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[tacubista]

Myself & my SO have been cross-country for the past 7 years, both at great institutions; he recently got tenure at his, and I'm going through it this year at mine, I think without any hurdles. We're both very happy at our respective places, aside from the 2500 mile distance between them. Now, though, I've received an offer from an institution near him, and I'd like to nudge my university into considering him for a position so that I can stay put in a place where I'm happy and which would be an excellent fit for him. Does anyone have any advice on how to raise this with my chair? (this may be a totally obvious question, but my chair is an expert negotiator, and I've had little success with him in the past).

[kamiakin]

So you will take this position if there is not spousal offer from your institution, correct?

I would ask for a meeting and tell him what you told us. You have an offer near your spouse and you are going to take it unless your university can offer your spouse a TT (or tenured?) position. If your chair seems uninterested you might go over his head and give the dean a call--what do you care you are leaving anyway.

Good luck!

[sciencephd]

Shouldn't you wait until you get tenure first ?  Doing it immediately beforehand seems like peculiar timing.

[systeme_d_]

Since Zharkov hasn't been posting for a while (to my knowledge), and since the OP says that the Chair is an expert negotiator, I will recommend reading Fisher, Ury and Patton's Getting To Yes.

And I agree with Kamiakin.

[msparticularity]

Shouldn't you wait until you get tenure first ?  Doing it immediately beforehand seems like peculiar timing.

I think the timing of a competing offer right now trumps other considerations.

[sciencephd]

Shouldn't you wait until you get tenure first ?  Doing it immediately beforehand seems like peculiar timing.

I think the timing of a competing offer right now trumps other considerations.

I assume the OP is looking for a spousal hire with tenure.  If so, we're talking about some pretty heavy lifting, which requires considereable leverage.  At the moment, OP does not have tenure, is about to come up for tenure, which is one of the most vulnerable times in one's career.  The OP may require more leverage to negotiate a spousal hire with tenure than he/she has at the moment. 

It also depends how the offer was obtained.  It may very well be a standing offer.

[madhatter]

Don't bluff. If you're serious about walking away and taking the other offer, then go ahead and make your ultimatum (but do it nicely -- follow the negotiating advice given).

If the chair says "no" and you say "psych! I'm staying" and then the tenure committee says "lol no way ttfn!" then you'll say ":~("