission is composed of individuals from all status groups with voting and advisory rights. Following consultation with the Rectorate, the Faculty Board typically composes the appointment committee of

• five professors
•  two academic staff members
•  two students and
•  one member from the group of administrative and technical staff (without voting rights).

In addition, the Appointments Officer, the Equal Opportunities Officer of the Faculty (or central academic units with appointment rights) and the Representative of Employees with Disabilities accompany the work of the appointments committee. 

The appointment commissionis responsible for the selection procedure and draws up a well-founded appointment proposal within nine months of the end of the advertisement. 

The multi-stage selection process typically consists of four stages.

• review of application documents
• personal introduction, usually including
  • academic presentation open to the university public with subsequent discussion
  • non-public interview with the appointment committee
  • optionally, a teaching sample open to the university public or additional steps such as the submission of further documents or publication
• external review
  • standard procedure: at least two comparative written external reviews or
  • fast-track procedure: external reviewers attend the interview and provide their assessments directly
• appointment proposal

The selection is based on the criteria set out in the call of applications

With a clear focus on quality and objectivity, the committee prepares a detailed proposal that includes a ranked shortlist of selected candidates along with comprehensive justifications. This recommendation is submitted to both the Rector and the Faculty Board for final decision-making. The formal offer of appointment (“Ruf”) is extended by the Rector, or- in the case of joint appointments - by the respective State Minister of Saxony.

You will receive regular updates on the status of your application from the appointment committee.

Following the formal offer of appointment (Ruf) by the Rector, we kindly ask you to submit a set of documents required for preparing the appointment negotiations. While you are granted a period of consideration to decide whether you wish to enter into negotiations with TU Dresden, we will begin coordinating a suitable date for the appointment meeting.

As a rule, documents relevant to the appointment process (such as the offer letter, appointment offer) will be sent to you both via email and in parallel by postal mail. For reasons of confidentiality, we kindly request that you provide a personal mailing address for postal delivery.

Documents requested in preparation for the appointment negotiations:

• Teaching and research concept including you specific requests for staff, resources and  space:  This concept supports our efficient preparation of the negotiation meeting and enables us to explore possible alternative offers - for instance, in personnel allocation or shared use of existing technical infrastructure. The more clearly and precisely you outline your needs regarding technology, specialized software, or specific space requirements, the more productive and focused our discussion can be.
• personal remuneration:  Please note that the basic salary and respective step allocation are not subject to negotiation. Only performance-based components (variable salary supplements) may be negotiated.
• most recent salary or remuneration statement (copy)
• completed personnel information form: This is used to determine your personal circumstances and the appropriate level of basic salary.
• updated curriculum vitae: As several months may pass between your application and the appointment negotiations, we would appreciate an updated CV to reflect any significant changes.
• dual career considerations: Depending on your individual circumstances, our Dual Career Service is happy to support you with topics related to career, family, and housing.
• For tenure-track chairs only : Your proposed criteria for tenure-evaluation - in consultation with the faculty - in the categories of research, academic teaching, knowledge transfer and academic self-administration.

During the appointment negotiation, you will be welcomed by the following participants:

• the Rector, Professor Dr. Ursula M. Staudinger,

• the Chancellor, Mr. Jan Gerken, Dipl.-Ök.,

• the Dean of the faculty to which the appointment is intended, and

• a member of the appointments team, who will document the conversation.

The discussion is divided into two parts. The first focuses on the resources and infrastructure of the professorship. Immediately thereafter, the conversation continues -without the Dean present -with matters related to your personal remuneration.

Approximately one and a half weeks after the meeting, you will receive the outcome in the form of a formal written offer. If you have questions about the offer or feel that additions or adjustments are necessary, please contact the appointments team. They will initiate the required follow-up steps and coordinate any further clarifications so that we can respond to you promptly.

If you agree to the terms outlined in the offer - concerning the resources, personal remunerations, and any additional provisions - please confirm your acceptance of the call for appointment (Ruf) and the appointment offer in a brief informal letter addressed to the Rector. A scanned copy submitted via email to the appointments team is sufficient.

Base salaries for professors in pay grades W2 and W3 are determined by steps (Stufen) in accordance with Section 33(3) of the Saxon Remuneration Act (SächsBesG).
You can find the current salary tables hier.

• Notes on salary steps

Base salary increases in five-year intervals based on accumulated experience in a professorial role, up to the final salary step. TU Dresden determines the appropriate step classification in accordance with Section 33(4) SächsBesG.

When making a new appointment within the Free State of Saxony, the following professional experience periods (“Ist-Zeiten”) must be recognized—provided they do not include time spent in professional qualification programs:

• Full-time employment as a professor at a German university, or in a comparable role at a university abroad.

• Full-time service in senior leadership positions at a German university.

• Service in a temporary professorial role (e.g., acting, adjunct, or honorary professor) at a German university, or full-time scientific employment at a non-university research institution, provided the role is equivalent to that of a professor.

In addition, comparable leadership roles at universities abroad or in relevant positions outside academia may be recognized (“Kann-Zeiten”), if they are deemed relevant to the position.

Professional experience in the private sector or prior to the interim evaluation phase of a junior professorship is generally not considered as qualifying service time.

Recognized service time is used to determine the applicable salary step, with a new step granted for every five years of qualifying experience. Any remaining time that does not yet reach a full step is carried forward and applied toward the next step increase.

• variable performance-based compensation

In accordance with Section 34 of the SächsBesG, professors in pay grades W2 and W3 may receive variable performance-based supplements, including:

• recruitment premiums,
• special performance-related premiums, and
• function-related premiums.

These supplements are awarded in accordance with the Saxon University Performance Pay Regulation (as published in the Saxon Gazette of Laws and Ordinances, last amended June 4, 2024), together with TU Dresden’s own regulations governing the awarding of performance-based pay and research and teaching allowances (dated July 31, 2008).

• pensionability of performance-related premiums

Permanent recruitment premiums and special performance-related premiums may be designated as pensionable - up to 30% of the final base salary. This requires an official designation by the University Executive Board of TU Dresden.

• pension information

Section 70 of the Saxon Civil Servants’ Pension Act (SächsBeamtVG) grants a legal right to receive a written pension estimate. This may be requested every three years, or whenever there is a significant change in personal or legal circumstances.

For individuals who are not yet civil servants of the Free State of Saxony, it is possible to apply for recognition of prior service periods under Section 62 SächsBeamtVG through the Saxon State Office for Taxes and Finances (LSF).

Please note that both processes typically require several weeks for processing. We strongly recommend that you contact the Directorate 2, Unit 2.1, in advance for support and guidance.

Once you have accepted the offer of appointment (Ruf) and the negotiation process has concluded successfully, the administrative preparations for your onboarding begin. This step involves submitting a number of documents required for the formal appointment and nomination. At this stage, colleagues from the Directorate 2  (Unit 2.1 – Professors/Higer Education Lecturerers/Civil Servants) will contact you to guide you through the necessary procedures.

The official appointment as professor and your nomination to civil servant status will typically take place shortly before your start date in a personal meeting with the Rector. You will receive a separate invitation from the Directorate 2 in due course.

To ensure a smooth and timely onboarding, we kindly ask you to submit the following documents at least eight weeks prior to your official start date:

• Birth certificate

• Proof of citizenship

• Educational certificates: diploma from secondary school qualifying for university admission, degree certificates, and any additional qualifications relevant to the professorship, especially doctoral and postdoctoral degrees (with certified translations, if applicable)

• recent certificate of good conduct (issued within the last 3 months)

• medical certificate of good health (issued within the last 6 months)

• copies of any previous official appointment letters, if applicable

• declaration of allegiance to the democratic constitutional order

• statement of financial circumstances

• academic CV and career history form

Documents listed under items 1–3 must be presented in original form in person to the Directorate 2. All other documents (with the exception of item 6) must be submitted as originals by mail.

To ensure the accurate issuance of your official appointment documents, please carefully observe the relevant regulations and guidelines of the Free State of Saxony regarding academic titles and official documentation.

• Faculty of Medicine Carl Gustav Carus

In appointment procedures within the Faculty of Medicine, the formal offer of appointment (Ruf) is issued by the Rector. Subsequent appointment negotiations are led by the Dean. In cases involving responsibilities in clinical care, the negotiations are conducted jointly with the University Hospital Executive Board (UKD). The administrative processing of the appointment and official nomination is handled by the Human Resources Division of the University Hospital.

• Joint Appointments

In the case of joint appointments between TU Dresden and non-university research institutions, the entire process—including the offer of appointment, negotiations, and administrative appointment procedure - is managed directly by the Saxon State Ministry for Science, Culture and Tourism.
Nonetheless, we strongly encourage you to get in touch with your faculty to coordinate the details of your involvement in research and teaching. The Rector will also invite you to a personal introductory meeting.

 Sächsisches Hochschulgesetz 

Berufungsordnung der TU Dresden (English version here)

Tenure-Track-Ordnung der TU Dresden (English version here)  

Information from the Saxon State Office for Taxes and Finances (Sächsisches Landesamt für Steuern und Finanzen, only availabe in German language):

• personal remuneration
• pension and retirement benefits
• health and medical allowances 
• family-related benefits and supplements