Staff Career Ladder Introduction

A Career Ladder is a process designed to formally progress a staff employee to a higher level of job responsibility within his/her current position. Since the employee and the manager work together to progressively advance to the higher level of responsibility, there is no need for a competitive posting process. The Career Ladder is basically a department-driven process, with 3 basic preconditions: 1) the department must have a genuine need for the higher level work; 2) the target position classification must be available for Career Ladders; 3) the employee must be both interested in the higher level work and able to demonstrate the potential to perform it successfully.

Career Ladder Benefits

Employees:

Can develop new skills and competencies at your own pace and in your current job.
Can advance to a higher level of responsibility without competition and without moving to a different work unit.
Can demonstrate initiative and willingness to work to further department and University goals.

Managers and Supervisors:

Can retain valued employees who are motivated to advance their careers.
Can attract high quality employees with the opportunity to advance within their positions.
Can develop well-trained employees who have high morale.
Can provide a higher level of quality and service to your clients.

Eligibility Criteria

An employee meets eligibility requirements for a Career Ladder if s/he:

Is a regular (full or part-time) member of staff who is past the probationary employment period
Is in a position that is classified at a level below that of true management
Was rated "Meets Expectations" or better on his/her most recent performance evaluation
Is not currently under performance management or disciplinary action
Has not already completed two successive Career Ladders without an intervening competitive position change (see Compensation Guidelines section 15.1 and section 16.1.)

Managers Please Note: Not all UNM position classifications are available for Vertical Career Ladders. For example, high level administrative and operational management classifications (identifiable by a second digit of 7 or higher in the Pclass Code - e.g. A7999) are not Career Ladder eligible (For Pclass Codes see Position Classification Description Listing). Departments must therefore contact HR to ensure position availability before developing a Career Ladder program for an employee.

Types of Career Ladders Available

There are three different kinds of Career Ladders available to eligible staff employees, depending on circumstances:

Pre-Defined Vertical Career Ladders
Pre-Defined Career Ladders (previously referred to as "pre-approved" Career Ladders) are designed for staff employed within identified position classification series. Employees may advance along a classification hierarchy consisting of 2 or 3 levels, such as, say, "Analyst" to "Senior Analyst", or "Assistant 1" to "Assistant 2" to "Assistant 3". Click here for examples of pre-defined career ladders.
Individualized Vertical Career Ladders
Individualized Career Ladders are designed to allow an employee to bridge into a higher position in a different family of classifications or into a position in the same family but not within a pre-defined hierarchy. Individualized Career Ladders are evaluated on a case-by-case basis, in discussion with HR, to determine whether the progression is appropriate to specific organizational needs, as well as compliant with overall Career Ladder guidelines.

Distinguishing Characteristics

Vertical Career Ladder programs, either Pre-Defined or Individualized, are predicated on the identification of the "Distinguishing Characteristics" between the responsibilities of the position classification currently held by the employee and those of the higher level classification to which the employee aspires.

Distinguishing characteristics are those key functional responsibilities of a position classification that make it significantly different from and greater than another classification at a lower pay grade. Distinguishing characteristics may in some cases be specifically noted as such on the description for the position classification. If they are not listed, then departments should use the 3 to 5 duty statements in the description that clearly define the difference in responsibility levels between the 2 positions. Departments should always consult with HR during the process of identifying distinguishing characteristics for the purpose of initiating a Vertical Career Ladder
In-Range Career Ladders (for more details see In-Range Career Ladders Supplemental Notes and Guidelines)

In cases where a vertical Career Ladder is not available or appropriate to the circumstances of an employee, it may be possible, under defined circumstances, to undertake an "In-Range" Career Ladder program to advance in responsibility without changing position classification. "In-Range" Career Ladders are evaluated on a case-by-case basis, in discussion with HR, to determine whether the progression is appropriate to specific organizational needs and in compliance with overall Career Ladder guidelines.

Initiating a Career Ladder

There are eligibility requirements for all Career Ladders, which must be met before the initiation of a program can be approved. These requirements are listed on the "Employee Eligibility Checklist" that managers must complete before proceeding any further with the initiation process. There are two versions of the Checklist, one for Vertical (Pre-defined and Individualized) Career Ladders, and another for In-Range Career ladders.

After the manager has completed the checklist and the employee and the manager have mutually agreed that a Career Ladder plan is appropriate, they will work together to complete either a "Vertical", or an "In-Range" Career Ladder Initiation Form, whichever is appropriate to the circumstances. This process includes an action plan for attaining all education and experience requirements and acquiring the specific competencies that the employee will need to be successful at the higher responsibility level.

Once this part of the process is completed the manager will enter an estimated date for completion of the Career Ladder onto the form. The manager may also include an estimated salary increase for the employee upon completion, within specified guidelines. The signed Career Ladder Initiation form, along with the appropriate Employee Eligibility Checklist, should be sent to HR for approval. Once the manager has been notified by HR that the Career Ladder is approved, the employee is ready to begin.

Supporting Documents Needed to Start a Vertical Career Ladder are:

A completed Employee Eligibility Checklist for Predefined and Individualized Vertical Career Ladders
A completed and signed Vertical Career Ladder Initiation Form
A Department organizational chart
The employee's most recent performance review, reflecting "Meets Expectations" or above on the overall rating

Note to Managers: The proposed career ladder is not valid without HR approval, and therefore should not be initiated until a formal letter of approval has been received from HR.

Completing the Career Ladder

The minimum time period for a Career Ladder is six months, from initiation to completion.

However, Career Ladders may last longer depending on:

The time it takes to attain the qualifications, knowledge, skills and abilities required to perform the higher level of responsibilities.
The time it takes to complete all the elements of the action plan outlined on the original Career Ladder Initiation Form completed at the commencement of the Career Ladder
The time it takes to demonstrate a satisfactory degree of competence in the performance of the higher level responsibilities.

Estimating pay rate upon completion

A salary increase may be awarded when the Career Ladder is completed, depending on individual circumstances.

Consider that the employee's base pay must be at least the minimum of the range of the higher level classification.
The guidelines for salary increases found in University policy #3500 apply to employees promoted through a Career Ladder.
Consider that employee pay rate increases should be reviewed based on qualifications that are related to duties and skills of the new position.
Consider that a reasonable promotional increase is typically up to 10% per grade to a maximum of 20%.
Review the increase in the context of other employees in similar positions in the department.
Remember that a salary adjustment made as the result of a Career Ladder will not trigger an equity adjustment salary increase for other employees of the same grade and job title within your department.

Implementing the Completed Career Ladder

Once the employee has successfully completed his/her career ladder, the manager must first complete and submit to HR the following documentation in order to put the Career Ladder completion into effect:

A Completion of Career Ladder Form (Vertical or In-Range), signed by the appropriate management personnel
A copy of any certificates, licenses, transcripts, degrees, etc. that were included in the Career Ladder action plan

HR will review and approve the documentation, coordinate the process of seating the employee in the position, and notify the department of the transaction details. No further action is required of the department.

Tips for Employees

Take the initiative; meet with your manager to discuss your interest in a Career Ladder.
Discuss your career plans and goals with your manager; decide if a Career Ladder approach is appropriate for you and if you are willing and able to make the commitment necessary to be successful.

For further guidance on forms and procedures see:

Tips for Managers

Discuss your employee's proposed Career Ladder plans in light of departmental plans and goals.
Be prepared to stand by your commitment to continually work with the employee towards successful completion of the Career Ladder.
As a manager, you have the right to extend or even terminate a Career Ladder if the employee does not achieve minimum performance and/or career development expectations within the estimated period of the Career Ladder plan.