Beyond Salary: Key Items To Negotiate in Your Next Higher Ed Role

Landing a new leadership role is exciting. You’ve searched for opportunities, tailored your application materials, and participated in rounds of interviews. After all of this effort, you may feel tempted to accept an offer without question. However, the negotiation phase is just as critical to ensuring your success as all the research you have done to this point. Negotiation goes beyond a salary that is commensurate with your experience, the responsibilities of the role, institutional type, and regional cost of living.

In this article, I suggest how to identify what else you need to be successful and how to frame your requests in a way that is more likely to be heard. You have the most power during the negotiation phase, so now is the time to ask. Start by checking in with the search firm, if one was used, or your contact to learn if the offer can be negotiated. In most cases, the answer will be in the affirmative. Then reflect on what you need to be successful and why.

Here are some suggestions:

Key Resources You Need To Be Successful

Consider the requirements for the role. What projects or programs are you expected to shepherd? What new initiatives would you like to take on? What will you need to successfully carry these out? Now examine the personnel, space, and financial resources your unit currently has to meet these responsibilities. Hopefully, you have gathered some of this information during the interview phase. This analysis could reveal that you need additional permanent or temporary staff, space to accomplish the work, or funds to ensure a successful outcome.

Don’t Forget That Time Is a Resource

Your new role is likely to take up much of your time. If you are an active scholar who wants to continue your scholarly and creative pursuits or if you are expected to maintain other activities that might not be directly related to your role, reflect on whether you can negotiate for the precious commodity of time. Things to consider negotiating for include a research assistant, editing and indexing services, blocked times or days in your calendar to focus on scholarship without interruption, and funds for writing retreats or professional conference travel in your discipline.

Leadership Development

As I write in my book “Leading Toward Liberation: How to Build Cultures of Thriving in Higher Education,”it is imperative that leaders new to a role engage in professional development to enhance their knowledge, leadership skills, and confidence. Yet, leadership development programs can be costly. For instance, year-long, cohort-based leadership programs can cost $10-25,000. Shorter programs may be $5-10,000. Paying out of pocket for these opportunities can be prohibitive, so ask for these funds to be included in your offer letter. As you research programs on the internet or by consulting colleagues, consider which formats suit your needs (residential, hybrid, remote; year-long, weekends, weeklong). In the category of leadership development, also consider the costs of participating in conferences specific to your portfolio (e.g., travel, registration, lodging, food). If the institution values your continued scholarship, request a separate amount for conferences or research trips in your discipline.

Executive Coaching

I include this item because executive coaching assists leaders to more effectively manage the operational and strategic aspects of their roles. In my experience as a leader who has received coaching and served as a coach to new leaders, this form of professional development can empower leaders to be strategic and build confidence in navigating leadership. Coaches are invested in their clients’ success but they are not attached to their clients’ choices, which allows leaders to grow into their positions. I paid out of pocket for coaching in two of my leadership roles but I have worked as a coach with a growing number of leaders who have successfully negotiated for coaching in their contracts. If you have the time to do your research, set up consultations with coaches (many offer free consults) so you can present estimates and potential return on investment as part of your negotiation.

Family-Related Asks

When asking for what you need to be successful, consider other parts of your life. It would have been very difficult for me to be a successful dean if I lived across the country from my then-young son and my husband. I was able to negotiate a faculty hire for my spouse (with department approval, of course!), which meant I could focus on my new job. Other considerations might be spouse or family tuition benefits or housing assistance, depending on the cost of living in the area.

Safe Landings

With high leadership turnover, negotiating for a safe landing makes good sense. Leaders who come up the faculty ranks are often provided “retreat rights” to an academic department. Staff leaders with terminal degrees may want to request a similar rider, especially if they have teaching and academic publishing experience that would warrant a faculty appointment or retreat rights. In addition, sabbaticals or professional leaves are sometimes built into contracts. Request at least one year’s leave after the conclusion of your term with no conditions. You will need that time to regroup and prepare for what’s next whether you complete your term, decide to leave on good terms before your term is up, or are asked to leave.

Frame the Ask

Once you have made your list of desired resources, revisit the list and prioritize items that are must-haves and nice-to-haves. As much as you can, identify a dollar amount for each item. You may also want to consult with colleagues or trusted mentors to get their advice about the probability of successfully negotiating these items. Then you are ready to prepare for the conversation.

Taking the perspective of your soon-to-be supervisor, why should they be invested in providing you with the resources you are requesting? How will these resources support your success in your new role? In turn, how will your success support your supervisor’s, your unit’s, and the institution’s success? Frame your asks in a way that meets both your needs and your supervisor’s needs.

In a time of budget constraints, it may seem like a lost cause to try to negotiate. Or you may fear that an offer will be revoked if you ask for too much in the negotiation stage (this is unlikely). Confront the fears that keep you from asking for what you need. You may receive only some of your asks. But if you don’t ask, you definitely won’t get. The best-case scenario is that you secure what you need to have a successful transition into your role. And at the very least, your future self will thank you for trying so that you have no bitterness or regrets.