CAREER LADDER GUIDE

OVERVIEW

The UHD Career Ladder

Program includes Pre-Defined
Career Ladders through which
staff employees are able to
advance their career goals and
move to a higher-level jobs
within their department,
division or the university…

The University of Houston-Downtown is committed to providing career opportunities and advancements

to its staff employees. The UHD Career Ladder Program is established under PS 02.B.08, Staff Salary
Compensation Program and Salary Guidelines and PS 02.B.12, Staff Training and Development Policy.
The UHD Career Ladder Program includes Pre-Defined Career Ladders through which staff employees
are able to advance their career goals and move to a higher-level jobs within their department, division
or the university in accordance with the UHD compensation and classification program. In addition to
the Pre-Defined Career Ladders, the Career Ladder Program allows for In-Range and Individualized
Vertical Career Ladders when there is not a Pre-Defined Career Ladder.

In accordance with UHD’S Compensation Program, job reviews are required to determine the proper
education and experience requirements, FLSA status and classification, title, salary grade and placement
of the new position within its respective job family and job sub-family. The job families are used in the
development of Vertical Career Ladders. Attention is given to external market factors and internal equity
when setting standards for UHD jobs. The Compensation Program includes the creation and maintenance
of formal job descriptions that accurately detail the duties and responsibilities of each job. Job
descriptions are available to UHD employees who are interested in pursuing a specific career goal.
Employees are encouraged to establish a career goal and develop a career path to serve as a guide in
fulfilling the education, experience and training requirements of the desired higher-level positions.

The Career Ladder Program allows employees to move vertically through a career ladder to a higher-level
job or horizontally to a position at the same level as their current job but in a different job family or sub-
family in order to follow the desired career path.

Moving vertically or horizontally within UHD’s Career Ladder structure is not a guarantee for any
employee. There must be a need in the department for the new position and availability of funds for a
salary adjustment, if appropriate. The employee must also meet the minimum requirements for the new
position to be eligible for a career ladder job change.

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DEFINITIONS

“Career Ladders are the

progression of jobs in an
organization’s specific
occupational fields ranked from
highest to lowest based on level
of responsibility and pay”
(SHRM)

CAREER LADDER
According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), “Career Ladders are the progression
of jobs in an organization’s specific occupational fields ranked from highest to lowest based on level of
responsibility and pay.” A Career Ladder establishes a series of job levels within a job family or job sub-
family where the nature of work is similar. The job descriptions outline the skills, knowledge and
responsibility associated with each job required by the employee to develop a career path and move
vertically throughout their career. A career ladder is usually limited to employees whose positions are at
or below the director level, although an individualized career ladder may be initiated for employees at -
or above - the executive director level as part of organizational succession planning.

DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS
Distinguishing characteristics are the key functional responsibilities of a job that make it significantly
different from a job within the same job sub-group that is classified at a lower job grade.

JOB ANALYSIS/RECLASSIFICATION
The Job Analysis/Reclassification Process is an essential function in UHD’s Career Ladder Program.

During the Job Analysis Process, detailed information related to a job, educational and experience
requirements, internal and external factors and work environment are collected and reviewed. The review
focuses on the job as it exists at the time of the analysis and with no attention given to the current
incumbent in the position. The Job Analysis Process is a required step in the creation of all new jobsas well
as the review and modification of existing jobs.

The Job Reclassification Process is the assignment of a new job title and/or grade to an existing position,
either filled or vacant, following the submission of a Career Ladder Job Change Request form to ESO. A
position is considered for reclassification under the Career Ladder Program when there are substantial
and permanent changes in the distinguishing characteristics of the job, the basic job duties, complexity
and knowledge requirements. Reclassifications may result in a pay grade increase. Whenever a job goes
through the job analysis/reclassification process, the job description is revised to reflect the updated job

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information and competencies. Reclassifications may result in changes that affect the job family and
career ladder and may require the reassignment of a new career ladder code.

JOB DESCRIPTION
A job description is a summary of the most important features of a job. The job description describes the
distinguishing characteristics of the job, duties, supervisory responsibilities (if any), experience,
educational requirements, position-specific competencies and special requirements, such as required
licenses or certifications. The focus of the job description is the job itself and not on any specific individual
who may fill the job. Job descriptions are created in Employment Services and Operations (ESO) following
a comprehensive job analysis using the information provided on the Job Analysis Questionnaire. Job
descriptions are used for several functions including:

 Determining job value or worth

 Assigning a job to a job family
 Recruiting/selecting candidates
 Determining appropriate career ladders
 Creating training programs for employee development

JOB FAMILY
The job family is the broadest grouping of jobs within UHD and is generally a grouping of jobs based on
the division. Larger divisions that contain diverse jobs and responsibilities within several departments are
separated by departments and the larger departments become separate job families. Recurring jobs with
similar skills and responsibilities that exist across all divisions may be grouped into a job family. For
PeopleSoft purposes, each job family is assigned a unique three (3) character Job Family Code. The first
two characters identify the job family as belonging to UHD and the third is an Alpha Character assigned to
the job family.

JOB GRADE
Job grade is defined as a collection of jobs that have the same value or worth for compensation purposes.
Jobs that form a portion of a specific job grade have similar job descriptions, knowledge, skills, abilities
and requirements, thus making the pay scale similar for those jobs. Salary adjustments resulting from a
career ladder change are based on UHD’s salary structures and the new job grade. These salary
adjustments must follow UHD’s staff compensation policy.

JOB SUB-FAMILY
The job sub-family further breaks down a job family into smaller units based of the department’s structure
or job functions. Job families that represent a single department within a division may be further divided
into job sub-families. The job sub-family allows positions to be viewed based on specific job functions
within a smaller department or unit.

JOB SUB-FAMILY SUB-GROUP

The job sub-family sub-group is the smallest grouping of positions into small units for the purpose of
creating job hierarchies. The sub-group is made up of jobs within the sub-family with similar job duties.
The job hierarchies arrange jobs from the highest to the lowest ranking based on the job grade. The jobs

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are assigned Career Ladder Codes within the sub-group with the highest grade having the smaller numeric
ranking. For example, a manager in a sub-group is ranked “1” to identify it as the highest level.

TYPES OF CAREER LADDERS

If an employee is in a position that

does not have a pre-defined vertical
career ladder and is assigned new
major additional duties and/or
responsibilities, an assessment will
be conducted by ESO to determine
whether the added responsibilities
merit a new title and higher grade.

PRE-DEFINED VERTICAL CAREER LADDER

Staff positions with a clearly defined hierarchy of job classifications are part of a pre-defined career ladder.
These hierarchies consist of titles with multiple levels, such as Academic Advisor I, Academic Advisor II
and Academic Advisor III. Employees may advance along the career ladder to the next level by achieving
the required skills, knowledge and experience required for the higher-level job  provided the next higher
level is available and necessary.

Pre-Defined Vertical Career Ladders are also identified in a sub-group from jobs having similar duties and
hierarchy based on their job grade. A career ladder may begin with Office Assistant as the lowest level
and then advance to Administrative Assistant I, Administrative Assistant II, Administrative Assistant III and
finally Department Business Administratror I. It is also possible for more than one job at a lower level to
have the same next highest level job. For example, the Office Assistant and Records Technician I positions
may both have the Administrative Assistant I as the next level job on their respective career ladders.

An employee’s department may not incorporate the next level job outlined in the Pre-Defined Career
Ladder. This does not limit the employee from advancing to a higher job and reaching their career goals.
An employee may apply for a position within a different department as part of their career ladder path,
provided the employee meets the job requirements outlined in the job description.

A Pre-Defined Vertical Career Ladder may not include all jobs within the job sub-family. Jobs that are a
part of a sub-family but not included in the Pre-Defined Vertical Career Ladder are considered to have
Individualized or In-Range Career Ladders.

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INDIVIDUALIZED CAREER LADDER
Individualized Career Ladders allow employees to acquire the skills, knowledge and experience necessary
to move into an equal or higher-level job within the same or a different job family or job-sub family.
Employees requesting a vertical Individualized Career Ladder are usually at the executive/administrative
level or at the highest level job within their current job sub-family where a Pre-Defined Career Ladder
does not exist for their current job. Individualized Vertical Career Ladders are often associated with a
division’s succession plan. Jobs assigned to an Individualized Career Ladder hold the rank of Director or
higher. Horizontal individualized career ladders also exist and are geared toward employees at the
director level or higher who choose to move to a different position, at their current salary grade, but in a
different job family or job sub-family. For example, the Director of Financial Reporting may decide to
change career paths by moving to the Director of Student Accounting and Collections position if he/she
meets the requirements of the position. These two positions are in different job sub-familes, as per below.

(G1) Finance & Accounting

G1A Administration
G1B General Accounting
G1C Accounts Payable
G1D Travel
G1E Student Accounting

IN-RANGE CAREER LADDER

In-Range Career Ladders are available for jobs that do not have Pre-Defined Vertical Career Ladders. If an
employee is in a position that does not have a Pre-Defined Vertical Career Ladder and is assigned new
major additional duties and/or responsibilities, an assessment will be conducted by ESO to determine
whether the added responsibilities merit a new title and higher grade. As with Pre-Defined Career Ladders,
salary adjustments are not automatic. There must be a documented need for the employee to take on
the additional duties and all changes must be approved by the employee’s supervisor in concurrence with
the department head and ESO. These assessments are made on a case-by-case basis when requested by
the employee’s supervisor.

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 Table I - Example Job Hierarchy
The table below is a sample job hierarchy used to develop a career ladder. This is only a example and does
not reflect UHD current job titles. This chart depicts five departments and three job families. Existing job
titles may differ in each department. The career ladder below moves the Administrator I to Administrator
II then to Administrator III, as indicated in Department 5.

Highest
Level 1 President
Level 2 Sr. Vice President

Job Family A Job Family A Job Family B Job Family B Job Family C
Department 1 Department 2 Department 3 Department 4 Department 5
Level 3 Vice President Vice President Vice President Vice President Vice President
Level 4 Associate/Assistant Associate/Assistant
Vice President Vice President t
Level 5 Executive Director Executive Director Executive Director
Level 6 Director Director Director
Level 7 Associate/Assistant Associate/Assistant Associate/Assistant
Director Director Director
Level 8 Manager Manager
Level 9 Administrator III Administrator III Administrator III
Level 10 Administrator II Administrator II Administrator II
Level 11 Administrator I Specialist IV Administrator I Administrator I
Level 12 Coordinator Coordinator Specialist III Supervisor
Level 13 Specialist II Staff III Staff III
Level 14 Specialist I Staff II Specialist I Staff II Staff II
Level 15 Staff I Staff I Staff I Staff I

 Department 1 does not have the Administrator III job level. An Administrator II in Department 1
would follow their Pre-Defined Career Ladder to Department 2 where the Administrator III job
level exists within the job family.
 A Specialist I in Department 3 could follow their Pre-Defined Career Ladder to the highest level of
the job, the Specialist IV, in their current department. Once the employee reached Specialist IV,
their career ladder would no longer be pre-defined but become an In-Range Career Ladder. If this
employee is not interested in moving to a different job family, their career ladder growth will be
established through the In-Range Career Ladder procedures.
 In Department 5 an employee at level Staff I could advance to the highest level of their job, which
is Staff III. The job family does not contain the next highest level job. There are three job titles at
the next level within the other two job families: Coordinator, Specialist III and Supervisor. The
employee can plan his/her career path to obtain the required education, skills and experience to
move into a higher job within a different job family. Gaining experience may require a transfer to
a job within a different department that is at the same level. For example, the Staff III employee
in Department 5 could request a transfer to the Staff III position in Department 4. From this
position, the employee could acquire the skills to move into the Supervisor job in Department 4.

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 Table II – Determining the Career Ladder Type
Table II below illustrates how jobs are assigned to a Career Ladder Type. Using the job titles and levels
from Table I, the two departments in the table below indicates the Career Ladder Type.

Department A Department B

Job Title Next Assigned Career Job Title Next Assigned Career
Level Job Ladder Type Level Job Ladder Type
Exists? Exists?
Director N/A Individualized Vice President N/A Individualized
Associate/Assistant Yes Pre-Defined Executive Director YES Individualized
Director
Manager Yes Pre-Defined Director Yes Individualized
Administrator II No In-Range Associate Director Yes Pre-Defined
Administrator I Yes Pre-Defined Administrator II No In-Range
Coordinator Yes Pre-Defined Administrator I Yes Pre-Defined
Specialist I No In-Range Supervisor Yes Pre-Defined
Specialist I No In-Range Coordinator Yes Pre-Defined
Staff II No In-Range Staff III Yes Pre-Defined
Staff I Yes Pre-Defined Staff II Yes Pre-Defined
Staff I Yes Pre-Defined Staff I Yes Pre-Defined

 Departments A and B show the Director, Executive Director and Vice President with Individualized
Career Ladder Type in accordance with the UHD definition for Individualized Career Ladder. UHD
assigns any job at the director level or above as an Individualized Career Ladder Type.
 Department A contains two Staff I jobs and a Staff II level job. Since Staff II is the next highest
level, both of the Staff I jobs would be assigned a Pre-Defined Career Ladder.
 Department A does not contain a Staff III level job, which results in the Staff II job being assigned
an In-Range Career Ladder.
 Department A also contains two Specialist I but no Specialist II. Since the next level job does not
exist, both Specialist I jobs are assigned the In-Range Career Ladder.
 Department B jobs appear to follow a job structure that contains most of the next level jobs at
the lower level. Staff I job through Administrator I are assigned to a Pre-Defined Career Ladder.
 Department B does not contain an Administrator III level, which results in the Administrator II
position being assigned to an In-Range Career Ladder.
 In Department B the Administrator I job is the next highest level for both the Supervisor and
Coordinator based on the structure in Table I.

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CONDITIONS RELATED TO UHD’S CAREER LADDER PROGRAM

New job titles may be

periodically created through the
Job Analysis Process and are then
added to the Career Ladder
Program.

1. Positions included in the Career Ladder Program must exist and have an assigned grade, FLSA
classification and complete job description, including required experience, education, knowledge
and skills. New job titles may be periodically created through the Job Analysis Process and are
then added to the Career Ladder Program.
2. Vacant positions must be fully funded and posted in Taleo, UHD’s applicant tracking system (ATS).
Staff employees may not be promoted into vacant positions; however, they may apply for any
open position for which they qualify, especially as part of the Career Ladder Program.
3. Duties and responsibilities may not be taken away from an existing employee solely for the
purpose to create a career ladder for another employee.
4. Career ladder requests that are part of a succession plan should be identified as such at the time
the request is submitted.

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EMPLOYEE ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

The overall performance rating

on the employee’s most recent
evaluation must be at the
“Proficient/Meets
Requirements” or higher.

1. The employee must be a regular staff employee. Student and temporary positions are not
considered part of the UHD Career Ladder Program. Student and temporary employees may apply
for a regular staff employee position.
2. Staff employees must successfully complete their probationary period to be eligible to apply for
promotion or transfer to other positions within their own department or other departments.
Exceptions to this provision must be granted by both the department head (or designee of the
employee’s current department) and the employing department and will only occur on a case-by-
case basis.
3. The overall performance rating on the employee’s most recent evaluation must be at the
“Proficient/Meets Requirements” or higher. These ratings indicate the employee has the required
skills and knowledge for their current position, which makes it possible for the employee to
acquire the skills and knowledge necessary for the higher-level position. If the Career Ladder
Request is for an employee who just completed their probationary period, only the Probationary
Performance Evaluation is required.
4. The employee must not be on a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) or have any type of
disciplinary action.

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ALLOWABLE CAREER LADDER REQUESTS

It is necessary to allow
sufficient time to evaluate
employee’s performance and
how well they have adapted to
the new position.

An initial Career Ladder Request may be submitted when the employee meets eligibility requirements.
Future requests should be submitted following a review period since it is necessary to allow sufficient
time to evaluate employee’s performance and how well they have adapted to the new position.

In the case of Individualized Career Ladder Requests associated with a formal succession plan, the need
to develop an action plan to move the employee into the higher-level job must first be established. The
Career Ladder Request in this case is primarily for the purpose of establishing an action plan for the
employee to acquire further skills.

STEPS IN SUBMITTING A CAREER LADDER JOB CHANGE REQUEST

ESO will verify eligibility, assess

the new job title and grade, if
appropriate, and ensure the
proposed salary is within
compensation guidelines.

1. Identify the need for the higher-level job or added responsibilities to the current job at the existing
level.
2. Prepare a brief justification to substantiate the need for the job change.
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 3. Determine is funding is available for a salary adjustment that may result from the career ladder
job change.
4. If funding cannot be identified, follow standard procedures for requesting additional funding.
5. Review the effect of the career ladder change on the department’s incumbents and organizational
structure.
6. Discuss the proposed career ladder job change with the employee to determine if the employee
is interested in pursuing a career ladder change.
7. If the employee is interested, have him/her submit a current resume and official college
transcript(s), if the required education for the new position is at a higher level than for their
current position.
8. Complete the Career Ladder Job Change Request form.
9. Initiate an electronic Position Request Form (ePRF) and attach the Career Ladder Job Change
Request form, a Job Analysis Questionnaire (JAQ) (if the proposed new position does not exist or
if there are changes to the existing job description), a current resume, official college transcript(s)
(if the required) and any other supporting documents.
 A JAQ is not required on Pre-Defined Career Ladder requests since the higher-level job
description already exists, unless changes to the existing job description are proposed.
10. Submit all documentation for approval.
11. ESO will verify eligibility, assess the new job title and grade, if appropriate, and ensure the
proposed salary is within compensation guidelines.

STEPS IN IMPLEMENTING THE CAREER LADDER CHANGE

…the manager must initiate the

job change and salary adjustment
through the submission of an
electronic Personnel Action
Request (ePAR) to update the
salary and other job data.

1. Upon receipt of an approved Career Ladder Job Change Request form and executed ePRF, the
manager must initiate the job change and salary adjustment through the submission of an electronic
Personnel Action Request (ePAR) to update the salary and other job data.
2. Once the (ePAR) executes in PeopleSoft, the job data panels will reflect the new job title, grade and
salary.
3. If a new/revised job description is developed, it will be uploaded to the ESO website.

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 Appendix
University of Houston-Downtown Career Ladders
Job Families/Sub-Families

DTA - Academic Administration

(A1) College Administration
(A2) Program Administration
(A3) Academic Affairs
(A4) Research
(A5) Library

DTB -Enrollment Management

(B1) Enrollment Management
(B2) Admissions
(B3) Student Records
(B4) Testing

DTC - Student Operations

(C1) Student Affairs
(C2) Academic Advising
(C3) Financial Aid
(C4) Student Success
(C5) Academic Support
(C6) Student Support

DTD - External Relations

(D1) Communications & Marketing
(D2) University Advancement

DTE - Employment Services and Operations

(E1) ESO Services
(E2) ESO Operations

DTF - Administrative Operations

(F1) Administrative Operations
(F2) Facilities Management
(F3) Police

DTG - Financial Services

(G1) Finance & Accounting
(G2) Budget/Procurement

DTH - Administrative Support

(H1) Business Administration
(H2) Administrative Assistance
(H3) Customer Service

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DTI - Technology Services
(I1) Administration
(I2) Enterprise Systems
(I3) Web Development
(I4) Technical Services
(I5) Computing/Telecom
(I6) Instructional Technology
(I7) User Support
(I8) IT Projects
(I9) Non-IT Technical Staff

DTJ - President and Cabinet

(J1) Executives

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 University of Houston Downtown
Job Family/Job Sub-Families/Sub Groups

DTA- Academic Administration

(A1) College Administration
A1A Business
A1B Humanities & Social Science
A1C Public Services
A1D Sciences & Technology
A1E University College
(A2) Program Administration
A2A Business
A2B Project/Program Administration
A2C Criminal Justice Training Center
A2D Urban Education
A2E Continuing Education
A2F Applied Business Technology Center
A2G Distance Education
A2H Theater
(A3) Academic Affairs
A3A Administration
A3B Assessment
A3C Institutional Research
(A4) Research
A4A Sponsored Programs
A4B Science Lab
(A5) Library
A5A Library Administration
A5B Librarians
A5C Library Support

DTB – Enrollment Management

(B1) Enrollment Management
B1A Administration
(B2) Admissions
B2A Undergraduate
B2B Graduate/International
B2C Veteran’s Services
B2D Operations
(B3) Student Records
B3A Retention/Release
B3B Electronic Systems
B3C Process Planning
(B4) Testing
B4A Testing Operations

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DTC - Student Operations
(C1) Student Affairs
C1A Administration
(C2) Academic Advising
C2A Advising
(C3) Financial Aid
C3A Administration
C3B Counseling/Processing
C3C Operations
C3D Compliance
(C4) Student Success
C4A Teaching & Learning Excel
C4B QEP
C4C Specialized Services
(C5) Academic Support
C5A Academic Centers
(C6) Student Support
C6A Counseling
C6B Sports & Events
C6C Disability Services

DTD - External Relations

(D1) Communications & Marketing
D1A Communications
D1B Web Content
D1C Marketing
(D2) University Advancement
D2A Administration
D2B Operations

DTE - Employment Services and Operations

(E1) ESO Services
E1A Talent Management
E1B Employment
E1C HR Systems Management
E1D Communications
(E2) ESO Operations
E2A Benefits & Compensation
E2B Payroll & Records

DTF - Administrative Operations

(F1) Administrative Operations
F1A Safety & Compliance
F1B Emergency Management
F1C Business Services
(F2) Facilities Management
F2A Administration
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 F2B Operations
F2C MEP
F2D Building/Grounds Maintenance
F2E Heating/Air Conditioning
F2F Electrical
F2G Carpentry
F2H Painting
(F3) Police
F3A Police
F3B Electronic Security
F3C Dispatch
F3D Support

DTG - Financial Services

(G1) Finance & Accounting
G1A Administration
G1B General Accounting
G1C Accounts Payable
G1D Travel
G1E Student Accounting
(G2) Budget
G2A Administration
G2B Budget
G2C Purchasing
G2D Contracts

DTH - Administrative Support

(H1) Business Administration
H1A Business Administration
(H2) Administrative Assistance
H2A Administrative Assistance
H2B Executive Assistance
(H3) Customer Service
H3A Customer Service

DTI - Technology Services

(I1) Administration
I1A Administration
(I2) Enterprise Systems
I2A Enterprise Systems

(I3) Web Development

I3A Web Development
(I4) Technical Services
I4A Systems Administration
I4B Data Warehousing
I4C Network Administration
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(I5) Computing/Telecom
I5A Computing
I5B Multimedia
(I6) Instructional Technology
I6A Learning Services
(I7) User Support
I7A IT User Support
(I8) IT Projects
(I8A) Administration
(I9) Non-IT Technical Staff
(I9A) Functional Systems
(I9B) User Support
(I9C) Management Systems

DTJ - President and Cabinet

(J1) Executives

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