Assistant Professor of English – Technical & Professional Communication

Carnegie Mellon University • Pittsburgh, PA

20h

About The Position

Teaching-Track Assistant Professor of English – Professional & Technical Communication The Rhetoric Program in the Department of English at Carnegie Mellon University seeks a specialist in Professional and Technical Communication at the rank of teaching-track Assistant Professor to begin in August 2026 . The successful candidate will demonstrate an interest in teaching and shaping the future of our Professional & Technical Communication programs. Our professional and technical writing degrees include a B.A. and M.A in Professional Writing and a B.S. in Technical Writing. The Rhetoric program oversees the professional & technical writing programs as well as our M.A. and Ph.D. in Rhetoric. We are looking for a new colleague to teach core and elective professional and technical communication courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels. See the list of courses in our MAPW program as an example of the kind of courses you might be asked to teach. This faculty member will begin as the Associate Director of our Professional & Technical Communication Programs. Depending on their prior administrative experience, we anticipate that within 2–3 years the faculty member will fully transition into the role of Director. Successful candidates ideally should understand evidence-based pedagogy and professional practice in professional and technical communication, be interested in the programmatic aspects of professional and technical communication education (administrative experience is a plus, but not required), have professional experience in the production of professional or technical communications, and be interested in pursuing research related to their administrative and/or teaching roles For further information about our department and university, see: https://www.cmu.edu/dietrich/english/

Requirements

• Ph.D. in hand by the time of the appointment in Rhetoric, Communication Studies, Technical/Professional Communication, Writing Studies or a closely related field.

Nice To Haves

• Understand evidence-based pedagogy and professional practice in professional and technical communication
• Be interested in the programmatic aspects of professional and technical communication education (administrative experience is a plus, but not required)
• Have professional experience in the production of professional or technical communications
• Be interested in pursuing research related to their administrative and/or teaching roles

Responsibilities

• Teach core and elective professional and technical communication courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
• Begin as the Associate Director of our Professional & Technical Communication Programs.
• Transition into the role of Director within 2–3 years.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees