Department Chair Hires: Letter of Offer Workflow
This document describes the process of hiring department chairs.
The department chair recruitment is completed and the SMPH Dean notifies the Associate Dean for Human Resources that they are prepared to make an offer.
Though rare, if the finalist is an internal candidate and currently on the CHS track, the Dean should inform the Secretary of the Faculty as soon as possible, who will alert the University Committee. The University Committee may wish to have a conversation with the SMPH Dean at that time. Both a track transfer and a tenure appointment packet must be approved. During the time the chair is not tenured (and still a CHS faculty member), chair duties that require a tenured faculty member will be carried out by a tenured faculty member in the department, appointed by the Dean.
Step 1: Assoc Dean, HR - Initiate offer letter process
The Associate Dean for Human Resources emails the SMPH Faculty HR team (facultyhr@med.wisc.edu) with the following offer information:
- Name
- Copy of candidate’s CV
- Department
- Start date (follow the SMPH Effective Date for Hire Guidelines)
- UW salary (including administrative supplement)
- UWMF salary (if applicable)
- PVL #
Step 2: Faculty HR - Draft letter of offer
Faculty HR drafts letter of offer using the standard leadership appointment letter template for Dual Employed or SMPH-only (only available to the Faculty HR team). Reference SMPH Effective Date for Hire Guidelines.
Note: Do not include a UWMF signature block in the appointment letter for dual employed clinical department chairs.
The letter should include all of the following enclosures applicable to the position that is being offered:
- Academic Development Plan (drafted by the Associate Deans)
- University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics Support (drafted by UW Health)
- SMPH Clinical Chair Compensation Policy
- Responsibilities of School of Medicine and Public Health Department Chairs
- Guidelines for Recommendations for Promotion or Appointment to Tenure Rank
- Department Post Tenure Review Policy
- Additional Appointment Information (drafted by Faculty HR)
- Confidentiality Restrictive Covenant Agreement
The letter should list the following to receive copies of the signed letter:
- CEO, UW Health (if dual employed)
- Sr. Associate Dean for Fiscal Affairs
- Sr. Associate Dean for Basic Research
- SMPH Human Resources
- SMPH Leadership Recruiter
- Department Administrator
Step 3: Faculty HR - Draft the Other Appointment Information attachment
Faculty HR drafts the Other Appointment Information attachment using either the Dual Employed or SMPH-only template as appropriate. The SMPH Leadership Recruiter will act as the SMPH onboarding coordinator and coordinate with the department administrator to ensure that all department-specific onboarding occurs.
Step 4: Faculty HR - Prepare Provider Intake Form (Dual Employed Only)
Faculty HR completes a Provider Intake Form and sends to UWMF with copy of draft letter of offer so they can prepare a Confidentiality and Restrictive Covenant Agreement. UWMF will return the signed agreement to Faculty HR for inclusion in the final offer packet.
Step 5: Faculty HR - Route offer letter for approval
Faculty HR uploads all offer letter materials (e.g. draft letter, other appointment information attachment, CV) into a Box folder and notifies the following approving offices that the letter is ready for review:
- Senior Associate Dean for Fiscal Affairs
- Senior Associate Dean for Basic Research
- Associate Dean for Human Resources
If any of the approving offices have issues with the letter as written, they will communicate their concerns to Faculty HR. Faculty HR addresses any necessary modifications with the reviewer.
Faculty HR emails the final letter package (including updated draft letter, other appointment enclosures listed in #2 and UWMF agreement, if applicable) to the Associate Dean for Human Resources for final leadership review.
The Associate Dean for Human Resources sends the final letter package to the Dean for review, signature, and distribution.
Step 6: Dean's Assistant - Send signed offer package to candidate
Once the Dean has finalized and signed the letter of offer, the Dean’s executive assistant prepares the offer packet for mailing, including all enclosures listed above. The Dean’s executive assistant works with the candidate to return the signed materials to the Dean.
Step 7: Faculty HR - Distribute fully executed materials, process SH/SV check & request CBC
- HR Associate Director
- HR Business Partner
- Department Administrator
- Faculty Promotions Team
- UW Secretary of the Faculty
- SMPH Compensation
- Sr. Associate Dean for Fiscal Affairs
- Sr. Associate Dean for Basic Research
- SMPH Leadership Recruiter
For dual employed, Faculty HR will also distribute fully executed letter and UWMF signed agreements to:
- UW Health Records Management (HRrecords@uwhealth.org)
- UWMF HR (mf-hrdata@uwhealth.org)
- Med Staff Affairs (uwmedstaff@uwhealth.org)
- CEO, UW Health
Faculty HR will save the offer letter package and CV to ImageNow.
Faculty HR conducts the Sexual Harassment/Sexual Violence (SH/SV) check and emails the HR Operations Coordinator supporting the hiring department with information needed to request a criminal background check. If internal chair hire, HR Operations Coordinator determines if a new check is needed.
Step 8: Faculty HR - Send follow up to HRBP, AD & SMPH Compensation
Step 9: HRBP - Process hire and TBA
External hires
HRBP will follow the steps noted in the Faculty New Hire Workflow - Open Recruitment (TREMS) starting with "Step 6: HRBP - Send Appointment Letter".
In addition, HRBP will process the following steps:
- As noted in Step 12 of the Faculty New Hire Workflow - Open Recruitment (TREMS), in addition to processing the faculty appointment through TREMS, the HRBP will also enter a zero-dollar department chairperson appointment in JEMS-Hire, selecting "No PVL/Waiver Associated". Note: this must be processed as a "hire" not a "transfer".
- HRBP will process a TBA using the amount listed in the new chair's offer letter. The amount will also be communicated via email (step 8 above) from Faculty HR.
- Prior to the start date of the new position, the JEMS-Rate/Title system will not recognize that the position exists, and you won’t be able to create a TBA on it until at least the DAY OF the start date.
- Ex. You receive in October 2018 an offer letter stating that a new Chair is starting on December 1, 2018. You set up a record for this future employee in HRS (hire effective December 1, 2018) and you assume that you can go ahead and put in a JEMS-Rate/Title request for a TBA that is coterminous with the Chair role effective December 1, 2018. JEMS will not allow this.
- Please email the OHR Comp & Title Rep and cc the SMPH Compensation team. As long as you notify OHR that you desire a TBA effective a future date preemptively, they should honor your request. Store the email stating such and copy and paste it in the comments section of the Rate/Title request.
- The end date of the TBA should be one year from the start date
- The TBA will then become part of the annual review process as outlined in the Dean's Office TBA KB.
- Prior to the start date of the new position, the JEMS-Rate/Title system will not recognize that the position exists, and you won’t be able to create a TBA on it until at least the DAY OF the start date.
Internal hires
If the new chair hire is an internal candidate within the department, and currently holds a Professor (tenure) position, the HRBP will follow the steps outlined below. Note: if the internal hire currently holds a CHS position instead, Faculty HR will provide you with instruction on how to process the appointment when reaching out in step 8 above.
- HRBP will contact their campus Talent Acquisition rep and request that the PVL the chair recruitment was conducted on is cancelled, indicating that an internal candidate will be hired as chair. The chair hire will remain in their current Professor (tenure) position and no further action will be needed in TREMS
- HRBP will enter a zero-dollar department chairperson appointment in JEMS-Hire, selecting "No PVL/Waiver Associated". Note: this must be processed as a "hire" not a "transfer".
- HRBP should include a statement in the Comments tab of the JEMS-Hire that states "This hire is for PVL # ____" (referencing the PVL # the recruitment was conducted on, but was later cancelled). This will ensure the hire is still "associated" with the PVL the recruitment was conducted on.
- HRBP will process a TBA using the amount listed in the new chair's offer letter. The amount will also be communicated via email (step 10 above) from Faculty HR
- The end date of the TBA should be one year from the start date
- The TBA will then become part of the annual review process as outlined in the Dean's Office TBA KB.
- The end date of the TBA should be one year from the start date
Most of the standard onboarding items will not be needed since the hire already exists within the department and there will be no break in service during the transition from faculty member to chair. The HRBP should contact the HR Operations Coordinator and Payroll & Benefits Specialist to inform them of the new role the faculty member is taking on, and to discuss if any additional steps may be needed.
Step 10: Leadership Recruiter - Complete onboarding process
SMPH leadership recruiter works with department to complete onboarding checklist.