Associate Director, Faculty Affairs

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Posted Job Title

Associate Director, Faculty Affairs

Job Profile Title

Associate Director C, Academic Affairs, Faculty Affairs

Job Description Summary

The Associate Director, Faculty Affairs serves as a trusted advisor and operational leader within the Social Sciences division of the School of Arts and Sciences (SAS). Reporting to the Executive Director and working in close collaboration with the Faculty Affairs team, this role is the primary resource for the Associate Dean, faculty in administrative roles, and department, program, and center staff on all matters related to faculty appointments, promotions, leaves, searches, and tracking of compensation.

The Associate Director ensures that University and School policies are applied consistently and thoughtfully, supports the administration of faculty appointments at every stage of their career trajectory, and drives continuous improvement across Faculty Affairs processes and systems.

Job Description

The School of Arts and Sciences (SAS) is the academic foundation of the University of Pennsylvania, providing liberal arts education for all Penn undergraduates and supporting graduate studies and research across the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. The Dean of SAS provides broad leadership for the School's academic departments, education programs, research centers, and operations, working closely with ten associate/vice deans to oversee an organization with nearly 2,000 faculty and staff and 10,000 students.

Responsibilities:

The Associate Director is the primary expert resource for department chairs, program and center directors, staff, and faculty on all matters related to the administration of faculty appointments, reappointments, promotions, and leaves across the Social Sciences division. This includes managing the full dossier review process for tenure and promotion cases, overseeing Associated Faculty, Academic Support Staff, and postdoctoral appointments, advising on faculty search and waiver processes, and administering offer, retention, and retirement letters in compliance with School and University policies.

The Associate Director also serves as a knowledgeable resource on faculty benefits, FMLA, and related policies.

Operationally, the Associate Director leads Academic Unit functions in Workday, drives process improvements, ensures protocol compliance, and coordinates aspects of the annual faculty salary increase process. They maintain the faculty database as the School's official record and produce standard and ad hoc reports for the deans and University offices.

Throughout all of this work, the Associate Director develops and communicates policy guidance, recommends updates to procedures and documentation as School and University practices evolve, and maintains a range of web resources for faculty and administrators. This is a role for someone who takes ownership, builds trust with faculty and administrators alike, and brings both rigor and care to complex, high-stakes processes.

Qualifications:

Required

+ Bachelor's degree and 3 to 5 years of relevant/related experience in higher education administration or an equivalent combination of experience and education.

+ Demonstrated knowledge of faculty appointment, reappointment, and promotion processes.

+ Familiarity with and/or ability to learn to administer aspects of Workday, the University's system of record for academic appointments.

+ Experience interpreting and applying complex institutional policies and procedures.

+ Strong analytical skills with the ability to produce clear and accurate reports from databases and other…