The text of the monograph attempts to answer the research question: What are the competencies academics need at the beginning of their senior career? ln other words, what competencies will make academic staff qualified to autonomously perform their professional roles. The first part of the monograph deals with the theoretical positioning of the conducted research and its findings: it discusses characteristics and changes in the academic profession, conceptual definition and theoretical origins of competencies and approaches in the creation of the competencies profiles. Traditional and new roles of the academic profession are discussed and special attention is paid to the competencies of the academic profession in the national environment. The second part of the monograph reveals the findings of the empirical research on academic profession competencies conducted on the sample of 1130 academics of all academic titles from seven public universities in Croatia. On -l ine survey was used to examine the attitudes of respondents on the importance of individua! competencies for the successful performance of the role academics play at the beginning of their their senior academic career, as well as their attitudes on their level of mastery of academic profession competencies. The findings were partly expected. Some confirmed the results of previous research studies and some were surprising or challenging and certainly require further examinations and conducting new research studies. The answer to the raised research question is offered in a form of a proposal of academic profession competencies profile. The proposed profile consists of six nonhierarchically distributed group of competencies - teaching competencies, scientific management competencies, third mission competencies, advisory and innovatory competencies, scientific development competencies and general (academic) competencies. Academic profession competencies profile is based on non-hierarchical clustering approach to competencies profile modelling, i.e. on the model of multiple competencies. The profile takes into account a wide variety of competencies, but also enables a more specific access to certain groups of competencies. lt is possible to apply it on a wide range of academics regardless of their respective scientific fields or disciplines. ln this context, it enables a synergy of different academic activities without strictly set hierarchical frameworks. This monograph deepens the area of academic profession research in the national research area and contributes to the development and improvement of national education policies and academic practices. lts purpose is to assist the academic profession, especially its junior members, to walk their professional path with safety and to those more experienced members to lead and direct junior researchers with more confidence. To the carriers of academic (educational) poli cy it can help in providin g arguments for their recommendations and decisions, as well as in creating future legislative framework in the field of (national) higher education, based on research results .