Career Ladder Promotions
A department may wish to advertise a vacant non-bargaining unit and non-MSP position at more than one level and fill it at the level that best fits its business needs. The range of jobs advertised in this way is called a "career ladder" (non-competitive). To do this, a job description must be written for each level advertised, and each level of the position must be classified by the Compensation Unit.
There are two ways to use a career ladder to fill an open position:
- The department decides that filling the position at the lower level best meets its business needs. In this case, the job should be posted at the lower level and the job posting should state, "This position will be filled at the Research Administrator 2 level, with potential for non-competitive promotion to the Research Administrator 3 level."
- The department decides it can fill the position at either level, depending on the quality of the candidates that apply. In this case, the position should be posted at the lower level (same as option 1) and the job posting should state that the position may be filled at either level. For example, using an Research Administrator 1 and 2 career ladder, the position may be filled at either the Research Administrator 1 or 2 level. If filled at the Research Administrator 1 level, there will be the potential for non-competitive promotion to the Research Administrator 2 level.
If an employee is hired into the top level of a career ladder (see below for definition) or is hired into a non-career ladder position, the employee cannot be promoted using these criteria. Should business need change, the department can create a higher level position and fill through a competitive hiring process. If the employee has absorbed higher level duties over time, then a reclassification review for the position may be appropriate.
Definition of Career Ladder under Career Compass:
The Professional 1 level is designed for entry-level professional positions where the incumbent may have the educational background, but no or limited work experience. The incumbent is expected to move to the Professional 2 level after demonstrating full proficiency in all elements of the position. This takes a minimum of one, and often two, full business cycle(s) for the incumbent to experience the full scope of the position responsibilities. Moving to the higher level requires a business need within the department to fill the higher level position.
Career ladders from Professional 2 to Professional 3 are created based on business needs. A department may prefer to have the higher-level work performed, but can choose to hire an employee at a lower classification level and develop that individual over time. During this period, the higher-level work would typically be performed by the Supervisor, or be spread out among other positions in the unit. If the business need supports the action, the manager can move the incumbent to the higher level through a non-competitive promotion.
Career ladders do not extend beyond the Professional 3 level. Professional 4 level positions are considered technical leaders with a high level of expertise in the overall field. Given the extensive requirements for positions at the Professional 4 level, promotion to this level would not be expected within one or two normal business cycles. Additionally, business need may not support this level position in all units.
Employees who have been laid off or medically separated from the University have preferential rehire and/or recall rights to open positions on campus. These individuals are referred to as SPC (special placement consideration) candidates. Before you list a position in TAM be sure you inform anyone who has recall rights to your position. The SPC Coordinator can assist you with this process.
For more information, see Chapter 3: Classification.
