About NC State University
What is NC State University?
North Carolina State University (NC State) is a U.S. R1 public research university and land-grant institution in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887, it's the largest university in the UNC System with ~36,000 students and ~11,000 staff across all classifications. Major research strengths include engineering, agriculture + life sciences, design, textiles, veterinary medicine, and education. NC State is a member of the University Innovation Alliance and consistently ranks among the top U.S. public universities for research expenditures.
Where will I work?
Main campus in Raleigh, North Carolina, plus the College of Veterinary Medicine campus on Hillsborough Street and the Centennial Biomedical Campus. NC State supports flexible work and remote work locations for many SAAO + EPS roles via REG 05.55.11 (Remote Work Location); on-site expectations vary by team and faculty.
What is the NC State team like?
~11,000 total staff across multiple classifications:
- SAAO (Senior Academic and Administrative Officers) — executive + senior administrative staff
- EPS (Exempt Professional Staff) — professional, technical, and specialised non-faculty staff
- 12-month Faculty — tenure-track, fixed-term, and clinical faculty on 12-month appointments
- 9-month Faculty — academic-calendar appointments (the canonical tenure-track and lecturer cohort)
- SHRA — Subject to NC Human Resources Act (support staff covered by state HR rules)
- Temporary / UTS — short-term staffing (University Temporary Service)
This listing surfaces the SAAO + EPS + 12-month Faculty cohorts only, where the generous PTO policy applies.
Work-Life Balance
NC State sits in our Generous PTO category for its SAAO + EPS + 12-month Faculty cohorts. The leave structure is set by NC State Regulation 05.30.02 (Holiday and Leave Entitlement for SAAO, EPS and Faculty (12-month) Employees), which states it verbatim:
§3.2: SAAO Employees shall be entitled to accrue twenty-six (26) Annual Leave days per year. Permanent full-time (1.00 FTE) EPS and 12-month Faculty employees shall be entitled to accrue twenty-four (24) Annual Leave days per year.
§2: Covered Employees shall be subject to the same number of paid holidays as given to employees subject to the State Human Resources Act.
Holidays are administered separately from annual leave — they're an additional 12 paid days per year (per the NC State holiday calendar and the NC OSHR cap of 12). Combined: SAAO = 26 + 12 = 38 days/year, EPS pre-2025 = 36, both 38 for any SAAO/EPS hire on/after 2025-01-01 under the new Personal Leave Program ("EPS and SAAO employees accrue 26 personal leave days annually" per hr.ncsu.edu/benefits-and-wellness/leave/vacation-leave/).
9-month Faculty positions (tenure-track and many lecturer roles) are kept in this listing but are out of scope of REG 05.30.02 — they don't accrue annual leave. Instead they get academic-calendar time off: typically ~4 months aggregate between summer break + winter break + spring break, which is materially MORE total time off than the 38-day SAAO/EPS package.
SHRA-classified support staff follow the NC OSHR tenure-based vacation ramp — starting at ~14 days at hire and reaching the 30+ day threshold around year 20 of service. Use the SHRA filter on the NC State careers portal if you're browsing SHRA-specific listings.
Compressed work weeks (including 9/80-style fortnights) are available per REG 05.55.10 (Flexible Work Arrangements) on a manager-approval basis — not a company-wide default, but worth requesting if your team can support it.
Perks and Benefits
- 26 annual/personal leave days + 12 paid state holidays = 38 days/year for SAAO + EPS + 12-month Faculty (per REG 05.30.02 §3.2 + §2).
- NC State Health Plan: medical + dental + vision.
- Pension: TSERS (Teachers' and State Employees' Retirement System) defined-benefit or NC ORP (Optional Retirement Program) defined-contribution.
- State group life + disability insurance.
- Paid parental leave per Family Medical Leave + state-specific NC paid parental leave.
- Tuition waiver for employee + spouse + dependents (NC State courses).
- EAP (Employee Assistance Program).
- Flexible work arrangements (compressed work weeks, remote work) on manager approval per REG 05.55.10 + 05.55.11.
How to Apply
Apply via NC State Careers. Listings span SAAO, EPS, Faculty, SHRA, and Temporary classifications across all colleges and administrative units.