Academic Hiring Policies & Procedures -HR001

Policy Code

HR001

Approval Date

Mon, 05/12/2025 - 12:00

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1. Introduction

The Academic Hiring Policies & Procedures manual provides a comprehensive overview of the policies and procedures to be followed by Alfaisal University when recruiting and hiring academic personnel. It is based on “A Proposal for Hiring for Academic Posts: Policy and Forms 2016”. Alfaisal University recognizes the pivotal role played by faculty members, researchers, and other academic staff in shaping the educational experience and driving scholarly advancements. Alfaisal University is committed to ensuring a fair, transparent, and rigorous hiring process that attracts the best talent and upholds Alfaisal core values, seek diversity, provide equal opportunities for all qualified candidates, and meet the requirements of Alfaisal University’s vision and mission. The University hiring efforts are in accordance with the Kingdom’s standing labor and academic laws and practices.

The manual aims to provide clarity and transparency regarding Alfaisal University expectations, requirements, and evaluation criteria. All stakeholders involved in the hiring process are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the information presented in this document, as it will serve as a valuable resource for ensuring compliance with Alfaisal’s established policies. By adhering to these policies and procedures, the university aims to attract exceptional candidates who share its commitment to academic excellence, research, and the dissemination of knowledge.

2. Policy Objectives & Scope

All academic hiring should be closely aligned with the objectives of Alfaisal University the eight research themes, the national goals of the country, and should ultimately contribute to the university's plan of achieving a position among the top 200 globally. It is vital to not only consider candidates qualifications and experience but also their potential to advance the university's strategic vision and share Alfaisal's commitment to excellence in education, research, and innovation to further strengthen the university's position as a leading educational institution. Additionally, selecting candidates who can contribute to the country's broader goals, such as fostering economic growth, advancing scientific research, and promoting societal development, will ensure that Alfaisal University plays a significant role in driving progress at both the national and global levels.

The scope of the policy is limited to hiring full-time, adjunct, and visiting academic faculty including:

Professors at all ranks.
Lecturers and Senior Lecturers
Instructors
Post-Docs
Technicians
Adjuncts/Clinicians in hospitals who teaches for the College of Medicine and College of Pharmacy are exempted from this policy (the exemption is limited to adjuncts/clinicians who teach within hospitals and does not extend to those who teach exclusively at Alfaisal University)

The general qualifications and descriptions of these posts shall follow the University’s Faculty Handbook, section 2.1 “Classifications of Faculty and Academic Staff”. The policy is not concerned with administrative staff that are directly processed by the Human Resources Department. Promotion to professorship ranks is also beyond the scope of this policy and are handled as per Faculty Promotion Regulations & Guidelines.

All Alfaisal University hiring deliberations, meeting minutes and files are confidential. Access for those not involved in hiring process requires the President’s direct and documented approval. Meanwhile, best practices should be applied in maintaining the privacy of all candidate files. This extends to both paper-based and electronic handlings of all documents.

3. Alignment with Ministry of Education Policies

The Academic Hiring Policies & Procedures are aligned with the policies set forth by the Ministry of Education (MoE). For professorial ranks, the Ministry of Education mandates that universities provide documented and signed deliberations and decisions of the Department, College, Scientific, and University Councils. For non-professorial ranks, the MoE mandates that universities provide documented and signed deliberations and decisions of the Department, College, and University Councils. Per MoE policy, Committee and/or Council decisions are approved upon majority vote. Where votes are equally divided, the decision sides with the vote of the Committee/Council Chair.

Alfaisal will regularly review and update its Academic Hiring Policies & Procedures to reflect any changes or updates made by the Ministry of Education. This commitment to alignment ensures that Alfaisal University is up to date with the latest guidelines, regulations, and best practices in the field of academic hiring in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Through this alignment, Alfaisal University aims to contribute to the overall advancement of higher education in the Kingdom by cultivating a highly qualified and diverse academic workforce, elevating the quality of education and research, and contributing to the development of a knowledgeable and skilled society.

4. Process Overview

The process consists of five phases; Establishing the Need to Hire; Advertisement and Application; Selection Process; Offer; and Final Hiring Procedure. See Appendix 5.1 Flow Chart of Alfaisal University Hiring Process. In the Appendix details can also be found on the UHC-Academic Position Requisition Form (UHC-APRF), UHC-Manpower Plan (UHC-MP), UHC-Candidate Interview Summary (UHC-CIS), Search Committee Ranking Sheet (UHC-SCRS), and letters to unsuccessful candidates.

4.1 Phase I: Establishing Need to Hire & Roles of HoD, Dean, President & University Hiring Committee.

The Head of Department (HoD), either proactively or at the Dean’s solicitation, shall establish the department’s needs for the next academic year and prepare a Manpower Plan (UHC-MP) and an Academic Position Requisition Form (UHC- APRF). The need may be established in case of departure, increase of enrollment, and new tracks/programs.

It is prudent for HoD to devise contingency plans in case a hire is not approved or found in due time. The Dean should verify the need for hire based on the HoD’s input and the approval of the College Council before presenting it to the UHC and President’s office. The Dean’s consideration for the new hire shall verify the teaching load assignment and the budgetary needs for hire. Load distribution in the MP must be verified as per Alfaisal University standing policies/contracts and consistent with the College’s approved mandate (e.g., program study plans). Once these verifications are complete, the Dean shall forward the request to the University Hiring Committee for review. The forwarding shall be made towards the end of September or beginning of October. When more than one post is to be forwarded to the UHC, the Dean may aggregate the advertisement statements into one. The UHC will review the APRF and MP and share its recommendation with the President for approval.

The UHC must review the manpower plan along with the pre-requisition form before approving hires and posting job advertisements. The subsequent phase (Advertisement and Receipt of Applications) should only commence after the approval of the college requisition(s).

Phase I is crucial to ensure the hire is aligned with the University's vision and mission, and for granting final approval on the budget associated with the position and its advertisements by the President. In a standard hiring cycle, the UHC-MP and UHC-APRF must be approved by December 1st each year.

Delete this “The President’s mandate is to verify the hire’s alignment with the University’s vision and mission, as well as yield the final approval on the budget required for the post and the advertisements. In a normal hiring cycle, the President’s approval for the UHC-MP and UHC-APRF must be granted before the 1st of December of each year.”

4.2 Phase II: Advertisement and Receipt of Applications

The IT Department in coordination with College/HR must promptly generate an application portal to receive job applications. As a way of initial screening, the application portal shall not accept applications where the required documents have not been uploaded, or the candidate doesn’t meet the minimum requirements for the position. The Head of Department is to provide the following items:

Advertisement statement & venues
In the advertisement statement, it should indicate the following required documents as applicable:
- Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- Teaching Statement
- Teaching Evaluations
- Research Statement
- Promotion Letters (for professorial ranks higher than assistant)
- Reference Letters if applicable
- Scan copy of degree and transcripts (BS, MS, and/or Ph.D.)
- Any additional documents required by the College
Deadline for applications

College/HR must submit the job ad to the UHC who must advertise in the following venues:

Chronicles of Higher Education.
Higher Education Jobs.

College/HR may advertise in the following venues:

Alfaisal University’s Social Media Platforms (LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, etc.)
Any other general academic venues or specialized venues recommended by the College

Advertisements should be posted no later than the end of the second week of December. In addition to the statements provided by the College, an advertisement must indicate application portal and deadline. Full job details and requirements are expected to be provided at least on the application portal. In a normal hiring cycle, evaluation of applications would start mid-January of each year. The application portal, however, would continue to receive applications until the position is filled.

4.3 Phase III: Selection Process

The Search Committee (SC) should perform an initial screening of the submitted applications in a documented manner. An application may be screened for the following reasons.

Applicants not meeting the minimum position requirements.
Involvement in activities deemed non-condonable by local customs.
Degrees expected to be denied based on MoE’s specifications, e.g., unrecognized universities, or PhDs attained online.

4.3.1 Role of Department/College Search Committee

The Search Committee (SC) at the department or College level is an ad-hoc committee created at the Dean’s discretion, and which recommendations are non-binding to the Dean. All SC activity must be logged, and signed minutes must be generated for its meetings and decisions. All SC activity must be logged, and signed minutes must be generated for its meetings and decisions. The SC applies this policy’s Confidentiality and Privacy clause. The SC structure should include at least three members including the following:

HoD of the hiring department or their representative as SC Chair
A faculty member from within the hiring department
A faculty member from another department within the same College.

The SC proceeds as follows:

Review files and logs retrieved from the Job Portal.
Distribute non-screened files to committee members for review.
Call for an initial meeting to generate a shortlist of candidates.
Schedule and conduct interviews.
Applicants obtaining degree from non-English speaking countries must provide IELTS certificate of a score ≥ 6.5.

Once the shortlisted applicants have been identified, the SC proceeds with arranging for interviews, completing the Candidate Interview Summary (UHC-CIS) and Search Committee Ranking Sheet (UHC-SCRS), and produce SC meeting minutes. In considering years of experience, the SC should always weigh the number of years against the quality of experience.

4.3.2 Interviews

The main objective of an interview is to ascertain whether a candidate’s presentation and communication matches those described in their documents. Moreover, the SC needs to ascertain that the candidate is a reasonable fit for the description and/or role of the post. The SC is responsible for contacting the candidates and scheduling interviews. SC members must be present for all interviews and individually complete the UHC-CIS and UHC-SCRS. Other faculty members may join, but they must maintain confidentiality and privacy considerations of the interview.

Ideally, a candidate is to be personally interviewed if the budget allows and asked to offer a public presentation and/or a sample class. Feedback from non-committee faculty members and/or students on such events may be solicited and amended to the file. Candidates within proximity to Riyadh must be interviewed in person. If a personal interview is not possible, interview via video conferencing is the next best alternative. A reasonable room with good communication facilities must be chosen to conduct the interview.

SC members are to take the Candidate Interview Summary (UHC-CIS) and Search Committee Ranking Sheet (UHC-SCRS) documents as a basis for the interview. The Chair should be prepared to respond the candidates queries about all aspects relevant to the post. The conclusion of an interview is a completed UHC-CIS form signed by all SC members. Any further deliberations or communications are made between the SC and the candidate must be documented (e.g., for elaborations on matters raised in the interview).

Once all shortlisted candidates have been interviewed, the SC holds a final summary meeting for its activities. The goal of this meeting is to generate a Search Committee Ranking Sheet (UHC-SCRS) and SC meeting minutes. Search Committee should generate a ranked list of candidates as a means of contingency during the offer negotiation phase (minimum of 3 candidates per position). In the case that no suitable candidate is found for the post, the Committee Chair must explore with the Dean whether to extend the application period. The respective Head of Department must also generate a contingency plan. Once the UHC-CIS, UHC-SCRS, and relevant attachments are prepared, the files are passed on to the Dean of the respective college.

As some professors are promoted upon appointment at another university, the SC Chair must provide justification for maintaining a candidate’s rank at Alfaisal University including Promotion Letters for professorial ranks higher than assistant professor. The Chair’s justification may be rejected by the University Hiring Committee (UHC) or the President at their full discretion. As a matter of policy, Alfaisal University either maintains rank; or denies promotion upon appointment at another university. Alfaisal University, however, does not promote upon hire.

4.3.3 Role of Dean, University Hiring Committee & President

A Dean must ensure that the SC files are in order and is to apply reasonable scrutiny in reviewing the files. At the Dean’s discretion, the hiring process must be reviewed and approved either by the College Council or a dedicated ad hoc committee at the college level. The outcome of this review is to either approve or deny the selection committee’s recommendation, or to seek elaborations on certain aspects of the file. If the Search Committee Ranking Sheet (UHC-SCRS) is approved, the Dean forwards all the hiring files to the Chair of the University Hiring Committee including the minutes of the relevant meetings.

The Chair of UHC must first ensure that the Dean’s files are in order before submitting the files to the UHC. The UHC is a standing committee created at the President’s discretion, and which recommendations are non-binding to the President. All activity must be logged, and signed minutes must be generated for its meetings and decisions. The UHC applies this policy’s Confidentiality and Privacy clause. The UHC structure should consist of at least the following members:

The President’s representative as Chair
The Director for Accreditation and Quality Assurance
The Associate VP for Research and Graduate Studies

At the President discretion, other members may be involved in the UHC deliberations.

The UHC proceeds as follows:

Review completeness and coherence of the hiring process files.
Review applications received through the job portal to ensure best candidates were considered.
Ensure that reasonable efforts have been made to
- Meet University’s needs and quality considerations.
- Meet hiring process transparency objectives.
- Match candidate(s) choice to the College’s needs.
- Match candidate(s) choice to job description
- Candidate alignment with the Alfaisal University’s research themes
- Consideration/commitment for diversity

The scope of the UHC is to ensure that all candidates satisfy Alfaisal University’s minimal and general considerations, reviewing the quality and viability of individual candidates proposed by the College. If the UHC is not satisfied with the hiring files provided, it may communicate so to the Dean. If the UHC approved the hiring files, meeting minutes are generated with UHC recommendations and forwarded to the President for approval. Upon approval by the President, the decision and minutes are communicated by the Chair of the UHC to the Dean copying HR Department. The Department/College must fill up the online Position Requisition Form and attached the UHC approval for HR to proceed with the Tentative Offer Phase.\

4.4 Phase IV: Tentative Offer

Human Resources Dept (HR) initiates communication with the approved candidate on behalf of the University. This communication is to be made in coordination with the Dean of the respective College. In the presence of a ranked list, HR is to proceed with the highest ranked candidate. Upon rejection of the tentative offer, HR in coordination with the College will proceed with the second candidate, and so on. Rejections must be promptly communicated to the Dean. In case that all ranked candidates reject the offer, HR will seek possible further steps with the Dean. Possible next steps include negotiating the offer, restarting the hiring cycle; considering reasonable candidates that did not make it to the rank; or resorting to adjuncts for a set period (e.g., one term or a full year). Once a ranked candidate does accept an offer, HR is to proceed with finalizing the appointment.

At this stage, HR communicates with unsuccessful candidates (e.g., interviewed, and ranked candidates) a message appreciating their interest; regretting that they have not been selected; and encouraging them to reapply for future posts (see UHC-Letters to unsuccessful candidates in appendix 5.6). HR further communicates to all non-selected candidates a message that indicates that the hiring procedure has been concluded and that they have not been selected.

4.5 Phase V: Final Hiring Procedure

As indicate in Appendix 5.1 (Flow Chart of Alfaisal University Hiring Process), the following duties are to be overseen by HR through the respective departments.

Facility