Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Associate Professor

🎯 Role Definition

We are seeking an accomplished Associate Professor to join our academic faculty. The ideal candidate will demonstrate a consistent record of high-quality teaching, sustained research and scholarship, successful external funding and grant administration, effective student mentorship, and meaningful service to the department, university and profession. This position supports both undergraduate and graduate programs, contributes to curriculum development and assessment, and partners across disciplines and with external stakeholders to advance institutional goals.

Keywords: associate professor job description, tenure-track, teaching, research funding, grant writing, curriculum development, student supervision, academic service, publication record.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Assistant Professor (tenure-track or non-tenure-track)
Postdoctoral Researcher / Senior Research Fellow with teaching experience
Senior Research Scientist or Industry Researcher transitioning to academia

Advancement To:

Full Professor (Professor)
Department Chair or Program Director
Associate Dean / Dean of Faculty / Research Director

Lateral Moves:

Research Scientist / Principal Investigator in a university research center
Director of Graduate Studies or Undergraduate Program Coordinator
Faculty Fellow, Visiting Senior Faculty at peer institutions

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Develop, deliver, and continuously improve undergraduate and graduate courses, including creation of detailed syllabi, learning objectives, assessments, and inclusive pedagogical materials aligned with departmental and accreditation standards.
Maintain an active, externally visible research program that produces peer‑reviewed publications, conference presentations, books or monographs, and demonstrable impact in the field.
Secure external research funding by writing competitive grant proposals to federal agencies, foundations, and industry partners; manage awarded grants, budgets, compliance, and reporting requirements.
Supervise, mentor, and evaluate graduate students (Master’s and PhD), postdoctoral researchers, and undergraduate research assistants, ensuring timely progress to degree and professional development.
Advise and mentor undergraduate students on academic planning, career development, internships, and research opportunities; maintain accessible office hours and proactive advising practices.
Contribute to department-level curriculum design, program assessment and continuous improvement initiatives, including leading course revision, integrating learning outcomes, and ensuring alignment with institutional objectives.
Serve on departmental, college and university committees (e.g., hiring, tenure and promotion, curriculum, graduate admissions), participating in shared governance and strategic planning activities.
Demonstrate leadership in pedagogy by adopting evidence-based teaching practices, supervising teaching assistants, conducting peer reviews of instruction, and mentoring junior faculty in teaching.
Collaborate across disciplines to develop interdisciplinary courses, research initiatives, grant proposals, and centers that expand the university’s academic portfolio and external partnerships.
Engage with industry, government, and community partners to translate research into practice, develop internships and co-op programs, and create opportunities for student experiential learning.
Lead initiatives to recruit, retain, and support diverse students and faculty, including developing inclusive curricula, equitable assessment methods, and outreach activities to underrepresented groups.
Conduct and oversee program accreditation and assessment activities, preparing required documentation and responding to external review processes to maintain program quality and compliance.
Manage laboratory or research group operations, including procurement, safety compliance, budgeting, space allocation, equipment maintenance, and supervision of technical staff where applicable.
Publish high-quality scholarship in top-tier peer-reviewed journals and present findings at national and international conferences to maintain a competitive scholarly profile.
Participate in peer review activities for journals and funding agencies, review manuscripts, and serve on editorial boards to contribute to the scholarly community.
Initiate and lead public scholarship, outreach, and community engagement activities that disseminate research findings to non-academic audiences and enhance institutional reputation.
Develop and implement online, hybrid, and blended course offerings leveraging learning management systems (Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle) and best practices for distance education.
Maintain an ethical research environment by following institutional review board (IRB) processes, ensuring human subjects protections, data privacy, and research integrity.
Mentor junior faculty on grant writing, tenure preparation, publication strategies, and career development, including serving as a junior-faculty mentor or internal reviewer for tenure dossiers.
Participate in faculty recruitment by drafting job descriptions, screening applicants, conducting interviews, and contributing to candidate selection and onboarding processes.
Drive curricular innovation by integrating new technologies, experiential learning, service learning, and competency-based assessments that meet evolving industry and societal needs.
Prepare and present annual activity reports, tenure and promotion materials, and documentation of teaching, research, and service accomplishments to department chairs and promotion committees.
Oversee student thesis and dissertation defenses, chairing committees where appropriate and ensuring compliance with university deadlines and formatting requirements.
Foster a collegial and collaborative departmental culture by resolving conflicts, coordinating shared resources, and contributing to strategic departmental initiatives.
Advocate for departmental and institutional resources by developing budget proposals, identifying philanthropic and industry funding opportunities, and supporting alumni relations and fundraising efforts.

Secondary Functions

Support departmental recruiting efforts by attending graduate fairs, developing recruitment materials, and participating in outreach events.
Contribute to university-wide strategic initiatives such as digital learning transformation, sustainability programs, or diversity, equity and inclusion action plans.
Participate in professional development activities to enhance teaching, research, and leadership skills; pursue certifications in online instruction or pedagogy as needed.
Assist with the development, maintenance, and public dissemination of program brochures, websites, and marketing materials that describe academic programs and research strengths.
Provide expertise for institutional assessment teams, accreditation visits and external review panels; prepare self-study materials and coordinate stakeholder interviews.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Proven grant-writing and research-funding skills, with a track record of submitted and awarded external grants to public and private sponsors.
Advanced research methodology abilities relevant to the discipline (qualitative, quantitative, mixed-methods, experimental design, econometrics, statistical modeling).
Strong publication record and demonstrated proficiency in peer-reviewed scholarly writing and dissemination.
Curriculum development and academic program design, including learning outcomes, accreditation standards, and assessment metrics.
Experience with supervision and mentorship of PhD, MA, and undergraduate research projects; familiarity with thesis/dissertation committee processes.
Proficiency in statistical and data-analysis software and tools relevant to the field (R, Python, SPSS, Stata, MATLAB, NVivo, SAS, etc.).
Experience managing research laboratories or research groups, including budgeting, safety compliance, purchasing, and staff oversight.
Skilled use of Learning Management Systems (Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle) and online pedagogical tools (Zoom, Panopto, Poll Everywhere, lecture-capture).
Knowledge of IRB processes, research ethics, data management plans, and compliance regulations (human subjects, animal care, biosafety where applicable).
Strong grant and contract administration experience, including fiscal stewardship, reporting, and subcontract management.
Familiarity with academic assessment software and institutional research practices for program evaluation and accreditation.
Demonstrated ability to translate academic research into applied outcomes: patents, industry partnerships, policy briefs, or community programs.

Soft Skills

Excellent written and verbal communication skills tailored to students, academic peers, funders, and community stakeholders.
Leadership and team-building capabilities to lead research teams, committees, and cross-disciplinary initiatives.
Mentoring and coaching aptitude with a demonstrated commitment to student success and faculty development.
Strategic thinking and goal orientation, including planning multi‑year research agendas and aligning teaching with institutional priorities.
Strong organizational, project management, and time-management skills to balance research, teaching, and service obligations.
Cultural competence and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in teaching, mentoring, hiring, and scholarship.
Networking and relationship-building skills for external partnerships, alumni engagement, and collaborative research.
Problem-solving and conflict-resolution skills applicable to departmental governance and academic negotiations.
Adaptability and openness to pedagogical innovation, technology adoption, and changing higher-education environments.
Persuasive presentation and public speaking skills for lectures, conference plenaries, fundraising, and community outreach.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

PhD, DPhil or equivalent terminal degree in the discipline or a closely related field from an accredited institution.

Preferred Education:

PhD or terminal degree plus postdoctoral experience, advanced professional certifications, or significant industry research experience.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Discipline-specific fields (e.g., Biology, Chemistry, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, Economics, Education, History, Psychology)
Interdisciplinary areas (e.g., Data Science, Environmental Studies, Public Policy, Biomedical Engineering)
Methodology-focused fields (e.g., Statistics, Applied Mathematics, Quantitative Methods)

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

5–12 years of postdoctoral and/or faculty experience, including prior Assistant Professor or equivalent academic position; track record of sustained research productivity.

Preferred:

Demonstrated success in securing external funding, supervising graduate students to completion, leadership roles in academic programs, and significant peer-reviewed publications.

If you would like, I can tailor this description to a specific discipline (e.g., Associate Professor — Computer Science or Biology) or to a particular type of institution (R1 research university, liberal arts college, or teaching-focused institution).