The superintendent, subject to the approval of the director of the division of prisons and the secretary, shall appoint such associate superintendents as shall be deemed necessary, who shall have such qualifications as shall be determined by the secretary. In the event the superintendent is absent from the institution, or during periods of illness or other situations incapacitating the superintendent from properly performing his or her duties, one of the associate superintendents of such institution as may be designated by the director of the division of prisons and the secretary shall act as superintendent.