Faculty Affairs Manager

The USC Viterbi School of Engineering welcomes applications for the position of Faculty Affairs Manager. Reporting directly to the Vice Dean for Faculty Affairs – and working in close partnership with the Vice Dean for Administration and Finance and associated administrative and financial units – the Faculty Affairs Manager oversees the academic life cycle for faculty members of the USC Viterbi School and manages day-to-day operations within the Faculty Affairs unit. 

This position supports the Vice Dean for Faculty Affairs in influencing and implementing School and University policies and practices related to various faculty matters, in coordination with the School’s departments, academic program units, and institutes—including but not limited to faculty recruitment and promotion, onboarding and orientation, mentoring and development, contracts and salary administration, record-keeping and special projects.

The Faculty Affairs Manager partners with Viterbi academic and administrative leadership to develop and maintain School policies, practices, procedures, and guidelines regarding faculty matters consistent with University policies; the position also contributes to developing and executing short- and long-term strategies for continuous improvement in Viterbi’s Faculty Affairs. The Faculty Affairs Manager additionally supports diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and fosters ongoing internal culture enhancements. 

Key responsibilities and accountabilities:

• Manages day-to-day Faculty Affairs activities, including faculty matters and systems to support related functions. Oversees the preparation and issuance of faculty contracts, dossiers, titles, and other official correspondences pertaining to faculty appointments, promotions, tenure, periodic reviews, sabbaticals, and other types of leaves.
• Hires, onboards, trains, and supervises two staff in Faculty Affairs (Senior Faculty Affairs Coordinator and Faculty Affairs Coordinator). Manages, advises, and coaches employees to ensure a high quality of work. Coordinates with staff in Faculty Awards (Faculty Awards Administrator and Faculty Awards Coordinator) and Academic Programs.
• Supports faculty recruitment and hiring best practices and processes. Develops and implements strategies for effective advertising and candidate outreach to ensure well-qualified and diverse applicant and interview pools. Collects and maintains data on faculty search pool diversity, advises on strategies for effective candidate assessment, and supports the School’s diversity and inclusion goals.
• Administers faculty compensation, including stipends and overloads. Documents faculty load profiles. Ensures faculty compensation aligns with teaching assignments and complies with legal and policy requirements for salaried and hourly faculty. Oversees annual salary process for faculty in Workday and distribution of contracts. Conducts salary benchmarking and facilitates salary coordination with Viterbi Business Affairs (e.g., financial and payroll functions).
• Administers faculty appointments, promotions and tenure, and mid-probationary review processes in accordance with the University Committee on Appointment, Promotion and Tenure (UCAPT) Manual and Viterbi School APT guidelines. Provides support for faculty mentoring, development, and recognition as well as for transitioning to retirement.
• Supports the Vice Dean for Faculty Affairs and academic leadership on matters related to faculty performance issues, conflicts and grievances, disciplinary actions, and non-reappointment processes. Coordinates involvement by appropriate faculty committees and University offices, as needed. Administers all faculty academic leaves including sabbaticals, fellowship, modification of duties (reduced effort), and other paid or unpaid leaves.   
• Coordinates with Viterbi Human Resources to facilitate prompt administration of visas, permanent resident applications, and labor certifications for faculty, as needed.
• Develops and implements Faculty Affairs-related policy guidelines in conjunction with School and University leadership. Ensures awareness of – and compliance with – faculty-related policies, practices, guidelines, processes, and procedures. Serves as a subject-matter expert on Faculty Affairs policies, practices, procedures, systems, and technology (e.g., Workday, Faculty Application Manager (FAM), Viterbi Information System (VIS)).
• Serves as the principal staff liaison with the Office of the Provost as well as with Viterbi’s academic units (department and program units) on all Faculty Affairs-related matters. Develops and maintains currency with all relevant faculty-related data, and communicates necessary information on faculty matters, as appropriate, including leading information and training sessions for Faculty Affairs-related staff in Viterbi’s academic units.
• Coordinates faculty service assignments, in conjunction with the cognizant dean(s) and committee chairs. Serves as the Dean’s Office staff liaison and support for School-level faculty committees, as needed, including the School’s APT Committee and the Engineering Faculty Council.
• Ensures maintenance of accurate files and records for all relevant documentation in University systems, including Workday and Laserfiche. Provides analysis of faculty data, as needed, to support decision-making and planning.
• Performs other related duties as assigned or requested, including special projects from the Dean or Vice Dean for Faculty Affairs. The University reserves the right to add or change duties at any time.

The Faculty Affairs Manager is expected to promote an environment that fosters inclusive relationships and creates unbiased opportunities for contributions through ideas, words, and actions that uphold civility and principles of the USC Code of Ethics.

About USC Viterbi School of Engineering

The USC Viterbi School employees over 310 full-time faculty, including approximately 190 tenured/tenure-track faculty and nearly 125 Research, Teaching, Practitioner, and Clinical-Track (RTPC) faculty; it also counts approximately 250 part-time or adjunct faculty.

The USC Viterbi School of Engineering is a pioneer in restoring sight to the blind; restoring memory to sufferers of Alzheimer’s; and creating socially assistive robots to aid seniors with stroke or children with autism. It is the home of the first operational quantum computing center in academia. Our alumni include Neil Armstrong, first human on the moon; A.C. Mike Markkula, co-founder of Apple; and Wanda Austin, former CEO of the Aerospace Corporation.

The USC Viterbi School is consistently ranked in the top 10-12 graduate programs (U.S. News and World Report). Under the leadership of Dean Yannis C. Yortsos, the School helped to re-imagine the 21st century engineer, pioneering the Grand Challenge Scholars Program in engineering schools across the globe. Our mission is to serve California, the nation, and the world. At USC Viterbi, we call this the enabling power of Engineering+.

The USC Viterbi School is committed to increasing diversity of its staff and welcomes applications from women, African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, veterans, and individuals with disabilities.

The ideal candidate will have

• Outstanding communication skills and keen attention to detail.
• Commitment to USC’s core values of integrity, excellence, diversity, equity and inclusion, open communication and accountability.   
• Experience with Workday, mastery (or ability to master) faculty management and support systems, and knowledge of USC’s faculty policies and practices. 
• Broad-based experience in a range of employment support services for academic personnel.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office tools, including Word, Excel and PowerPoint, and other tools for data gathering, communication, and information sharing. 
• Capacity to manage high volume of tasks simultaneously, within tight deadlines.

Preferred Qualifications

• Preferred Education: Master’s Degree or other advanced degree. 
• Preferred Experience: 10 years’ experience working in an administrative capacity with faculty in an academic culture. 

In order to be considered, all candidates must:

• Complete the online application
• Attach a Résumé
• Attach a Cover Letter addressing your specific qualifications for this position

Your application will not be considered complete without these items.

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