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EHRA Non-Faculty Instructional, Research & Information Technology Positions

Types of Positions

EHRA non-faculty positions qualifying for designation as “Instructional, Research, and Information Technology” (IRIT) are categorized by the following:

  • These positions deliver the core-mission activities of the University: creating and disseminating knowledge through direct instruction, research, and public service; or performing professional-level duties that are integral to and uniquely supportive of that work. The purpose of each such position must be substantially engaged in the regular academic, educational, research, or public-service/extension activities of the University
  • These positions require the exercise of professional expertise and discretion in determining the nature and content of the instructional-, educational-, research-, or public-service-related activities, and in evaluating the effectiveness of such activities, and/or involve significant and independent interaction with participants in the University’s instructional, educational, research, or public-service programs.

Position Responsibilities

The ongoing job responsibilities for such positions must:

  • Engage in or be uniquely supportive of instruction, student success, and/or the direction or coordination of education or academic-supportive activities; AND/OR
  • Engage in or be uniquely supportive of original scholarship, creativity, or scientific research efforts, and the dissemination of such research/scholarship results (including dissemination through extension/public service). The ongoing job responsibilities must be involved with independent research design, implementation of research procedures, analysis of data, interpretation of research results, and/or dissemination of results through publication or public service; AND/OR
  • Serve as a staff physician or staff veterinarian (without faculty rank), providing clinical healthcare services to human or animal populations.

Minimum Education & Experience

EHRA non-faculty IRIT positions generally require post-baccalaureate credentials (e.g., Master’s degree or higher), although a bachelor’s degree plus alternative or equivalent professional training and experience may be substituted for the advanced degree. It is recognized that in some areas such as information technology, admissions, financial aid, and athletics coaching and athletics management, appropriate qualified candidates may hold baccalaureate rather than advanced degrees. Positions for which post-baccalaureate credentials are not required, or for which specific degrees or certification are required, have education and experience requirements listed.

Listed below are the various individual sub-categories of Research, Instructional and Public Service positions and their respective specific criteria. The individual EHRA IRIT subcategories may include example statements of minimum education and experience for positions which would not require a Master’s degree or higher, or where specific degrees/certification/licensure is required.

Positions whose primary purpose is to advise students on academic matters such as selection of a major area of study, course selection, and academic performance. Such positions may include individuals who provide student testing and assessment as part of the academic advising process.

Minimum Education & Experience
Relevant post-Baccalaureate degree required; for candidates demonstrating comparable independent educational or instructional activities related to the delivery of student advising and counseling or student personnel services, will accept a relevant undergraduate degree and 3 or more years of relevant experience in substitution.

Positions whose primary purpose is to improve student academic preparation through such means as tutoring and supplemental instruction, or to direct programs designed that enhance the educational experience of enrolled university students or targeted secondary school students to help prepare them for post-secondary education. This includes positions focused on enhancing the academic preparation of “at risk” student populations.

Minimum Education & Experience
Post-Baccalaureate degree required; for candidates demonstrating comparable independent educational or instructional activities related to tutoring, supplemental instruction, or direction of programs that enhance educational experiences of enrolled or prospective students, will accept a relevant undergraduate degree and 3 or more years of relevant experience in substitution.

Positions whose primary purpose is to develop and/or administer academic standards, curricula, and degree requirements for degree-granting programs.

Minimum Education & Experience
Relevant post-Baccalaureate degree required; for candidates demonstrating comparable independent educational or instructional activities related to the development or administration of academic standards or curricula, will accept a relevant undergraduate degree and 3 or more years of relevant experience in substitution.

Positions whose primary purpose is to coach student athletes for teams sponsored by the institution, to serve as trainers to student athletes, as well as senior-level professionals with institutional responsibility for in student-athlete programs in areas of compliance, and major sports operations. Note: would not include equipment & facilities managers, or positions ancillary to an athletics program.

Minimum Education & Experience
Minimum of a bachelor’s degree required with experience in relevant independent instructional or educational activities; specific minimum experience is at the discretion of the Director of Athletics.

The following criteria will be utilized by GA HRAB in evaluating proposed requests for CADA positions from UNC System campuses.  All positions require individual HRAB review and approval regardless of campus delegated authority for EHRA classifications.  CADA positions are intended for administrators of high-complexity, academic health centers or research-focused academic departments and centers within the University system that are engaged in a substantial amount of externally funded research and feature complex, cross-disciplinary research collaborations and partnerships.

Departments supervised by CADA positions would include:

  • Human resources management
  • Finance and budget
  • Sponsored research administration and compliance

Minimum Education & Experience
Minimum qualifications of an advanced degree (masters or higher) and no less than 5 to 7 years of management-level experience in the full range of administrative and financial functions of an academic department or research center in a higher education, research, or health care setting. Candidates with 7 to 10 years of directly comparable experience may substitute for the required advanced degree in which case a bachelor’s degree and the requisite experience is mandatory.

Positions whose primary purpose is to design and deliver courses, seminars, etc., that extend the institution’s regular academic and research activities to non-degree-seeking participants through targeted programs and short courses. This classification is used for instructors of non-credit courses only.

Minimum Education & Experience
Relevant post-Baccalaureate degree required; for candidates demonstrating comparable independent educational or instructional activities relevant to the teaching assignment, will accept a relevant undergraduate degree and 3 or more years of relevant experience in substitution. In addition, the position minimums should satisfy any accreditation requirements in the specified area of instruction.

Positions whose primary purpose is to develop cooperative or internship education experiences for students with employers, monitoring student progress and learning, and evaluating student performance. Such positions either have direct impact on grade assignment or are featured as an integral component of institution’s student career services activities.

Minimum Education & Experience
Relevant post-Baccalaureate degree required; for candidates demonstrating comparable independent educational or instructional activities related to mentoring or advising students or otherwise developing or delivering student experiential learning such as Co-Op education programs, will accept a relevant undergraduate degree and 3 or more years of relevant experience in substitution.

Positions requiring credentialed professionals whose primary purpose is to provide clinical and developmental counseling or psychological services to students to enhance their psychological growth, emotional well-being, and learning potential.

Minimum Education & Experience
Relevant professional degree and licensure in the appropriate clinical field of psychology, social work, or mental health practice as deemed appropriate by the hiring Department Head.

Positions whose primary purpose is to direct and manage institution-wide data, metrics and management information about the institution’s students, faculty and staff, enrollment and academic programs, facilities, and related items as required for federal, state, and UNC system reporting. Directly supports the institution’s planning and assessment processes. This category may be used for Campus-wide roles or those who direct institutional research and assessment within a large School or College. Note: This is not intended for analysts or other institutional research roles that do not have Director-level responsibility.

Minimum Education & Experience
Relevant post-Baccalaureate degree required; for candidates demonstrating comparable independent research productivity or professional-level institutional planning/assessment experience, will accept a relevant undergraduate degree and 3 or more years of relevant experience in substitution.

Positions whose primary purpose is to determine course content, teach and evaluate enrolled students in courses for academic credit. These positions include Lecturers and other teaching positions that may be funded in codes other than 1310.

Minimum Education & Experience
Relevant post-Baccalaureate degree required; for candidates demonstrating comparable independent educational or instructional activities related to teaching, will accept a relevant undergraduate degree and 3 or more years of relevant experience in substitution. In addition, the position minimums should satisfy any accreditation requirements in the specified area of instruction.

Positions whose primary purpose is to assist, advise, and critique faculty and other instructional staff on instructional matters such as course content, curriculum structure, and instructional technique, or whose primary purpose is to plan, design, or implement information technology and/or multimedia approaches that directly support instructional delivery. This includes positions involved in transitioning coursework from traditional “face-to-face” delivery to on-line “distance learning” formats. This category is not to be used for individuals who provide routine information technology support within the instructional enterprise.

Minimum Education & Experience
Relevant post-Baccalaureate degree required; for candidates demonstrating comparable independent educational or instructional activities related to consulting or developing course content, curriculum, instructional technique/technology, distance education design, development or implementation, will accept a relevant undergraduate degree and 3 or more years of relevant experience in substitution.

Positions whose primary purpose is to manage research and experiential laboratories and participate in design and selection of experiments, protocols, and procedures that best support the instructional or research goals and in evaluating progress towards goals.

Minimum Education & Experience
Relevant post-Baccalaureate degree required; for candidates demonstrating comparable independent instructional or educational activities related to laboratory management or practice, will accept a relevant undergraduate degree and 3 or more years of relevant experience in substitution.

Positions whose primary purpose is to support the institution’s instructional and research activities by advising students and faculty on the selection and effective use of library resource materials and by working with faculty on instructional and research matters such as collection development. Used for professional librarians without faculty rank.

Minimum Education & Experience
Requires the Masters in Library Science (MLS) degree. In specialized libraries, may substitute an advanced degree in the field of specialization (e.g., legal degree for a law library, or a history degree for a special historical collection within the library setting).

Positions whose primary purpose is to provide the direct delivery of scholarship and research to public audiences and clients and/or to direct staff or programs in the development and administration of such programs, which focus or extend the academic resources and/or research products of the institution on addressing community and regional issues and incorporate community needs in the institution’s academic and research programs, including agricultural extension and industrial extension.

Minimum Education & Experience
Relevant post-Baccalaureate degree required; for candidates demonstrating comparable independent research productivity or comparable background in independent academic or instructional activities, will accept a relevant undergraduate degree and 3 or more years of relevant experience in substitution. This experience may be related to the direction/oversight of programs that focus the academic and research resources of a higher education institution towards community or regional issues.

The following criteria will be utilized by GA HRAB in evaluating proposed requests for RADA positions from UNC System campuses. All positions require individual HRAB review and approval regardless of campus delegated authority for EHRA classifications. Any approved position must meet each of the below criteria and would be classified as Instructional, Research and Public Service with a subcategory of Research Administration and Compliance. RADA positions are intended for high-complexity, research-focused academic departments and centers within the University system that are engaged in a substantial amount of externally funded research and feature complex, cross-disciplinary research collaborations and partnerships.

These units are unique to the academic enterprise and attract a large volume of external funding that ultimately contributes to the economy of the local campus community and to the State. Approval of RADA positions should be reserved for the upper echelon of departments and research centers on a given campus in terms of the administrative complexity of the unit. Factors taken into account should include total size of budget from all sources, number of faculty or principal investigators served, extent of research collaborations or partnerships supported pan-campus or with external entities, and the total dollar amount of sponsored research activity managed. Typically units with approved RADA positions will feature not less than 1/3 of their total operating budgets, often greater, originating from sponsored research sources.

Mandatory Criteria

  • The position is required to report directly to the Department Chair or Center Director; dotted line reporting relationships are not acceptable. Position incumbents must be fully participating members of a Department or Center’s senior leadership team and in this capacity contribute to strategic planning and strategy setting for the unit.
  • The position must be Director-level and have supervisory responsibilities over subordinate professional and administrative staff. Working titles such as Assistant or Associate Chair in an academic department or Assistant, Associate, or Deputy Director of a research program or center are acceptable.
  • RADA positions must have full oversight and direct supervisory responsibility for the following departmental or research center functions:
  • Human resources management
  • Finance and budget
  • Sponsored research administration and compliance
  • Facilities and space management
  • Administrative strategic planning and strategy
  • Information technology (IT); unless IT reports separately to the Department Chair or Center Director which is sometimes the case given the inclusion of academic and research computing activities in these roles.

Minimum Education & Experience
Minimum qualifications of an advanced degree (masters or higher) and no less than 5 to 7 years of management-level experience in the full range of administrative and financial functions of an academic department or research center in a higher education, research, or health care setting. Candidates with 7 to 10 years of directly comparable experience may substitute for the required advanced degree in which case a bachelor’s degree and the requisite experience is mandatory.

Positions whose primary purpose is to direct and administer the programs and staff of major externally-funded research projects; serve as the chief administrative manager and compliance officer for a large academic department or research center with substantial administrative and financial complexity and which derives a significant portion of its operating budget from sponsored research funding sources; or positions that provide executive leadership of sponsored research activities either campus-wide or within a School/College dean’s office. The latter includes individuals who manage project proposals in compliance with the institution’s academic and research policy, provide substantive professional advice on the development of project proposals, and negotiate with sponsoring agencies with regard to the terms and conditions that govern the conduct of sponsor research.

Notes: These positions do not include first-level contract and grants developers, grant writers, or administrative support.

Minimum Education & Experience
Relevant post-Baccalaureate degree required; for candidates demonstrating comparable independent research productivity or professional-level background in sponsored research administration, will accept a relevant undergraduate degree and 3 or more years of relevant experience in substitution.

Positions whose primary purpose is to serve as non-faculty principal investigators, research project managers, research scholars, research scientists, or research assistants/associates for primary or secondary research projects that may advance or enhance a field of academic learning; as well as licensed clinicians who deliver research demonstration outcomes or who provide direct clinical services to clients in an academic healthcare environment.

These positions function with substantial independence and expertise in original scholarship, research design, research engineering, implementation of research procedures, data analysis and interpretation of results. Research computing professionals whose principal duties involve the exercise of substantial research independence and creativity in discovering new or emerging technologies may also be considered for this category as distinguished from individuals who are operating or supporting existing, well established information technologies. Note: These positions do not include operational or support related positions.

Minimum Education & Experience
Relevant post-Baccalaureate degree required; for candidates demonstrating comparable independent research productivity, will accept a relevant undergraduate degree and 3 or more years of relevant experience in substitution. May require terminal degree and licensure.

Positions whose primary purpose is to develop, direct and administer services for students and/or faculty that have a direct impact on the students’ educational experiences and/or campus life (e.g., student career services; student life / student housing; student honors programs; student diversity support programs; student conduct; student registration and records). This category also includes student admissions and financial aid positions that exercise decision making authority on behalf of the institution (e.g., admissions officers, financial aid officers) and professional staff who design and deliver programs and instruction that involve direct interaction with students and enhance their academic and learning experiences outside the classroom setting. Note: These positions do not include operational or facility maintenance functions.

Minimum Education & Experience
Relevant post-Baccalaureate degree required; for candidates demonstrating comparable independent educational or instructional activities associated with the delivery and/or management of student support functions, will accept a relevant undergraduate degree and relevant experience in substitution. Specific minimum experience requirements are at the discretion of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs or the Department Head in other units that may employ such positions based on accepted professional standards of practice within the field.

Positions whose primary purpose is to manage the flow of research and technology innovation, disclosures, patents, trademarks, copyrights and other aspects of technology transfer. These positions include professional staff members who assess disclosures for technical and commercialization merits; develop relationships with industry or government clients; negotiate business transactions for the exchange of intellectual property rights; collaborate with regional and state economic development agencies; and/or engage in other aspects of technology transfer such as negotiating licensing or equity agreements. These positions also provide outreach services such as training and education to university faculty and students in related activities.

Minimum Education & Experience
Relevant post-Baccalaureate degree required; for candidates demonstrating comparable independent research productivity or professional-level background in technology transfer, will accept a relevant undergraduate degree and 3 or more years of relevant experience in substitution. Technology transfer experience would be related to managing the flow of research innovation, disclosures, patents, trademarks, copyrights and other aspects of technology commercialization.