Social Work and Psychology Department Chair

Hiring Department

The University of Texas Permian Basin welcomes applications for the position of Department Chair for Psychology and Social Work

Salary Range

Social Work / Experimental Psychology

$80,000 - $90,000 depending on qualifications


Clinical Psychology

$110,000 - $120,000 depending on qualifications

Relocation assistance and on-campus housing incentives also available

Essential Functions

The Chair of the Department of Psychology and Social Work is a 12- month faculty administrator committed to creating an exceptional, inclusive, and relevant student, faculty, and staff experience within the department. The Chair will be responsible for all matters related to the leadership of the Department, including academic management of the department’s academic programs. As a member of the College of Health Sciences Leadership Team, the Chair, in collaboration with the Dean and other College administrators, will also perform duties to assure the smooth operation of the College.

• Pursue and achieve departmental excellence in teaching, research, and service.
• Work collaboratively with the Dean to assure the Department has resources essential to fulfill its mission and provide regular reports to the Dean about emergent departmental needs.
• Communicate regularly with departmental faculty and the Dean.
• Enforce all applicable regulatory policies.
• Provide leadership to the Department’s academic programs, take leadership in developing curriculum, conduct annual departmental and program evaluations, and obtain and maintain program accreditations.
• With approval of the Dean, appoint Program Coordinators for the following programs within the Department (as well as other programs that may be developed), Bachelors in Psychology, Masters in Psychology (clinical and experimental), Bachelors in Social Work, and Masters in Social Work.
• Coordinate responsibility for at least one departmental program.
• Supervise faculty work on a day-to-day basis, assure faculty perform all duties commensurate with their workload and assignments, assure faculty receive appropriate professional development, and verify that all instruction and other departmental activities are conducted according to established protocols. Maintain an atmosphere of collegiality and shared governance.
• Supervise and evaluate performance of non-faculty employees assigned to the Department.
• Provide leadership to recruit, retain, and evaluate faculty (including both annual evaluation and reviews for promotion and tenure). Make recommendations to the Dean regarding hiring, promotion, tenure, and retention of faculty.
• Address questions, complaints, grievances, and suggestions from faculty, staff, and students. Mediate conflicts that arise among departmental colleagues and students.
• Develop strategic initiatives and programming to help ensure student success.
• Build a rotation for course offerings in the Department with a minimum of a two-year (six semester) future schedule of offerings in place.
• Prepare course schedules by University deadlines each semester that assures students are well served while efficiently assigning faculty workloads and using other College resources. Coordinate with the College’s Leadership Team before finalizing each semester’s schedule.
• Serve as a member of the College of Health Sciences Leadership Team.
• With faculty input, develop short- and long-term goals for the Department, in
conjunction with the University’s and College’s strategic plans.
• Teach at least two courses annually, with all course assignments considered in-load.
• Support faculty growth through faculty development and mentoring.
• Provide leadership that results in positive department change and growth.
• Understand current and future market trends.
• Manage budgets and other resources.
• Recruit students for academic programs in the department.
• Participate in ongoing professional development activities.
• Cultivate and maintain a positive, student-oriented, and caring academic atmosphere.

College Level Duties:

• Serve as the College of Health Science’s primary point of contact internally for all matters related to the Departmental programs’ accreditation and accountability efforts.
• Work collaboratively with the Dean for all accreditation efforts related to
the College’s programs.
• Assure that all periodic reports to accrediting bodies, and other external bodies are completed in an accurate and timely manner.
• Lead faculty and staff in preparing for all accreditation visits.
• Coordinate the work of faculty relative to completion of annual Institutional Effectiveness Plans and other internal accountability reporting requirements.
• Work with faculty, the Dean, the University’s Institutional Effectiveness, and Academic Affairs Offices, and other key offices and persons to build databases for tracking success of students, programs, and College processes.
• Lead efforts with faculty to use data effectively for program feedback and improvement.
• Work collaboratively with the Dean and faculty to develop and implement ongoing strategies and activities relative to faculty mentorship and professional development.
• Perform other duties as may be assigned by the Dean of the College of Health Sciences.

Required Qualifications

Social Work / Experimental Psychology

1. Terminal degree in a discipline appropriate for the department (psychology or social work)
2. Two (2) years of management and leadership experience
3. One (1) year of experience managing a budget
4. Current academic rank of associate or full professor (or equivalent non-US rank)


Clinical Psychology

1. Terminal degree in clinical psychology
2. Three (3) years of management and leadership experience
3. One (1) year of experience managing a budget
4. Current academic rank of associate or full professor (or equivalent non-US rank)

Preferred Qualifications

1. Two (2) years of experience in an academic setting
2. Distinguished record of teaching, service, and research
3. Holds license as either a clinical social worker or psychologist in the state of Texas