Delegation provisions for team managers / course coordinators / research group leaders

The Team managers / course coordinators / research group leaders managerial responsibility and applicable delegation provisions are described here, in addition to what forms of decision-making power the Team managers / course coordinators / research group leaders may delegate.

A necessary precondition for delegation is regular briefing, coordination and communication between the person who delegates decision-making or signing authority,referred to as the delegator, and the person who receives decision-making or signing authority, referred to as the delegate.

What is delegation?

The following delegation provisions establish the boundaries of decision-making authority and signing authority for managers at all levels at Aarhus University (AU).

  • Decision-making authority should be understood as the power to approve financial transactions and render decisions.
  • Signing authority should be understood as the power to conclude binding agreements on behalf of the university with external parties, either as signatory or by oral or written confirmation, or represent the university in some other way in relation to external parties.

These delegation provisions have been drafted within the framework of the University Act and AU’s by-laws.

  • Delegation refers to the power of managers to delegate decision-making and signing authority to subordinate managers and to selected authorised employees. A manager who delegates decision-making or signing authority transfers this authority to someone else.

The delegation provisions include both mandatory provisions (must) and discretionary provisions (can). The discretionary provisions allow for a degree of discretion or flexibility for the units in deciding whether to delegate from one level to the next.


People management

Overall and operational people management must at all times be conducted in accordance with the locally and centrally established guidelines and rules, including the rules in the collaboration agreement, frameworks established in the collective agreements and other relevant legislation in the area.

People management is defined as the decision-making authority to manage, hire, dismiss and take disciplinary action against employees, including decision-making authority to agree on the specific terms and conditions for employment as well as to assign specific tasks to employees.

Involuntary dismissal of employees with special protections against termination (union reps, occupational health and safety reps, members of liaison committees and the occupational health and safety organisation) is subject to the approval of the rector.

The delegation provisions distinguish between overall people management and operational people management.

Decision-making authority

Academic manager

Decision-making authority for operational people management of employees in their units with or without decision-making authority to appoint postdocs and research assistants and comparable functions, as well as decision-making authority for overall people management of postdocs and research assistants and comparable functions, can be delegated from level 5.

Technical/administrative manager

Decision-making authority for overall or operational people management of employees in their unit can be delegated from level five.


Delegation letters

When delegating authority, managers must complete a delegation letter for the delegate(s). It is important that the correct template is used, as the template contains a code that must be registered in mitHR so that it can be used in the administrative support of the provisions.

If you are missing a letter or if you have a question regarding filling out a letter, please send an email to Tove Bæk Jensen, the Rector’s Office, at legal@au.dk.


Delegation letters for team managers / course coordinators / research group leaders etc.

Template (Word document) for download:

Select the template which describes what the manager has been delegated

  1. Has operational people management responsibility
    Download the template here: Skabelon Leder VIP6_DP_EN
  2. Has operational people management responsibility
    Download the template here: Skabelon Leder TAP6_DP_EN