Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU) is recruiting a Professor and Dean for its School of CHIPS, the semiconductor school inside XJTLU Entrepreneur College (Taicang) in Suzhou, China. The XJTLU Professor and Dean, School of CHIPS job is full time and fixed term, but renewable, and the third contract becomes open-ended. You would lead the school’s degrees, research, budget and staff, and report to the Taicang Leadership Team. The salary is advertised only as “competitive salary in the market”. Applications close on 30 November 2026, and XJTLU encourages early applications.
The advert says XJTLU sponsors a Chinese work visa and residence permit, so overseas candidates can apply. Below I cover the duties, the essential and desirable criteria, the single-PDF application XJTLU asks for, the benefits package, and how to write a cover letter that suits a dean search at a Sino-British university. I also explain who this job fits and who should look elsewhere.
XJTLU Professor and Dean, School of CHIPS: key facts
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Employer | Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU) |
| College | XJTLU Entrepreneur College (Taicang) |
| School | School of CHIPS |
| Job title | Professor and Dean |
| Fields | Electrical and electronic engineering, microelectronics, IC design and fabrication, microprocessor systems, power electronics, digital VLSI, CMOS circuits and related areas |
| Reports to | Taicang Leadership Team |
| Contract | Full time, fixed term and renewable; the third contract is open-ended |
| Salary | “Competitive salary in the market”. No figure is published |
| Visa | XJTLU sponsors a Chinese work visa and residence permit |
| How to apply | XJTLU career portal (SAP SuccessFactors), one PDF file |
| Enquiries | Ms Mingyu Yuan, HR Business Partner: mingyu.yuan@xjtlu.edu.cn |
| Advert posted | 20 October 2026 (THE Unijobs listing 416735) |
| Deadline | 30 November 2026 (early applications encouraged) |
About XJTLU and the School of CHIPS
XJTLU was founded in 2006 as a partnership between the University of Liverpool and Xi’an Jiaotong University. Graduates receive University of Liverpool degrees, and English is the working language. The advert gives the university’s size as about 25,000 students across Suzhou and Liverpool, about 2,500 staff, and more than 1,300 academic staff from over 60 countries teaching in more than 120 programmes. Times Higher Education’s own data, collected for its 2027 table, counts 22,078 students, so the advert’s figure seems to include students studying in Liverpool. 2026 is the university’s 20th anniversary, and the advert says XJTLU is moving towards an integrated “Academy” model.
On rankings, XJTLU sits in the 651 to 700 band of the THE World University Rankings 2027 and in the 1001 to 1200 band of the QS World University Rankings 2026. Those are modest global positions. XJTLU’s pitch to senior hires rests on its joint-venture status, its English-medium teaching and its industry links, more than on league tables.
The School of CHIPS belongs to XJTLU Entrepreneur College (Taicang), which organises its schools around industries instead of single disciplines. XJTLU calls these Industry-themed Schools and runs each one with company partners. The college’s own page says the School of CHIPS was set up with ICLinked and the Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology (SIMIT). A 2024 XJTLU news story listed five enterprise partners for the school, including SIMIT and Analogix, and said the then dean wanted the school to develop and make its own chips.
According to the advert and XJTLU’s programme pages, the school teaches at three levels:
- Undergraduate: BEng Microelectronic Science and Engineering (with Contemporary Entrepreneurialism)
- Taught postgraduate: a master’s in Advanced Microelectronic Technology and Materials
- Doctoral: PhD programmes in the school’s research areas
Teaching follows XJTLU’s “Syntegrative Education” framework, which pairs an industry-themed major with entrepreneurship and enterprise minors. The advert lists willingness to engage with this model as an essential criterion, so read about it before you write a line of your application.
Taicang is a county-level city under Suzhou, on the Yangtze close to Shanghai. Rents and daily costs are generally lower than in central Shanghai, though imported goods and international schooling cost about what they do in any big Chinese city. XJTLU’s package includes a children’s education allowance, which matters if you have school-age children.
Responsibilities of the Dean, School of CHIPS
The duties in the advert fall into four groups. I have regrouped them so you can map your experience against each one.
Strategy and representation
- Lead the school into its next phase of growth with a strategy for the microelectronics industry that fits college and university goals.
- Represent the college at senior level with government, forums and regional and national bodies.
- Build working relationships across the school, the college, the university and the founding partner universities.
Education and research
- Lead development of undergraduate, taught postgraduate and research programmes.
- Bring in new teaching models and technology-enhanced learning.
- Drive teaching quality, industry-linked research and enterprise engagement.
Money, people and operations
- Prepare the annual budget and financial reports.
- Run day-to-day operations and build the school’s infrastructure, regulations and rules.
- Plan the workforce and make personnel decisions, from recruitment and development to promotion and termination.
Industry and income
- Grow collaborations with industry partners.
- Develop new income streams for the school.
You report to the Taicang Leadership Team and implement its decisions. The advert also includes the usual “other duties” line.
Requirements: essential and desirable criteria
| Essential | Desirable |
|---|---|
| A doctoral degree (normally a PhD) or equivalent professional practice | Administrative experience in an international or Sino-foreign joint university |
| Willingness to engage with Syntegrative Education | Knowledge of Chinese and UK higher education regulation |
| A record of writing and delivering future-focused strategic plans | Industry experience |
| Senior leadership achievements across teaching, research and business engagement | |
| Strong staff management and a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion | |
| An international research reputation plus industry project experience | |
| Substantial experience in academic leadership, financial management and people management | |
| A good track record with students and with industry | |
| An established external network and experience with senior stakeholders | |
| Service orientation and skill in planning and delivering services | |
| Credibility with academic leaders and partners | |
| High competence in English communication |
The list is long, but two items will sort the pile quickly: an international research reputation in a chips-related field, and evidence that you have managed a budget and a team at school or department level. A strong researcher who has never held a budget will struggle, and so will a manager whose research profile is thin.
Salary, benefits and visa
XJTLU does not publish a salary figure for this post. The advert says only “competitive salary in the market”, and the university does not publish a public pay scale for deans, so I can’t give you a reliable band. Ask Ms Yuan about the range before you reach interview, and ask how allowances are paid (monthly or reimbursed).
The benefits listed in the advert are:
- Allowances for housing, travel, children’s education and relocation
- International health insurance for you and your family
- 13 statutory holidays plus 34 paid days per academic year, which includes university closure days and annual leave
- Family, sick, marriage, paternity and parental leave
- Sponsorship of a Chinese work visa and residence permit
- A defined career development path with an annual review, plus professional development training
How to apply for the XJTLU Dean, School of CHIPS job
XJTLU wants everything in one PDF, uploaded through its career portal. Follow the order in the advert exactly.
- Read the full advert: open the THE Unijobs listing and note the three highlighted areas it asks you to address, plus the modules you could teach.
- Write the cover letter: address the selection criteria, say which of the three highlighted areas you can contribute to, and list the modules you could teach.
- Update your CV: include your date of birth, citizenship and highest degree. XJTLU asks for these because of the work visa process.
- Add three referees: give full contact details for three references. Senior referees who have seen you manage budgets and staff carry the most weight.
- Merge into one PDF: cover letter first, then CV, then referee details.
- Submit on the portal: apply through XJTLU’s career site at career15.sapsf.cn (the THE listing links to it). Create an account and upload the PDF.
- Send questions to HR: email Ms Mingyu Yuan at mingyu.yuan@xjtlu.edu.cn and quote the job title in the subject line.
Deadline
Applications close on 30 November 2026 and XJTLU encourages early applications. The advert does not give a closing time, so treat 29 November as your real deadline, bearing in mind that China Standard Time is ahead of Europe and the Americas.
How to write the cover letter for a dean post at XJTLU
A dean application is read by a panel that has to answer one question: can this person run a school of this size, in this structure, with these partners? Structure your letter around that question.
- Opening paragraph: your current post, the size of what you run (staff, students, budget) and why chips education in an industry-themed school appeals to you.
- Strategy: one plan you wrote and delivered, with numbers: programmes launched, enrolment growth, income, partnerships.
- Research and industry: your research field, grants, and one or two industry projects, ideally with a semiconductor or electronics company.
- People and money: the budget you hold, staff you hired or promoted, and a hard decision you handled fairly.
- Syntegrative Education: show that you have read about the model and say how you would use it in microelectronics teaching.
- The three highlighted areas and your modules: answer these directly, as the advert asks.
- Close: availability, notice period and willingness to relocate to Taicang.
Keep it to about two pages. XJTLU reads many applications from overseas, so a short line explaining your institution’s scale helps a panel unfamiliar with it.
Sample opening, for illustration only: “As head of a 40-person electronic engineering department, I launched an industry-sponsored IC design MSc and grew research income with two foundry partners. I would like to bring that model to the School of CHIPS.” Replace every detail with your own true figures.
What the selection process looks like
XJTLU has not published interview dates. Senior posts at the university usually move through a shortlist, online interviews, and then a longer final stage with a presentation on your plans for the school and meetings with senior leaders. Expect questions on how you would grow industry income, recruit international faculty to Taicang, and run a programme under both Chinese regulation and University of Liverpool degree rules. If you reach the final stage, ask to meet current staff in the school.
Common mistakes
- Several files instead of one: the advert asks for a single PDF in a fixed order.
- Leaving date of birth and citizenship off the CV: XJTLU asks for both, and missing data slows the visa check.
- Ignoring the three highlighted areas: the advert asks you to name the ones you can contribute to. Skip that and you look careless.
- No modules listed: deans at XJTLU still teach, and the advert asks which modules you could cover.
- A research-only story: the post is about running a school, so budgets, staffing and industry partnerships need equal space.
- Paying an agent: apply only through XJTLU’s portal. No genuine university charges a fee to apply.
Who should apply and who shouldn’t
You should apply if you are a professor in microelectronics, electronic engineering or a close field, with a head-of-department or associate-dean record and real industry work. Candidates from Chinese, UK, European, Asian or African universities can all compete, and the visa sponsorship removes one barrier. Experience in a joint-venture or branch campus is a plus but not a must.
You probably shouldn’t apply if you have never managed staff or a budget, or if your research sits outside chips and electronics. People who need a fixed published salary before applying should also think twice, as the package is negotiated. Early-career researchers should look at postdoc and lecturer roles first.
Similar senior leadership jobs to compare
| Role | Institution and location | Contract | Salary as advertised | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Professor and Dean, School of CHIPS | XJTLU, Suzhou, China | Fixed term, renewable | Competitive | 30 November 2026 |
| Dean, College of Social Sciences | SOAS University of London, UK | Permanent | Not stated | 9 November 2026 |
| Dean, School of Applied Technology and AI | Arden University, UK | Permanent | Not stated | 16 November 2026 |
| Executive Dean, Science, Computing and Emerging Technologies | Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne | Fixed term (5 years) | Not stated, plus 17% superannuation | 22 November 2026 |
If you would rather stay in research and teaching in China’s wider region, our post on the University of Macau AI professor job covers a role with a published salary. For CV layout tips that also work for senior applications, see our Europass CV guide.
FAQs about the XJTLU Dean, School of CHIPS job
What is the salary for the XJTLU Dean of the School of CHIPS?
XJTLU advertises a “competitive salary in the market” and gives no figure. The package also includes housing, travel, relocation and children’s education allowances.
Does XJTLU sponsor visas for foreign deans?
Yes. The advert says XJTLU sponsors a Chinese work visa and residence permit for the successful candidate.
When is the deadline for the XJTLU School of CHIPS dean job?
The deadline is 30 November 2026. XJTLU encourages early applications, so submit well before then.
What documents do I need to apply to XJTLU?
One PDF containing a cover letter, a CV with your date of birth, citizenship and highest degree, and contact details for three referees, uploaded through the XJTLU career portal.
Sources and updates
I checked the role on 29 October 2026 against the Times Higher Education Unijobs listing 416735, which gives the duties, criteria, benefits, application steps and the 30 November 2026 deadline. School and college details come from XJTLU’s Industry-themed Schools page and a 2024 XJTLU news story on the School of CHIPS. Rankings come from Times Higher Education (World University Rankings 2027) and QS (World University Rankings 2026). XJTLU has not published a salary figure or interview dates. If the deadline changes, I will update this page.
I am Jude Chinecherem, a final-year MBBS student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. I know what it feels like to want an education your family cannot afford. When my parents could not pay for my schooling, I had to learn how to find scholarships and work the system out on my own, with nobody to guide me. I came out the other side, and now I share everything I learned so the next student does not have to figure it out alone. This is the advice I wish someone had given me back then.
