Recruit & Hire Faculty & Staff

Some professional employee hires do not require a formal search. In these cases, the position will either require a search waiver or qualify for a search waiver exception.

Please visit the Office of Diversity & Inclusion’s Search Waiver page for detailed information.

Before requesting a search waiver or search waiver exception, the hiring manager must request authorization to fill an existing position or create a new position.

To do so, please submit a Workforce Planning Request in HRTS (accessible via HRTS). You’ll be asked to upload a job description for the position and organizational chart for HR review and approval.

If the search waiver is approved, the hiring manager should issue an offer letter to the candidate. If the offer is accepted, the supervisor is responsible for initiating the electronic appointment forms.

New employees should visit the On-boarding page for additional required forms and other important first-day information. 

For professional employee hires that do not qualify for a search waiver or search waiver exception, the hiring manager must first request authorization to fill an existing position or create a new position.

To do so, please submit a Workforce Planning Request in HRTS (accessible via IAS / PeopleSoft).

Once authorization is obtained to move forward with a search, please follow the instructions outlined on these Office of Diversity & Inclusion webpages:

• Step-by-step Process for Staff Hires
• Step-by-step Process for Faculty Hires
• Search Roles (Search Committees)
• Documents & Forms

Once a candidate is selected and an offer is accepted, the supervisor is responsible for initiating the electronic appointment forms.

New employees should visit the On-boarding page for additional required forms and other important first-day information.

For staff positions, please use the Job Description Template.

For faculty positions, please visit the Office of Diversity & Inclusion’s Documents & Forms page to download the Announcement of Faculty Vacancy (UP-5) Form. 

For additional guidance, please review:

• Guidance for Hiring Foreign Nationals section of this webpage
• Classification & Compensation page
• Appointments & Promotion page

Once a professional or classified candidate accepts the position, the supervisor should initiate the appointment forms as soon as possible.

To appoint a new hire, please complete the Hiring Proposal Form in HRTS (accessible via IAS / PeopleSoft).

New employees should visit the On-boarding page for additional required forms.
 

Instructions for Completing the Hiring Proposal Form

The Hiring Proposal Form is used to appoint a state employee to a position at the University after Workforce Planning (WFP) approval. Contact [email protected] with any questions.

The Hiring Proposal Form should be used for:

• New state employees (excluding student employees)
• State employees returning to a position at UAlbany following a break in service of one year or more
• Promotion or movement of an employee following a WFP-approved search waiver or formal search

The Hiring Proposal Form should not be used for:

• Research Foundation employment actions
• State appointments for student employees, including student assistants, graduate or teaching assistants, research assistants and fellows

When completing the Hiring Proposal Form, the following information is required:

• The new employee’s Social Security number and date of birth. Inaccurate or missing information will result in a processing delay.
  • Note: Do not request or collect sensitive information, such as dates of birth or Social Security numbers, via email. 
• The Workforce Planning (WFP) Request number associated with the position, as this number will prompt the form to auto-populate the necessary fields 
• The minimally required data on the new employee to create a personnel record. As the offer of employment is finalized, please ask the new employee to provide their:
  • Legal first, middle and last names as they appear on their Social Security card
  • Chosen first and last names, if different from their legal names
  • Permanent Address (Note: In the form, select “Add/Edit Address” and populate as directed. Addresses require the appropriate country code, which must be changed for addresses outside the U.S.)
  • Primary personal phone number
  • Personal email address (Note: The new employee will receive emails before their start date at this address, including instructions for setting up their UAlbany account.)
  • Gender (female, male, X or unknown)
  • Social Security number (Note: If the appointee currently works at UAlbany or does not have a Social Security number due to citizenship status, please select the box indicating such. Do not check this box to avoid obtaining a Social Security number.)
  • Date of birth 
• Whether the position is an adjunct appointment to ensure only the required fields are visible. 
• The agreed upon salary, which will be the new hire’s starting salary and must be within the range approved by HR
  • If the employee is classified, please use the agreed upon salary or select “Classified Position TBD by HR” when the starting salary is unknown due to promotion or prior service.
  • If the employee is being paid on a FEE basis, list the payment per service (for example: $100 per visit) and outline the payment terms, including expected expenditures for the period in the Comment field.
  • Note: Use the Other field for internal notes and recordkeeping only. Include moving expenses, startup funds, etc., and any relevant items included in salary discussions. 
• The pay basis, appointment duration and work obligation/schedule, which can be selected using the lookup tables. Populate the Work Obligation/Schedule field as prompted for part-time or classified staff. 
• The effort being appointed in the Appointment Percentage Work field. Full-time is 100% and part-time is anything less than 100%. 
• Employment start dates for non-academic employees must align with the first day of new pay periods throughout the year so an employee may attend a New Employee Orientation on their first day.  Academic employees' start dates will be communicated annually from HR. 
• The end of the initial term appointment, temporary assignment or (for academic appointments not being pro-rated) payroll end date in the Appointment End Date field. This is not applicable for an employee designated M/C, unless the position is temporary.
  • If the employee is hired for a less than 12-month obligation, identify when they are and are not obligated in the Obligation Start Date/End Date field.  
  • If the employee is a faculty member, indicate their terminal degree and completion date, if applicable. 
• The primary supervisor, who will be identified in the appointment letter and responsible for approving timesheets and leave requests, completing evaluations, etc. Use the lookup function for this. 
• If there is another department contact, such as an administrative support or financial manager, use the lookup function to identify them. 
• An official work location, campus building and building room number, using the lookup table. If these details are unknown at the time of hire, use the home department’s main office.  
• The new employee’s campus phone. Direct lines are preferred, but the main department number will be accepted. 
• Relevant documents, such as:
  • Accepted offers of employment, written by the department or division
  • Responsibility documents or other items related to the terms and conditions of employment
  • Startup letters 
• Further details or explanations, where necessary or for future reference, in the Comments field. For example, use this field to indicate the position's funding if you don’t provide a funded line for the appointment.

Save requests that are not ready for submission. The Department field is required to save the form.

Submit the form to move the request to the next approver level for review and action. Note: You cannot make changes after selecting Submit.

HR has final approval for all personnel transactions. Only notifications of denial are emailed to the submitter. 

UAlbany supports the visa types listed below.  

• F-1 & J-1 Student Visas: F-1 and J-1 student status is obtained upon admission as a UAlbany student. Please visit the Applying for a Visa page on the International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) website for more information. 
• J-1 Exchange Visitor Visas: The J-1 Exchange Visitor Program promotes mutual understanding between people of the United States and the people of other countries through educational and cultural exchange. The J-1 Exchange Visitor visa allows foreign nationals to come to UAlbany to teach, study and conduct research. Please visit ISSS' Visiting J-1 Scholars page for more information. 
• H1-B Visas: The University uses the H-1B program to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise in specialized fields. In these cases, the University’s Office of General Counsel prepares the necessary Department of Labor (DOL) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) documents. 
• TN NAFTA Professional Status: TN status is a temporary, professional, non-immigrant classification for citizens from Canada and Mexico only. This status is granted based on a job offer in the U.S., proof of the individual's qualifications for the position and an application presented at the port-of-entry. TN status is granted for three years at a time and renewable indefinitely. Specific occupations are eligible for TN status, all of which require the minimum of a bachelor’s degree or the foreign equivalent. Please visit USCIS’ TN NAFTA Professional page for processing details for individuals with TN status and their dependents. 
• Permanent Residency: When an individual may be eligible to become a permanent resident due to an offer of permanent employment at UAlbany, the University’s Office of General Counsel prepares the necessary DOL and USCIS documents.

For more information, please refer to:

• SUNY's Legal & Financial Support for Immigration Petitions Policy
• Visa Types, Employment Restrictions & Nonresident Alien Taxation 

If a candidate who is a foreign national is selected to fill the open position and wishes to obtain permanent residency, the University must demonstrate comprehensive recruitment efforts to satisfy the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) criteria for the permanent residency process’ labor certification component.

There are two classifications for achieving labor certification:

• Basic recruitment, which is used for professional positions with a minimum requirement of a bachelor’s degree (including librarian positions)
• Optional special recruitment, which is used for teaching faculty

For all faculty and staff positions, UAlbany must advertise the position to determine if there are any qualified U.S. workers available for the position, using all the following recruitment methods:

• Post a notice of the job opportunity in conspicuous places at the work site for at least 10 consecutive business days. 
• Post a notice of the job opportunity through all in-house media within the University. This includes electronic and printed in-house media and is separate from the posting requirement listed above. The duration and manner used by the University must be in accord with normal procedures used by the University to recruit for similar positions. 
• Place a job order with the State Workforce Agency (SWA) for at least 30 days. Note: HR automatically posts all vacancies on the New York State Department of Labor’s JobCentral, which satisfies this requirement.

For teaching faculty positions, the University must also place at least one print advertisement for the job opportunity in a professional journal.  

For professional positions, the University must also complete all the following:

• Place a print advertisement for the job opportunity in two consecutive Sunday editions of the area’s newspaper of general circulation, such as the Times Union. Note: If the job requires experience and an advanced degree, the University may opt to place a print advertisement in a professional journal, such as the Chronicle of Higher Education, for one of the consecutive Sunday advertisements. 
• Seek applicants using at least three of the following additional recruitment steps:
  • Job fairs (Note: A printed listing of the job opportunity in a meeting brochure does not satisfy the print advertisement requirement explained above.)
  • The University’s website
  • An external job search website, such as Inside Higher Ed
  • On-campus recruiting
  • Listing the position with trade or professional organizations
  • Listing the position with private employment firms
  • An employee referral program
  • Campus placement office
  • Advertising in local and ethnic newspapers, if appropriate for the job opportunity
  • Radio or television advertisements

For professional positions, labor certifications must be filed at least 30 days after placing the job posting with the State Workforce Agency and within 180 days of advertising the position.

For teaching positions, labor certifications must be filed within 18 months of the date of selection.

Please contact the Office of General Counsel for more information. 

Professional Employees

Extra Service assignments may involve but are not limited to teaching, research and public service. It must be clearly demonstrated that the assignment exceeds what is normally performed under the employee’s regular professional obligation.

For additional information, please review SUNY’s Policy on Extra Service for Professional Staff.

Classified Employees

Classified employees are only eligible for Extra Service if the second position is sporadic and substantially different from their primary position.  

For example, a full-time Keyboard Specialist may have an Extra Service position as a photographer at UAlbany events. In this case, the employee’s Extra Service position is sporadic and substantially different from their primary position.

If the Extra Service responsibilities are even remotely related to the employee’s primary position, the work must be treated as compensatory time and/or overtime instead.

Additional Guidance for Professional & Classified Part-time Employees

Professional and classified employees whose primary positions are part-time are compensated for additional work based on the agency involved via an increase in effort. Classified employees are not eligible for Extra Service or Also-Receives (stipend).

If the additional work is for another state agency (including other SUNY campuses) and the combination does not exceed full time (100%), part-time employees may be paid concurrent (not Extra Service).

If the additional work is for UAlbany, part-time employees can either have their payroll percent and salary increased (up to 100%) or they can be paid via Extra Service. If their work percentage surpasses 100%, any amount beyond 100% is considered Extra Service.

Graduate & Teaching Assistants

Graduate assistants and teaching assistants are not considered full-time (40-hour workweek) employees because their maximum obligation is 20 hours per week.  

Any work over 20 hours must be pre-approved by the Dean of the Graduate School and does not constitute Extra Service.

SUNY Research Foundation (SUNY RF) Employees

Full-time SUNY RF employees must have an approved Research Foundation Extra Service Pre-Approval Form before they can be appointed to state-funded Extra Service employment. 

Compensation for Extra Service may not exceed 20% of the employee’s base annual salary in any academic year (beginning September 1) or calendar year (beginning July 1). For example:  

• A non-academic professional employee earning a salary of $25,000 may not be paid more than $5,000 for extra service in any July 1 to June 30 period.
• A faculty member earning a salary of $25,000 may not be paid more than $5,000 for extra service in any September 1 to August 31 period.  

Summer salary with the Research Foundation or summer salary with UAlbany does not constitute Extra Service.

Employees may not engage in other employment, whether within or outside the University, that interferes with the performance of their primary professional obligation.  

Extra Service activities must conform to the ethical standards mandated by Section 74 of the New York State Public Officers Law.

This means an employee may not engage in any business, transaction or professional activity that is in substantial conflict with the proper discharge of their duties in the public interest.

For UAlbany employees performing Extra Service for UAlbany (state payroll), please submit a completed Internal Extra Service Request Form (UP-8A).

This form must be submitted, with all required signatures, before the employee starts their Extra Service assignment.

For UAlbany employees performing Extra Service for another state agency (including other SUNY campuses), or for employees of another state agency (including other SUNY campuses) performing Extra Service for UAlbany (state payroll), please submit a completed HRM-2 packet and Dual Enrollment Form (AC-1588). Please indicate on the HRM-2 Form that the appointment is Extra Service.

Students who are employed by two or more state agencies must complete the Dual Enrollment Form (AC-1588) and the Student Dual Employment Form. 

The forms must be submitted, with all required signatures, before the employee starts their Extra Service assignment.

All state employees, regardless of primary agency, performing Extra Service for UAlbany must submit an Extra Service Voucher to be paid for their work.

Please visit the Payroll & Timesheets page to download the voucher and view deadlines.