« Policy Issues



March 27, 2014


The position of departmental manager (i.e. the senior manager in any department, institute, or center charged with the overall operations of that unit) is a critical one, both for the organization and for the College as a whole. Departmental managers are responsible for several functions vital to their organization's health, including staff and academic personnel management, student services, fund management and administration, facilities and purchasing. To be effective, the manager must interact well with a diverse set of people in the department (faculty, students, and other staff). Management responsibility, however, extends outside the department and entails ongoing interactions with the College administration (Assistant Deans, Human Resources, Academic Personnel, etc). Managers must also ensure compliance with the policies and procedures of their Division, the College as a whole, UCLA and UC.

The College has established a selection process for department managers that takes full advantage of both the substantive knowledge base in departments about local considerations and conditions pertaining to the position and the management expertise and resources of the central College administration. The process will begin with a collaborative assessment by the College and department of the requirements for a new manager and will end with departments making the final selection of a candidate for appointment. The Office of the Deans will work to ensure that the best pool of applicants is generated and that only candidates with appropriate credentials and skills are considered for appointment by departments. This pre-selection phase can best be expedited by relying on the resources and expertise of the central College administration.


The selection process can be summarized in three steps:

1. The Chair of the Department and Director of the Institute or Center will meet with the Assistant Dean and the Director of Staff Human Resources (HR) to discuss departmental needs and set qualification requirements for the position. This is an opportunity for all parties to identify qualifications necessary for a successful hire and to discuss issues unique to the department.
   
   
2. The position will then be advertised and resumes will be screened by the Director of Staff HR (all resumes received for the position will be made available to the departmental selection committee for their input). The Office of the Deans will conduct preliminary interviews to establish a short list of viable candidates.
   
   
3. The short list will be forwarded to the Chair/Director and departmental selection committee (if requested) for final interviews. The department will then select from this pool of qualified candidates.

If the department does not feel it can choose from the list of qualified candidates, the Chair and/or selection committee will conduct follow-up meetings with College representatives to discuss possible alternatives.

Once the department has made a decision, the salary offer will be developed in collaboration with the Office of Deans. The final stage of salary negotiation with the candidate may be managed by the department, the Assistant Dean, or the Director of Staff Human Resources (or any combination thereof), depending on the circumstances.

Final authority in this process rests with the Dean or Vice Provost of the division.