How to hire an assistant dean

How to hire an assistant dean, step by step

Here's a step-by-step assistant dean hiring guide:

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

What does an assistant dean do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the assistant dean you need to hire. Certain assistant dean roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   An assistant dean's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, assistant deans 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 assistant dean salaries for various positions.

   Type of Assistant Dean	Description	Hourly rate
   Assistant Dean	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.	$22-71
   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
   Co-Chair	A co-chair is responsible for supporting the duties and responsibilities under the supervision of a chair. Co-chairs help with the implementation of effective plans and programs that would benefit the organization... Show more	$10-167

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Oversight
   • Alumni
   • Professional Development
   • Academic Affairs
   • Human Resources
   • Colleges
   • Scholarship
   • Strategic Plan
   • Financial Aid
   • Curriculum Development
   • Student Services
   • Academic Programs
   • Educational Programs
   • Program Development

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Oversee student activities by providing leadership and oversight to student lead organizations.
   • Provide oversight and ensure risks and contractual obligations are managed for student programs.
   • Produce, manage and evaluate all budgetary and programmatic aspects of a comprehensive career service program for students and alumni.
   • Implement new strategies for discipline, including restorative justice, PBIS and RtI models, and progressive discipline.
   • Obtain many certificates for trainings, including CPR and CPI.
   • Plan and instruct intervention groups for reading and mathematics for 4thgrade.

   More assistant dean duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your assistant dean job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. An assistant dean salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, assistant deans' average salary in arkansas is 54% less than in new york.
   • Seniority. Entry-level assistant deans earn 69% less than senior-level assistant deans.
   • Certifications. An assistant dean with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in an assistant dean's salary.

   Average assistant dean salary

   $83,688yearly

   $40.23 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level assistant dean salary

   $46,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 18, 2025

   Average assistant dean salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$101,363	$49
   2	California	$99,486	$48
   3	District of Columbia	$97,993	$47
   4	Maryland	$94,528	$45
   5	Oregon	$89,114	$43
   6	Ohio	$86,845	$42
   7	New Jersey	$84,823	$41
   8	Massachusetts	$84,121	$40
   9	Illinois	$81,431	$39
   10	Pennsylvania	$80,329	$39
   11	Connecticut	$79,357	$38
   12	Virginia	$72,050	$35
   13	Texas	$69,832	$34
   14	Wisconsin	$69,531	$33
   15	Florida	$66,006	$32
   16	Minnesota	$64,746	$31
   17	North Carolina	$64,624	$31
   18	Utah	$55,330	$27
   19	Missouri	$54,546	$26
   20	Tennessee	$52,407	$25

   Average assistant dean salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Kaiser Permanente	$144,585	$69.51
   2	Oregon Health & Science University	$124,891	$60.04
   3	University of Maryland, Baltimore	$120,996	$58.17	5
   4	University of Massachusetts Medical School	$120,871	$58.11
   5	Providence College	$120,249	$57.81
   6	Harvard University	$118,661	$57.05
   7	The University of Kansas Health System	$118,345	$56.90
   8	University of California	$113,627	$54.63
   9	Duke University Health System	$113,466	$54.55	1
   10	Georgetown University	$112,307	$53.99	1
   11	St. Jude Children's Research Hospital	$111,490	$53.60	1
   12	Tufts University	$108,539	$52.18	1
   13	Boston College	$108,129	$51.99	2
   14	University of Southern California	$107,727	$51.79	1
   15	Loyola Marymount University	$107,544	$51.70	1
   16	Santa Clara University	$105,130	$50.54	3
   17	Cornell University	$105,059	$50.51	16
   18	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	$103,615	$49.81	1
   19	Rutgers University	$102,998	$49.52	7
   20	Princeton University	$102,775	$49.41	2

4. Writing an assistant dean job description

   An assistant dean 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. Below, you can find an example of an assistant dean job description:

   Assistant dean job description example

   Baylor Law School seeks a motivated, experienced candidate with excellent teaching and collaborative skills to lead our Academic Success Program. The ideal candidate will be a creative, organized, compassionate leader who is eager to engage extensively with students from matriculation through their admission into the bar.
   
   This position is a full-time faculty, non-tenure-track lecturer position. The successful candidate should be available to start ideally no later than January 1, 2023, but the start date is negotiable.
   
   The selected individual will have the opportunity to lead in further significant development of Baylor Laws formal program for academic support. The Director will work closely with members of the Law School leadership, staff, and faculty to envision, design, manage, and implement programming to support the schools educational, training, and professional development goals for its students. The Director will draw on experience, research, and national best practices to develop and coordinate programming to support teaching and learning at Baylor Law.
   Core Responsibilities:
   In collaboration with the faculty, develop, and implement cohesive and comprehensive programming to help transition students into the law school learning environment and to promote their academic success through graduation and bar exam passage. Research and implement the most current best practices for fostering academic success skills and bar exam success. Develop data-driven mechanisms for evaluating the academic success of students and program goals. Regularly review Baylor Laws academic and bar support program and make recommendations to the faculty to enhance the educational experience for students. Teach in the Academic Success Program. Attend and participate in faculty meetings as requested. Serve on faculty and staff committees that seek to advance the goals of Baylor Law and the Academic Success Program. Supervise academic support staff.
   The University
   
   Baylor University is a private Christian university located in Waco, Texas. It is the oldest college in Texas. With a population of around 21,000 students, Baylor is one of the top universities in the nation, having just been named an R1 institution by the Carnegie Classification in 2022. Baylor is also on the honor roll of the "Great Colleges to Work For" from The Chronicle of Higher Education , Baylor offers competitive salaries and benefits while giving faculty and staff the chance to live in one of the fastest-growing parts of the state. Our strategic plan, Illuminate, guides the University as we continue to live up to Baylor's mission of educating men and women for worldwide leadership and service by integrating academic excellence and Christian commitment within a caring community.
   
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   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right assistant dean for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your assistant dean job on Zippia to find and attract quality assistant dean candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as k12jobspot, learn4good, serious teachers, teachingjobs.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit assistant deans, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   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 assistant dean

   Once you've decided on a perfect assistant dean 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.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new assistant dean first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

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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