Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Dean of Faculty

🎯 Role Definition

The Dean of Faculty is a senior academic leader responsible for the strategic direction, operational management, and academic quality of the faculty body and its programs. This role drives faculty recruitment and retention, shapes curriculum and pedagogy, ensures compliance with accreditation and academic policy, promotes faculty development and research, manages budgets and resources, and partners with institutional leaders to advance student success, equity, and institutional reputation. The Dean of Faculty serves as a visible champion of academic excellence and shared governance, representing faculty interests across the institution and in external partnerships.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Department Chair or Head with sustained leadership experience in curriculum and faculty management.
Associate Dean or Assistant Dean with responsibility for academic programs, faculty development, or research administration.
Senior tenured faculty member with a strong record of scholarship, service, and leadership in shared governance.

Advancement To:

Provost / Chief Academic Officer
Vice President for Academic Affairs
College/University President

Lateral Moves:

Director of Academic Affairs or Director of Faculty Development
Director of Institutional Effectiveness or Accreditation Liaison

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Provide strategic academic leadership as Dean of Faculty by developing and implementing a multi-year academic plan that aligns faculty priorities, program growth, and institutional mission to improve student outcomes, research productivity, and community engagement.
Lead faculty recruitment, hiring, and onboarding processes, implementing proactive diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) strategies to attract a diverse and highly qualified professoriate across tenure-track, clinical, and adjunct positions.
Oversee tenure and promotion processes, including establishing clear criteria, managing dossier review timelines, coordinating external evaluations, and ensuring transparency and fairness in decision-making.
Manage academic budgeting and resource allocation for faculty lines, professional development funds, and program support; partner with finance to model faculty staffing scenarios and prioritize investments that drive student retention and graduation.
Design and administer faculty workload policies, balancing teaching, research, service, and administrative responsibilities while ensuring equitable distribution and compliance with collective bargaining agreements where applicable.
Direct curriculum review and program development initiatives, working with department chairs and curriculum committees to approve new programs, revise existing curricula, ensure alignment with learning outcomes, and respond to labor market needs.
Ensure institutional and programmatic accreditation compliance by coordinating data collection, assessment reporting, site visits, and corrective action plans with accrediting bodies (regional, disciplinary, and professional accreditors).
Create and scale faculty development programs including mentoring for junior faculty, teaching excellence workshops, research support services, grant writing assistance, and leadership development pathways to build institutional capacity.
Chair or facilitate faculty governance meetings, serve as a primary liaison between faculty and senior leadership, and foster a culture of shared governance, transparency, and collaborative decision-making.
Establish and monitor metrics for faculty performance and program quality—such as teaching evaluations, research output, grant activity, student learning milestones, and retention rates—using data to inform resource decisions and continuous improvement.
Oversee faculty performance evaluation and feedback cycles, ensuring timely annual reviews, professional growth plans, remediation processes, and recognition programs for outstanding teaching, research, and service.
Lead conflict resolution and faculty relations by mediating disputes, managing grievances, and partnering with HR and legal services to ensure fair, consistent, and legally compliant outcomes.
Promote and support faculty research, scholarship, and creative activity by facilitating internal seed funding, matching faculty to external funding opportunities, and building research collaborations across departments and institutions.
Build partnerships with external stakeholders—including industry, community organizations, K–12 systems, and alumni—to enhance experiential learning, internships, adjunct practitioner involvement, and philanthropic support for faculty initiatives.
Drive equity-minded hiring, retention, and promotion strategies that address systemic barriers, improve representation in senior ranks, and advance inclusive pedagogy and scholarship across the faculty.
Oversee adjunct and contingent faculty management, including hiring practices, orientation, evaluation, and integration into the academic community to maintain instructional quality and consistency across courses.
Develop succession planning for academic leadership positions by identifying talent, supporting leadership development, and creating clear career pathways for department chairs and emerging faculty leaders.
Coordinate academic scheduling, classroom and workload assignments, and resource planning to optimize course delivery, reduce bottlenecks, and support innovative modalities such as online, hybrid, and experiential formats.
Ensure compliance with federal, state, and institutional policies governing faculty employment, intellectual property, export controls, Title IX, ADA accommodations, and research ethics, partnering with compliance offices as needed.
Lead fundraising and development efforts tied to faculty priorities—securing endowed chairs, research centers, and professional development funds by working with advancement to cultivate donors and prepare proposals.
Serve as an institutional spokesperson for academic quality and faculty success, representing the faculty on external panels, accreditation teams, advisory boards, and at public events to elevate the college/university profile.

Secondary Functions

Collaborate with institutional research and assessment teams to design and interpret program-level assessment data, accreditation evidence, and learning outcomes metrics that inform faculty development and curricular improvement.
Support interdisciplinary program development by convening faculty across departments to design joint degrees, certificates, and cross-listed courses that respond to student demand and employer needs.
Facilitate onboarding and orientation for new faculty and academic leaders, ensuring familiarity with institutional policies, teaching expectations, assessment systems, and available support services.
Advise the provost and senior leadership on faculty staffing models, retirement planning, and strategic reallocation of academic resources to support enrollment management goals.
Coordinate professional development series focused on inclusive teaching, digital pedagogy, assessment literacy, and grant-writing to raise instructional effectiveness and scholar productivity.
Participate in strategic enrollment management initiatives by aligning faculty resources and program offerings with recruitment targets, retention strategies, and market analysis.
Support accreditation self-studies and external review processes by organizing evidence, coordinating faculty contributions, and leading follow-up quality improvement plans.
Represent faculty interests in collective bargaining or union negotiations when required, working with legal and HR teams to maintain productive labor relations and compliance with agreements.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Academic leadership and higher education administration — demonstrated ability to lead complex academic units, manage faculty affairs, and execute strategic academic plans.
Tenure and promotion administration — experience managing dossier reviews, external evaluator selection, and promotion committees.
Curriculum design and assessment — proficiency in curriculum mapping, learning outcomes assessment, and accreditation standards.
Accreditation and regulatory compliance — knowledge of regional and programmatic accrediting standards and experience coordinating site visits and reports.
Budget management and resource allocation — strong financial acumen for academic budgeting, forecasting, and prioritizing faculty investments.
Faculty recruitment and talent acquisition — experience designing search processes, candidate evaluation, and inclusive hiring strategies.
Research support and grant facilitation — familiarity with research administration, grant development, and external funding landscapes.
Data-informed decision making — ability to analyze academic performance metrics, retention trends, and assessment data to guide policy and resource decisions.
Labor relations and contract management — experience navigating collective bargaining agreements, adjunct contracts, and employment law in higher education.
Learning technologies and online pedagogy — knowledge of digital learning platforms, hybrid course design, and instructional technology integration.

Soft Skills

Strategic vision and planning — capacity to create and communicate a compelling academic vision and align faculty efforts with institutional priorities.
Influential communication and stakeholder management — exceptional written and oral communication for engaging faculty, students, trustees, and external partners.
Collaborative leadership and shared governance facilitation — ability to build consensus among diverse academic constituencies and nurture collaborative decision-making.
Mentorship and talent development — commitment to coaching faculty, cultivating leaders, and fostering career development.
Change management and adaptability — skill in leading organizational change with empathy, clarity, and operational rigor.
Conflict resolution and negotiation — demonstrated aptitude for mediating disputes and negotiating fair outcomes in complex academic environments.
Cultural competency and DEI advocacy — active commitment to equity-minded practices and inclusive faculty development.
Problem-solving and operational execution — pragmatic approach to solving academic operational challenges and delivering measurable results.
Emotional intelligence and relationship building — capacity to connect authentically with faculty and staff while maintaining professional boundaries.
Time management and prioritization — ability to manage competing priorities across academic, administrative, and external responsibilities.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Terminal degree (PhD, EdD, JD, MFA, or equivalent) in a relevant discipline or professional field, or a master's degree with substantial academic leadership experience in some institutions.

Preferred Education:

Doctoral degree in a relevant field with a record of scholarly achievement, teaching excellence, and administrative leadership.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Higher Education Administration
Academic disciplines aligned with the institution’s programs (e.g., Humanities, STEM, Social Sciences, Professional Studies)
Educational Leadership, Curriculum & Instruction, or related fields

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

8–15+ years of progressively responsible higher education experience, including 3–7 years in academic leadership roles such as department chair, program director, or associate dean.

Preferred:

10+ years of higher education experience with demonstrated success in faculty recruitment, tenure/promotion processes, accreditation, budget management, and faculty development. Prior experience as a dean or associate dean is strongly preferred.