Senate faculty partner hire options

The campus can potentially assist with full or part-time employment if a partner’s qualifications match needs for an academic appointment at Berkeley, i.e., one of the following position types:

• Senate Faculty (Professor series, Teaching Professor series, Professor in Residence series)
• Adjunct Professor series
• Lecturer
• Researcher
• Postdoctoral Fellow
• Visiting Scholar
• Academic Coordinator
• Librarian

Funding for the position for the partner, and terms of the partner appointment, will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

A search waiver can be granted for a partner hire. Information about search waivers for Senate faculty positions is available on this page. Information about search waivers for non-Senate academic positions is available on this page.

Appointment cases for partner hires are reviewed in the normal fashion; the candidate must meet Berkeley standards.

The two optimal times to address academic partner employment needs are

After a candidate has been selected and received a preliminary soft offer, the department chair (or school dean) will begin discussing with the candidate the needs they have that the University can support. This is the best time for the candidate to disclose that they have partner hire needs. Department chairs should request the partner’s CV and immediately consult with their dean. The dean may, in turn, connect with other chairs, deans, and the Vice Provost, who can act as a broker to facilitate cooperation between departments and schools.

Finalists may prefer to discuss partner hiring needs in confidence with the Associate Vice Provost before sharing them with the hiring unit. The Associate Vice Provost is also available to consult with finalists at any time. 

As soon as a faculty member receives, or anticipates receiving, a competitive offer (from a peer institution), the faculty member should inform their chair and dean that their partner’s academic employment at UC Berkeley is critical to their retention. Department chairs should request the partner’s CV and immediately consult with their dean. The dean may, in turn, connect with other chairs, deans, and the Vice Provost, who can act as a broker to facilitate cooperation between departments and schools.

Yes; there is no rule against this. University policy permits the employment of near relatives in the same department, upon recommendation, if the appointment is justified and in the best interests of the University (APM 520).

It depends on several factors: funding, candidate qualifications, hiring unit needs. Every year, some hire attempts succeed and others do not.

A partner hire into a campus appointment is not an entitlement.