How to hire an academic department chairperson

How to hire an academic department chairperson, step by step

Here's a step-by-step academic department chairperson hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an academic department chairperson job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new academic department chairperson
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring an academic department chairperson, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   An academic department chairperson's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, academic department chairpeople from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list presents academic department chairperson salaries for various positions.

   Type of Academic Department Chairperson	Description	Hourly rate
   Academic Department Chairperson	Postsecondary education administrators oversee student services, academics, and faculty research at colleges and universities. Their job duties vary depending on the area of the college they manage, such as admissions, student life, or the office of the registrar.	$19-99
   New Member Educator	A New Member Educator is a person who prepares new members to uphold the standards and ideals of a fraternity and sorority and continually strives to improve it especially found in colleges and universities. These positions are; educating initiated and active members on how to support and mentor the younger members to become successful within an organization, recruit new members whose ideals match those of the organization, assist new members to navigate campus, and make use of campus resources.	$11-23
   Registrar	A registrar's role is to process and maintain accurate records within an institution or establishment. They are the main point of communication to obtain various kinds of information... Show more	$13-26

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • GPA
   • Curriculum Development
   • Academic Probation
   • Academic Programs
   • Scholarship
   • Executive Board
   • Academic Performance
   • Academic Affairs
   • Academic Plan
   • Academic Support
   • Oversight
   • Professional Development
   • Faculty Development
   • Academic Resource

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage and track individual sorority members monthly study hour requirements.
   • Review the individual GPA's of members in the previous semesters, and collaboratively and creatively dress concerns when need.
   • Provide leadership for all campus faculty to ensure curricula are current and consistently deliver to support enhance student outcomes.
   • Attend on and off campus meetings/events with other SGA members, the president and the board of trustees.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your academic department chairperson job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. An academic department chairperson can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, academic department chairpeople' average salary in arkansas is 48% less than in connecticut.
   • Seniority. Entry-level academic department chairpeople 81% less than senior-level academic department chairpeople.
   • Certifications. An academic department chairperson with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in an academic department chairperson's salary.

   Average academic department chairperson salary

   $91,601yearly

   $44.04 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level academic department chairperson salary

   $40,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

4. Writing an academic department chairperson job description

   An academic department chairperson job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of an academic department chairperson job description:

   Academic department chairperson job description example

   Academic Department Chairs are essential and significant members of the College leadership. They represent their faculty colleagues to the administration and the administration to their faculty. They speak for the department (or area) to the college community, serving as a channel of communication on course content, personnel, and budget matters. They encourage and foster excellence in scholarship, teaching, and professional and college service. They also provide crucial leadership in the pursuit of the College's commitment to diversity and inclusion.
   The posted role manages the Math Faculty.
   
   Must have experience in leadership roles managing people and Must have 3 years of College/University Instruction experience
   
   ACADEMIC PLANNING
   
   + Support the Assistant Dean, Associate Dean, or Dean in coordinating the development of a semester plan of course offerings based on the academic needs of students.
   
   + Utilize the Learning Management System (LMS) as a tool to deliver course content and maintain relevance and currency.
   
   + Partner with the Assistant Dean, Associate Dean, or Dean to review and revise course syllabi and instructional guidelines.
   
   + Act as subject matter expert for assigned subject areas.
   
   BUDGET
   
   + Participate in academic budget preparation and fiscal administration relating to curriculum development and coordination.
   
   DISTANCE EDUCATION/INSTRUCTION
   
   + Maintain a teaching load of 12-semester credits per academic year to remain current in subject matter expertise.
   
   + Exercise direct oversight of established teaching criteria and procedures, curriculum design, and operation of general education course offerings.
   
   + Maintain a diverse teaching methodology utilization to drive continuous quality improvement.
   
   ORIENTATION AND MENTORSHIP
   
   + Participate in the recruitment, selection, evaluation, and in-service training of general education faculty.
   
   + Deliver and evaluate teacher onboarding and teacher retention plans.
   
   + Provide direct mentorship of beginning teachers of general education courses.
   
   FACULTY MANAGEMENT
   
   + Determine teaching assignments, teacher supervision, and teacher evaluation schedules (course and annual).
   
   + Participate in faculty meetings or lead faculty meetings in the absence of the Assistant Dean, Associate Dean, or Dean.
   
   + Maintenance of the faculty file
   
   RETENTION
   
   + Monitor/track student retention using academic reports.
   
   + Implement data-driven student retention improvement strategies to achieve department benchmarks.
   
   STUDENT RELATIONS
   
   + Provide access to students for ongoing communication through scheduled office hours and appropriate communication methods (Email, teleconference, in-person)
   
   + Seek student feedback on matters of concern and exercise leadership to mediate conflicts with the expectation of resolution of issues at the department level.
   
   STRATEGIC PLANNING
   
   + Chair the curriculum review committee for general education course offerings to maintain high-quality instruction.
   
   + Participate in strategic rollout initiatives regarding instructional technology and curriculum improvements plans.
   
   + Use data-driven decision-making strategies to evaluate student outcome metrics and measure satisfactory academic progress.
   
   All other duties as assigned.
   
   + Master's degree required; Doctoral degree preferred
   
   + Meet the educational background requirements for a faculty appointment
   
   + 15 semester/22.5 quarter hours in general education math courses.
   
   + Minimum of 3 years experience teaching distance instruction
   
   + Demonstrated leadership in
   
   + Using educational methodology and current concepts relative to the area of subject matter expertise
   
   + General education content review and revision process
   
   + Mentoring faculty
   
   + Delivering feedback to students
   
   + Strong communication skills, both verbal and written
   
   + Working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite Products and online/virtual meeting platforms
   
   ID: 2022-4448
   
   External Company Name: Unitek Learning, Inc.
   
   External Company URL: www.uniteklearning.com
   
   Street: 1241W Warner Rd
   
   Telecommute: Yes

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find academic department chairpeople for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any academic department chairpeople they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level academic department chairpeople with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your academic department chairperson job on Zippia to find and recruit academic department chairperson candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as k12jobspot, learn4good, serious teachers, teachingjobs.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with academic department chairperson candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new academic department chairperson

   Once you've decided on a perfect academic department chairperson candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new academic department chairperson. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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