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Assistant Professor Job Description

What does an Assistant Professor do?

An Assistant Professor works in academic institutions such as a college or in a university setting. Assistant Professor responsibilities include teaching students and conducting research in a learning environment. Most Assistant Professors report to an Associate Professor or Department Head.

Our Assistant Professor job description includes the Assistant Professor responsibilities, duties, skills, education, qualifications, and experience.

Assistant Professor Example


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If you need an example job description for an Assistant Professor download the one below, alternatively we have many other Education job description samples and a job description library with over 3000 job descriptions templates that you can download for free.

What does an Assistant Professor do?

Assistant professors are employed at universities or colleges where they teach and conduct research. They assist full professors, guide and supervise graduates, and spend time conducting investigations and studies. Assistant professors may also serve on university committees.

Assistant Professor Role

Assistant Professors are employed at universities or colleges where they teach and conduct research. They assist full Professors, support, guide and supervise graduates spending time conducting investigations and studies.

We are hiring an Assistant Professor to join our excellent faculty. Our Assistant Professor’s job responsibilities will include teaching a requisite number of classes, providing guidance and supervision to graduate students, participating in departmental meetings and providing academic support to Professors and other faculty members.

To succeed as an Assistant Professor, you should thrive in a fast-paced, highly competitive environment and be able to respond to criticism maturely. Outstanding candidates are able to learn from senior staff as well as students and are constantly expanding their subject knowledge.

Assistant Professor Duties

  • Previous Teaching experience.
  • Published works would be advantageous.
  • Strong analytical, observational, and problem-solving skills.
  • A good record of attending conferences and academic events.
  • Excellent research, writing, and interpersonal skills.
  • A passion for teaching and engaging with students.
  • Patience, understanding, and willingness to help.
  • Ph.D. in the relevant academic discipline.

Assistant Professor Requirements

  • Assisting with various departmental duties and providing academic support to Professors.
  • Recruit, train and mentor new TAs and other junior staff.
  • Conduct research and publishing papers in academic journals.
  • Represent the university at conferences and delivering presentations when necessary.
  • Teach and supervising undergraduate and graduate students.
  • Provide demonstrations and supervising experiments and investigations.
  • Answer questions in class or via email or telephone.
  • Provide Professors and Department Heads with feedback on student progress.
  • Write proposals to secure funding for research.
  • Attend faculty and departmental meetings and voicing concerns or providing suggestions for improvement.
  • Previous Teaching experience.
  • Published works would be advantageous.
  • Strong analytical, observational, and problem-solving skills.
  • A good record of attending conferences and academic events.
  • Excellent research, writing, and interpersonal skills.
  • A passion for teaching and engaging with students.
  • Patience, understanding, and willingness to help.
  • Ph.D. in the relevant academic discipline.

Assistant Professor Qualifications

The education and qualifications of an Assistant Professor might include the following:

  • A Postgraduate Master’s Degree, Doctoral Degree, or PhD Degree in a related field
  • Two A Levels

Assistant Professor Desired Experience

The relevant experience of an Assistant Professor might include earning a Bachelor’s Degree, teaching students, or doing scholarly activities, where the individual can develop the required skills.

Assistant Professor Training

Possible training of an excellent Assistant Professor candidate might include:

  • Teaching Apprenticeship
  • Research Apprenticeship
  • A Second Degree in other fields

How to write an Assistant Professor Job Advert

Use our job advert template to write a job advert for posting on job sites and job boards. Our job advertising templates are carefully created to help you reach your audience and beat the competition to the best talent.

A job description informs the reader about a job, whereas a job advert’s main objective is to sell the job opportunity to attract as many suitable applicants possible. A job advert maybe the first touch-point a candidate has with your company so it is important to create a great impression.

Job Advertisements should enticing, so considering using short, exciting language which get the reader’s attention.

How to write an Assistant Professor Job Description

To write a job description, we recommend starting with a job description template from our job description library, which contains examples for 800+ positions and professions. Our job description examples include a job summary with duties and responsibilities and skills and requirements, which can be personalised for your job vacancy.

Job Description Advice - Guidance on How to Personalise an Assistant Professor Job Specification

The hiring process and recruiting new employees to fill your key roles requires a degree of personalisation if you are to attract the best employees in a competitive employment market. The right person for a crucial role or more senior roles will likely have other employers targeting them. As your job description will be the first point of contact, you need to nail your pitch and provide the best possible service.

Job Description Tips - Help on formatting an Assistant Professor Job Specification

When creating your bespoke description and advert, you should cover and promote these points:

Job title: This should accurately reflect the role and include keywords that top talent might be using to search for jobs.

Job duties: The day to day duties, such as administrative tasks, which vary depending on the company and inform the candidate if they can complete the role.

Technical skills: These are the hard skills required through training, such as proficiency with Microsoft Office.

Soft skills: These include the interpersonal skills and general abilities the right candidates will possess. For example, the competency to prioritise multiple tasks, handle customer queries and customer complaints, work alone, or build a good relationship with coworkers.

The company's culture: Highlighting your company culture and values ensures employees thrive and find outstanding job satisfaction. Candidates that are not the right fit won’t waste their time completing the application process, meaning you can focus on qualified individuals and hire in a more timely manner.

Career progression: Including the career path will entice candidates looking for career growth. 

Training and development programs: Smaller companies may need employees with previous experience or provide educational assistance over internal training offered by larger organisations with more significant resources. 

Employee benefits: Compensation and benefits often fail to appear in job ads and while you may want to hold your cards close to your chest, failing to include them is a mistake. Consider answering common questions, such as working hours and paid leave. Researching the average salary for the role in these early stages will ensure you don’t waste your interviewer’s and the candidate’s time.

Skill gaps: Your company may need to bring in new skills beyond those required to complete the key role and duties. Thinking on an organisational level can be beneficial when contemplating skills diversity.

Legal requirements: Ensure your job advert and description does not ask for inappropriate or discriminatory personal details, such as age, marital status, or religion.

How to Hire an Assistant Professor

Once you have selected your Job Description download it or convert it to a Job Advert. From here you can post/advertise your job across our network of job boards. If you wish to use the job description for a CV Template click through for advice and Convert to a CV

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