Hiring Administrative Appointments

Academic Staff

Academic administrative appointments encompass roles such as Department Heads, Associate Deans, Academic Program Directors, and similar positions. These appointments are to be offered for a specified term of up to five-years, and the incumbent must either hold a rank position (Limited Term, Contingent Term, Tenure-track or With Tenure) a clinical role (CSM specific), or be offered a rank position starting concurrently with this secondary role.

In some cases, academic staff may receive an administrative appointment in a different faculty or unit, referred to as an internal secondment. These appointments allow academic staff to contribute to institutional leadership while maintaining their primary academic responsibilities.

Positions not classified as academic administrative appointments include roles such as Chairs, Vice-Deans, Deans, or other members of the Senior Leadership Team.

Hire Process

The Dean or equivalent negotiates with the candidate, and a verbal agreement is reached. For internal secondments, the Dean or equivalent from both the primary and secondary faculties or units collaborate to negotiate the terms of the secondment agreement. The formal advertising (posting) process is not required for academic administrative appointments. 

The Job Opening Request form is utilized to create or update position details, secure necessary hiring approvals, validate funding or budget when applicable, and gather all required information for posting a job, if needed.

A JOR is required for administrative appointments in the following scenarios: 

  • Hiring a new appointment which requires the creation of a position number,
  • Hiring into an existing appointment where a position number did not previously exist (new position number needs to be created),
  • Hiring into an existing position where the appointment information has significantly changed (see FAQ below),
  • Hiring into an existing appointment that needs to be posted to the Careers website.

Refer to Submit a Job Opening Request for an Academic Administrative Appointment for detailed information and step-by-step instructions on completing the process.

The Recommendation for Administrative Appointment (Academic), previously known as the ‘AE4H and AE4R,’ must be completed by the faculty/unit to recommend an administrative appointment to the Provost. This form is prepared using information provided by the hiring manager. A reference guide has been developed to assist in completing the Recommendation Form.

Additionally, a Job Description for the administrative appointment must be submitted, detailing the specific responsibilities and terms of the role.

After completing the Recommendation form, it should be submitted along with the job description to hracadem@ucalgary.ca. People and Culture will review the submission and forward it to the Provost’s Office for final approval.

Admin Appointment Form Reference Guide

Frequently Asked Questions

Learn more about Academic Administrative Appointments 

All administrative appointments (including internal secondments) require a position number. A new position number is required in the following scenarios:

  • Hiring a new appointment where a position number does not exist,
  • Hiring into an existing administrative appointment where a position number did not previously exist,
  • Where an administrative role is shared among two or more staff members, each individual must have their own unique position number; a single position number cannot be shared. To create additional position numbers, a JOR submission is required. Before submitting a JOR, please reach out to hracadem@ucalgary.ca to confirm the feasibility of shared administrative roles.
  • In cases where an appointment is being recommended for short-term coverage of another staff member holding an administrative appointment, contact hracadem@ucalgary.ca. 

Most position updates can be made at the time of hire by submitting the Recommendation for Administrative Appointment (Academic) form:

  • Title updates such as ‘Acting’ or ‘Interim’, or minor adjustments to titles that do not constitute significant changes,
  • Reports to manager change,
  • Department ID change,
  • FTE or teaching release change.

For substantial changes to an administrative appointment and its associated position number, such as a job code update or significant changes to roles and responsibilities, a Job Opening Request should be submitted to create a new position number and secure the required approvals.

Note: The Dean or equivalent must consult with the Provost before creating and recommending new academic administrative appointments for the Faculty or unit.

Where an appointment has already been hired, a Job Change Request should be submitted to update the position (Coming Soon). Please connect with hracadem@ucalgary.ca.

An academic staff member may hold multiple administrative appointments, provided the total combined fractional time commitment to administration (FTE) does not exceed 1.0 FTE.

The following sections should be included in the job description. It may be helpful to review job descriptions previously created in the faculty or unit for the same or similar roles.

Position Information: 

  • Job Title
  • Faculty/Department description
  • FTE
  • Teaching release (if applicable)

Nature of Work: 

  • Identify the business title of the person to whom this position reports,
  • Include the number and types of positions that directly report to it,
  • Identify any key contacts this position works with,
  • Areas of impact (e.g. Department, Faculty, campus wide).

Primary Purpose:

  • In approximately two to five sentences, summarize the main function of the position and the key activities to describe the purpose. This brief descriptor should give a high-level overview of the position and should not describe the function or purpose of the business unit or department. 

    Questions to assist you: 

    • What is the main purpose or function of the position?
    • What does this position set out to accomplish?

Accountabilities, Tasks, Duties:

  • List the specific, regular, and ongoing accountabilities and responsibilities that make up the core functions of the role.

Refer to 3. c) on page 2 of the Recommendation for Administrative Appointment (Academic) form. Faculties have discretion to determine the fractional time commitment for academic administration based on the responsibilities of the administrative role. This can vary between faculties and units.

For assistance with administrative FTE, contact hracadem@ucalgary.ca.