How do I hire a new researcher in Aurora?

Before accessing Aurora, you will need the following information:

Social security number
IF PD/RA DOES NOT HAVE A SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER, they are required to apply for one. Link: http://www.hio.harvard.edu/social-security-numbers. When SSN received, the PD/RA presents the original document to Barbara Anderson.
Harvard Assigned Temporary SSN Until permanent SSN received, a temporary SSN will be assigned to PD/RA. LA completes FAS Temporary Social Security Number Request Form and LA submits to faspayroll@fas.harvard.edu (copy to Joe Lavin) FORM: https://finance.fas.harvard.edu/links/temporary-social-security-number-request-form-docx. Last 4 digits of temporary SSN will be emailed to LA within 24 hours of submission to enter into Aurora). (temporary SSN sequence is 999-06-xxxx) For more detail, see sample form at https://chemistry.harvard.edu/files/chemistry/files/annotated_temp_ssn_form.pdf Please enter the last 4-digits of Temp SSN in the Aurora comments.
Personal email address (onboard email) NOTE: needed for Aurora appointment entry and claiming HarvardKey (Harvard email address)
Date of birth
Local address (NOTE: If the PD/RA does not yet have a local address, enter CCB/12 Oxford Street as the address of record.) (PD/RA updates PeopleSoft when local address secured).

Aurora: https://aurora.fas.harvard.edu/login

Steps to Create New Appointment:

From Aurora home page, select CREATE NEW ACTION [ENTER]
then HIRE/TRANSFER/PROMOTION/DOWNGRADE [ENTER]
SEARCH FOR EXISTING HARVARD IDENTITY [select either HUID, or first/last name [SEARCH]
If individual found, [SELECT] button left column
If individual not found, continue with ADVANCED SEARCH [first, last, DOB, last 4 SSN (all fields must be entered] NOTE: real SSN or registered temporary SSN must be used (temporary SSN sequence is 999-06-xxxx). If you use self-created ‘dummy’ SSN, appointment will be denied, and there will be significant delays.
If individual found [SELECT] then proceed to SELECT APPOINTMENT TYPE (NOTE: Advanced Search is conducted against Harvard’s Identify and Access Management (IAM) database)
If individual still not found, then CREATE NEW HUID (lower right)
Advanced Search criteria pre-populate CREATE NEW HUID, then enter Onboarding Email [CREATE NEW HUID]
SELECT APPOINTMENT TYPE select RESEARCH (under Monthly Paid / Non-Paid)

NEW HIRE FORM

ACTION INFORMATION Complete Only Action Type HIRE (default) REQUISITION NUMBER is blank. [ENTER]

PERSONAL INFORMATION, HOME ADDRESS, EMAIL AND TELEPHONE

Personal Information Complete All Fields (NOTE: Either a real SSN or a Temporary SSN issued by FAS Payroll may be used in the SSN field. (temporary SSN sequence is 999-06-xxxx) Once the appointment is saved in Aurora, the SSN and date of birth cannot be changed – you will need to cancel and resubmit the appointment in Aurora). Tax Residency Required field.

Home Address Complete All Fields (NOTE: If the PD/RA does not yet have a local address, enter CCB/12 Oxford Street as the address of record, then PD/RA updates in PeopleSoft with new address once secured).

Email Complete with PD/RA personal email address (onboard email)

Telephone This field is optional, although you will need the cell number for group distribution.

APPOINTMENT INFORMATION

Job Codes NOTE: IF IN DOUBT, CHECK WITH Joe Lavin (6-3209). JOB CODE DETERMINES RESPONSES TO SOME AURORA APPOINTMENT REQUIRED DATA FIELDS.

Title	Job Code	Obj Code	Paygroup	Status	Benefit Eligible	Notes
Post-doctoral Fellow	069591	6150	MIP	Employee Postdoc	Yes++	Standard for PI paid (HU funding) NOTE: minimum salary must be $47,476; include any outside funding documentation
Post-doctoral Fellow	000949	6450	MEP	Stipendee Postdoc (non-employee)	Yes^^	Standard appt for paid by fellowship (processed thru OSP)
Post-doctoral Fellow (External)	061019	6452*	MEP*	External Postdoc (non-employee)	No	Cannot be paid by fed $; if paid more than $15K, then job code 069591; Total earnings between external fellowships and Harvard supplement must be at least $47,476.
Research Associate	061103	6030	MFC	Employee	Yes	Standard for postdocs after 5 years PD; 8 year limit (inc. 5 year PD)
Fellow	069649	6452*	MEP*	Non-employee	No	Outside grad students or researcher with no PhD; cannot be paid by fed $; Minimum salary requirements ($47,476) apply to any non-students.
Fellow (salaried)	000913	6030	MFC	Employee	Yes	Outside grad students or researcher with no PhD; Can be paid by fed $ (Dean’s approval-Joe); benefits covered by fringe; Minimum salary requirements ($47,476) apply to any non-students.
Visiting Scholar	069602	6452*	MEP*	Non-employee	No	Visiting tenure track faculty other institution; cannot be paid by fed $; usually pay by home institution
Visiting Scholar (salaried)	069603	6030	MFC	Employee	Yes	Visiting tenure track faculty other institution; can be paid by fed $ (Dean’s approval-Joe)
Associate	000502	Unpaid	NPD	Non-employee	No	Used to maintain unpaid HUID affiliation. Must be employed elsewhere.

^^Flat fringe rate charged to obj code 6261; can be split-coded; changes each fiscal year (7.1.xxxx)
*If paid
++Eligible if more than ½ time and paid >$15K/yr; no retirement

Appointment Start Date

Appointment End Date: Defaults to one year from start date. May be edited, but cannot be longer than one year.

Term Appointment: Checked by default (cannot be changed)

Aurora Group: Select from dropdown menu. Will only display groups for which you have permission to hire. [NOTE: Do not use the parent group “Chemistry and Chemical Biology”)

PS Department: Select from dropdown menu FAS^FCOR^CCB Other Academic (100537)

Harvard Location: Auto-populates from PS Department choice. May be edited.

Business Title: Defaults based on Job Code selected.

Employee Class and Rank: Based on job code selected.

Pay Group: Based on job code (See Above Table)

Offer FTE: Full time is FTE 1.0 (fully paid by HU). NOTE: Unpaid appointments will default to FTE .000286 (FTE cannot be “0”)

FTE Salary: Is annual salary based on full time (FTE = 1.0). NOTE: If Harvard only partially paying, FTE reflects percentage; e.g., HU pays $20K of $50K annual (FTE = 0.4)

Annual Salary/ Pay Period Amount: Defaults based on FTE salary.

Projected Total Payout: If appointment is not annual (12 months), Aurora will calculate based on the appointment dates.

FACULTY SPONSOR

Search for primary faculty sponsor (PI) in database. When located [SELECT]

COSTING

This section is only available for completion if paid appointment job code used.
Earnings Code: Choose from dropdown menu, then [Add/Modify]
Edit Costing: Default: Complete this section with applicable account string. [SAVE]
Add Row: If more than one account string is to be charged, then enter another row with the percentage to be split among account strings. [SAVE]

NOTE: If Postdoctoral Fellow (Stipendee Postdoc) (job code 000949) was chosen, an additional popup screen [External Post Doc Fringe (EPF)] will need to be completed for monthly benefit payments. The annual “Benefits Rate” will display along with the applicable object code. Simply enter the account string(s) to be charged. NOTE: Any amount not charged to fellowship account should be charged to non-federal funding account string (check with SSRA) [SAVE]

UNIVERSITY MAILING ADDRESS

Location Code: Search for correct location. The remaining fields of this screen will populate based on the location code chosen.

NOTE: If information changes need to be entered, must be done by PD/RA through PeopleSoft Self Service.

EDUCATION

Add Education allows fields to be entered. A full mm/dd/yyyy must be entered per degree. If day not known, use first of month (e.g., 01/01/2000). The PhD information needs to be included in this field.

ATTACH DOCUMENT

PDF FORMAT ONLY
Never attach document with high risk confidential information (NO SSN,passport copies, or visa documents)
Attach PDF: Document Naming Convention: YYYY-MM-DD FirstName LastName TypeOfDocument
Browse hard drive for document to be attached.
Document Type: Select from dropdown menu.

Upload each pdf file separately.

DOCUMENT ATTACHMENTS REQUIRED PER JOB CODE:

Title	Job Code	Required Document Attachments
Post-doctoral Fellow	069591	+ Offer letter (FAS template letter: https://academic-appointments.fas.harvard.edu/x-sample-postdoctoral-fellow-benefits-eligible-offer-letter) (must include title, appt dates, research project (purpose), salary, statement that term appt renewable annually contingent on satisfactory performance and funding. + CV +Affirmative Action Form http://facultyresources.fas.harvard.edu/files/affirmative_action_form_for_research_appts.doc (list all applicants since last PD/RA appointed; include PD/RA hired among applicants; PI signature now required; unknown gender-blank; unknown ethnicity - #7) Other applicants not needed if appointing graduate student from lab; list name of postdoc with search exception 7. +PhD Verification Letter or Diploma Copy (only if degree received in last 12 months). If outside HU, must be submitted from Registrar or Graduate Records/Dean’s Office. Faculty sponsor/chair letters unacceptable. Letters clearly state PD/RA has completed all PhD degree requirements. If Harvard PhD chair/dept admin letter suffices; CCB grad student-Joe Lavin can write letter (NOTE: appt can be entered as “Fellow” if awaiting PhD letter) +Signed PFML (Paid Family Medical Leave) Letter – Letter available here: https://hr.harvard.edu/ma-pfml Should use the letter in researcher’s preferred language. Researcher will need to sign on page 4 and initial on page 5. Now required due to new Massachusetts law requiring acknowledgment of PFML policy by all salaried employees. Once signed, upload scanned copy into Aurora.
Post-doctoral Fellow	000949	+ Offer letter (FAS template letter: https://academic-appointments.fas.harvard.edu/x-sample-postdoctoral-fellow-benefits-eligible-offer-letter) Must include title, appt dates, research project (purpose), salary, statement that term appt renewable annually contingent on satisfactory performance and funding.. + CV +PhD Verification Letter or Diploma Copy (only if degree received in last 12 months). If outside HU, must be submitted from Registrar or Graduate Records/Dean’s Office. Faculty sponsor/chair letters unacceptable. Letters clearly state PD/RA has completed all PhD degree requirements. If Harvard PhD chair/dept admin letter suffices; Harvard grad student-Joe Lavin can write letter +Visitor Participation Agreement (must attach in Aurora before appt approved) https://vpr.harvard.edu/visitor-participation-agreements
Post-doctoral Fellow (External)	061019	+ Offer letter (FAS template letter: https://academic-appointments.fas.harvard.edu/x-sample-postdoctoral-fellow-benefits-eligible-offer-letter) Must include title, appt dates, research project (purpose), salary, statement that term appt renewable annually contingent on satisfactory performance and funding. + CV +PhD Verification Letter or Diploma Copy (only if degree received in last 12 months). If outside HU, must be submitted from Registrar or Graduate Records/Dean’s Office. Faculty sponsor/chair letters unacceptable. Letters clearly state PD/RA has completed all PhD degree requirements. If Harvard PhD chair/dept admin letter suffices; CCB grad student-Joe Lavin can write letter +Visitor Participation Agreement (must attach in Aurora before appt approved) https://vpr.harvard.edu/visitor-participation-agreements +Risk & Release Form https://vpr.harvard.edu/acknowledgment-risk-and-release
Research Associate	061103	+ Offer letter (FAS template letter: https://academic-appointments.fas.harvard.edu/z-sample-research-associate-offer-letter Must include title, appt dates, research project (purpose), salary, statement that term appt renewable annually contingent on satisfactory performance and funding. + CV (only required if this is initial HU appt; already on file if continuing from PD) +Affirmative Action Form; http://facultyresources.fas.harvard.edu/files/affirmative_action_form_for_research_appts.doc List all applicants since last PD/RA appointed; include PD/RA hired among applicants; PI signature now required; unknown gender-blank; unknown ethnicity - #7 Other applicants not needed if reclassifying from postdoc; list name of postdoc with search exception 6. +Signed PFML (Paid Family Medical Leave) Letter – Letter available here: https://hr.harvard.edu/ma-pfml Should use the letter in researcher’s preferred language. Researcher will need to sign on page 4 and initial on page 5. Now required due to new Massachusetts law requiring acknowledgment of PFML policy by all salaried employees. Once signed, upload scanned copy into Aurora. This should already be on file for those being reclassed to research associate.
Fellow	069649	+ Offer letter (FAS template letter: http://chemistry.harvard.edu/files/chemistry/files/fellow_offer_letter…) Must include title, appt dates, research project (purpose), stipend (if applicable), statement that term appt renewable annually contingent on satisfactory performance and funding. + CV +Visitor Participation Agreement (must be attached in Aurora before appt approved) https://vpr.harvard.edu/visitor-participation-agreements +Risk & Release Form https://vpr.harvard.edu/acknowledgment-risk-and-release
Fellow (salaried)	000913	+ Offer letter (FAS template letter http://chemistry.harvard.edu/files/chemistry/files/fellow_offer_letter…) Must include title, appt dates, research project (purpose), salary, statement that term appt renewable annually contingent on satisfactory performance and funding. + CV +Visitor Participation Agreement (must be attached in Aurora before appt approved) https://vpr.harvard.edu/visitor-participation-agreements +Signed PFML (Paid Family Medical Leave) Letter – Letter available here: https://hr.harvard.edu/ma-pfml Should use the letter in researcher’s preferred language. Researcher will need to sign on page 4 and initial on page 5. Now required due to new Massachusetts law requiring acknowledgment of PFML policy by all salaried employees. Once signed, upload scanned copy into Aurora.
Visiting Scholar	069602	+ Offer letter (FAS template letter: https://academic-appointments.fas.harvard.edu/aa-sample-visiting-scholar-offer-letter (must include title, appt dates, research project (purpose), HU stipend (if applicable), statement that term appt renewable annually for up to 2 consecutive years contingent on satisfactory performance and funding. After 2 year appt, must wait 3 years before another 2 year appt. + CV (must hold tenure-track faculty position or equivalent if non-US) +Visitor Participation Agreement Must be attached in Aurora before appt approved https://vpr.harvard.edu/visitor-participation-agreements +Risk & Release Form https://vpr.harvard.edu/acknowledgment-risk-and-release
Visiting Scholar (salaried)	069603	+ Offer letter (FAS template letter: https://academic-appointments.fas.harvard.edu/aa-sample-visiting-scholar-offer-letter (must include title, appt dates, research project (purpose), salary, statement that term appt renewable annually for up to 2 consecutive years contingent on satisfactory performance and funding. After 2 year appt, must wait 3 years before another 2 year appt. + CV (must hold tenure-track faculty position or equivalent if non-US) +Visitor Participation Agreement Must be attached in Aurora before appt approved https://vpr.harvard.edu/visitor-participation-agreements +Risk & Release Form https://vpr.harvard.edu/acknowledgment-risk-and-release +Signed PFML (Paid Family Medical Leave) Letter – Letter available here: https://hr.harvard.edu/ma-pfml Should use the letter in researcher’s preferred language. Researcher will need to sign on page 4 and initial on page 5. Now required due to new Massachusetts law requiring acknowledgment of PFML policy by all salaried employees. Once signed, upload scanned copy into Aurora.

Associate	000502	+ Review letter (FAS template letter: http://chemistry.harvard.edu/files/chemistry/files/assoc-review.doc) (must include title, appt dates, research project (purpose), statement of NO COST IMPACT to CCB. This letter must confirm that the candidate holds a paid position elsewhere during the entire unpaid associate appointment – letter includes the name of the company and position. + CV +Visitor Participation Agreement Must be attached in Aurora before appt approved) https://vpr.harvard.edu/visitor-participation-agreements +Risk & Release Form https://vpr.harvard.edu/acknowledgment-risk-and-release

ACTION COMMENTS

Add any additional information helpful to approvers to review appointment.

COMPLETING THE FORM

Save as Draft: saves all information for editing at a later time, until submission. If any errors made, will need to be corrected for both draft and submission before action accepted.

Submit: Submits Aurora appointment information for next workflow stage in approval process.

Cancel: Removes all appointment details. Cannot be edited or submitted once cancelled.

ACTION REVIEW SCREEN

Once Aurora file is saved as draft or submitted, ACTION NUMBER AND EFFECTIVE DATE populate in Action Information section. If I-9 warning message received, this is addressed by Joe Lavin when he reviews the appointment for approval.

WORKFLOW HISTORY

From Main Menu, you can search for actions: Workflow History at bottom of screen. Records approval steps that have been completed by Approver Name, Department, Email, Telephone, Status (action taken) and Date

Aurora Help Links: https://about.aurora.fas.harvard.edu/ and email fasasap@fas.harvard.edu for specific questions