Vacancy Management for Staff Positions

The recent dislocation in the financial markets is now roughly equivalent to that of 2008. In that context, the University is initiating tighter controls with respect to all staff (non-faculty) positions through an updated vacancy management program. Taking steps such as these now will help protect our people and resources in the future.

The new vacancy management program will require advance approval before any staff position is posted, or before any candidate for an existing vacant position is hired. Requests should be directed as follows:

• Provost Area Management Center: Sally Kornbluth
• Central Administration Management Center: Tallman Trask III
• Medicine/Nursing Management Center: Mary Klotman (School of Medicine); Marion Broome (School of Nursing)

Please note: our response in most cases will be to reject such requests, with the objective to protect our existing workforce as much as possible.

All staff positions for which you believe an extraordinary circumstance exists and a recruitment is warranted should be detailed on a vacancy management approval form and submitted to our offices for review. All schools and departments – including Medicine and Nursing – should ensure dean’s office or vice presidential approval before submitting the approval form.

Note that the review process is slightly different for the School of Medicine and requires a different form. Both forms are available on the Manager section of the Forms page of the Human Resource website.

As we continue to navigate these uncertain times, we encourage you and your staff to suggest creative ways to reduce costs and improve efficiencies at Duke. Please communicate such opportunities to administrative leaders within each management center – e.g. Jennifer Francis or Amy Oates within the Provost’s domain, Kyle Cavanaugh or Tim Walsh within the central administration, or Scott Gibson or David Bowersox within the Medicine/Nursing Management Center, or your local administrative leadership.

If you have any questions about the vacancy management program, please contact Human Resources.