Compensation and Classification Redesign Project -
Glossary of Terms (updated October 27, 2008)
Job Classification Related Terms
Job or Position: The duties and responsibilities of an individual employee.
Job Classifications: A set of related responsibilities held by one or more individuals, conventionally known as positions or jobs. Financial Analyst I is an example of a job classification.
Function: A major service or discipline within the University, such as finance, information technology and research. Functions typically exist across multiple units.
Job Family: A subset of a function, describing a group of related job classifications that require like-skills and serve a similar purpose; for example Financial Analysis, Accounting and Accounts Payable within the finance function.
Job Family Progression: A series of job classifications within a job family that define a typical career path, such as Financial Analyst I, Financial Analyst II and Financial Analyst III.
Key Area of Responsibility: Groups of tasks designed to produce some key results of the function. Key areas of responsibilities are focused on the outcome.
Compensation Structure Related Terms
Compensation Structure: A hierarchical series of levels and salary ranges within which all job classifications are assigned for purposes of administering salaries. The compensation structure recognizes internal and market pay differences among job classifications.
Level: A designation assigned to a job classification within the compensation structure. Job classifications are assigned to a level based on the degree to which the job’s requirements fit a level profile.
Benchmark Jobs: Representative job classifications that are used to build the compensation structure and guide the placement of non-benchmarks into the compensation structure. Most benchmarks have good “comparables” in the marketplace, which helps the University link the compensation structure to market pay practices. Other benchmarks are selected because they are important for career pathing and thus serve an internal point of reference.
Level Profile: A description of the typical job classification attributes associated with a level. Profiles describe the degree to which job classifications possess similar evaluation criteria.
Evaluation Criteria: Job factors and competencies that the University has identified as differentiating the value of work.
Salary Range: Pay associated with each level within the compensation structure. A salary range consists of a minimum and maximum rate of pay for each level and a market zone.
Market Zone: The middle portion of a salary range. The market zone represents the targeted rate of pay for an experienced employee who consistently meets performance expectations. Market zones are based on market pay practices for representative job classifications (benchmark jobs) within each level.