Title
Compensation Program for EHRA Non-Faculty Employees (IRPS & SAAO Tier II)
Introduction
Purpose
The University’s EHRA Non-Faculty Compensation Program for Instructional, Research and Information Technology (IRIT) and Senior Academic and Administrative Officer (SAAO) Tier II positions (“EHRA Non-Faculty Compensation Program”) is designed to provide competitive salaries in order to attract and retain the very best talent and expertise as EHRA non-faculty employees. The program goals include promoting internal equity and fairness, assuring good stewardship of University and State resources, and enabling managers to assign compensation that meets and, if appropriate, leads relevant external labor markets.
Scope of Applicability
This policy defines the compensation plan for EHRA non-faculty IRIT and SAAO Tier II employees.
This program excludes SAAO Tier I positions (e.g., Vice Chancellors, Deans), since compensation for these positions is prescribed by UNC System Office on a position-by-position basis.
Policy
Policy Statement
Compensation Structure
The EHRA Non-Faculty Compensation Program features a structure that includes job families, job levels and a series of salary rates through which managers can evaluate and implement compensation decisions for EHRA non-faculty employees.
Job Families
The program groups individual positions with similar responsibilities and job content into 16 defined job families, as follows:
- Senior Executives (Associate Vice Chancellors, Vice Provosts and Associate Provosts) (Job Family AA)
- Academic Administration and University Programs (Job Family A)
- Business and Finance (Job Family B)
- Clinical Administration (Job Family C)
- External Affairs/Development (Job Family D)
- Human Resources (Job Family E)
- Information Technology (Job Family F)
- Advising, Counseling and Student Support Services (Job Family J)
- Admissions, Recruitment and Financial Aid (Job Family K)
- Professional Librarians (Job Family L)
- University Attorneys (Job Family M)
- Centers and Institute Management (Job Family O)
- Instructional Support, Public Service and Extension (Job Family IPS)
- Social Sciences Research (Job Family SSR)
- Health Sciences Research (Job Family HSR)
- Physical Sciences Research (Job Family PSR)
- Unassigned (includes Athletic Coaches and other exceptional circumstances where a position falls outside the existing compensation structure) (Job Family X)
The appropriate School/Division Human Resources Officer and the Office of Human Resources (OHR) can provide guidance to managers and department heads in determining the most appropriate job family for any individual position.
Job Levels
Within each job family, there are individual job levels which help to further differentiate positions based on scope, complexity and specialized skill requirements. The following factors are among those used to assign each position within a job family to its most appropriate job level:
- size of work unit
- span of authority (unit/school/campus)
- scope of responsibility (including consequence of error and independent decision making)
- supervisory/managerial responsibility
- comparison to relative positions as appropriate
- nature and scope of research
- policy/program development
- research/academic impact
- fiscal and/or administrative oversight and supervision
The appropriate School/Division Human Resources Officer and OHR can provide guidance to managers and department heads in determining the most appropriate job level for any individual position.
Compensation Rates
For each unique job family and job level combination, there is a series of compensation rates intended to inform individual compensation decisions. These rates are as follows:
- The minimum salary defines the minimum compensation level assigned to positions at a specific job family and job level; exceptions to the minimum salary are noted in this policy.
- The maximum salary defines the maximum compensation level assigned to positions at a specific job family and job level; exceptions to the maximum salary are noted in this policy.
- The salary range represents the range of compensation between the defined minimum and maximum salary amounts.
- The reference rate is an aggregate of similar jobs at the 75th percentile in the outside labor market and represents an approximate midpoint of the assigned salary range for each job level. The reference rate is not intended as a formal limit for salary decisions in hiring or when deciding on a proposed salary increase for existing employees. Some employees will be paid below or at the reference rate and others above it based on a variety of factors as set out below.
Salary Setting Guidelines & Procedures
Factors in Determining Salary Amounts
Setting a specific salary amount is dependent upon a variety of factors which must be considered by departmental management in consultation with their School/Division HR Officer and OHR. These factors include, but are not limited to:
- available budgetary resources
- acquired knowledge, skills and experience
- employee performance
- possession of an advanced degree or professional credentials that enhance the ability to perform required duties of the position
- scarcity and uniqueness of employee skills and abilities in the context of the greater job market
- internal equity
- retention or replacement of employees
- relation to reference rate
Minimum and Maximum Salary Limits
- New hires and salary actions for existing EHRA non-faculty SAAO Tier II employees on or after January 1, 2013, shall not fall below the applicable minimum salary or exceed the applicable maximum salary based on the assigned job family and level, absent a specific exception permitted by this policy.
- New hires and salary actions for existing EHRA non-faculty IRPS employees on or after July 1, 2014, shall not fall below the relevant minimum salary or exceed the applicable maximum salary based on the assigned job family and level, absent a specific exception permitted by this policy.
- There is no requirement that employees hired prior to the above dates whose salaries fall below the applicable minimum salary be immediately moved to the minimum salary. However, the relevant Department and School/Division management should consider moving the employee to or above this minimum salary within some defined timeframe based on available budgetary resources. Salary adjustments in this case should follow standard OHR procedure for salary increase requests (see Out-of-Cycle Salary Increase Requests for EHRA Non-Faculty).
- There is no requirement or intention that employees hired prior to the above dates whose salaries exceed the applicable maximum salary have any reduction in salary. However, any future proposed salary increases for such individuals that exceed the applicable maximum salary are subject to the specific provisions and required approvals as set forth in this policy.
Exceptions
Exceptions to Maximum Salaries
Exceptions to maximum salaries may be requested using the appropriate salary adjustment/supplement form and are subject to the following approvals:
- For EHRA non-faculty SAAO Tier II positions, the maximum salary may only be exceeded when justified by critical University business need. Such exceptions must be approved by the Vice Chancellor for Workforce Strategy, Equity and Engagement and the Chancellor. Salary requests that are both 10% and $10,000 above the established maximum salary must also receive the approval of the Board of Trustees.
- For EHRA non-faculty IRPS positions, the maximum salary may only be exceeded when justified by critical University business need. Such exceptions must be approved by the submitting unit’s Dean or Vice Chancellor and the Vice Chancellor for Workforce Strategy, Equity and Engagement.
- For positions assigned to the research job families (SSR, HSR, PSR), the job level maximum may be exceeded, for either a new hire or an existing employee, up to the reference rate of the next highest job level within the same job family. This exception is intended to address the unique demands of the research enterprise and the dynamic nature of individual research projects, especially when movement of an individual position to the next highest job level is not justified. This exception should be based on essential operational or business need and must receive the approval of the relevant Department Head and the requesting unit’s applicable Dean or Vice Chancellor.
Related Requirements
External Regulations and Consequences
University Policies, Standards, and Procedures
Contact Information
Policy Contact
Office of Human Resources
CB #1045
UNC-Chapel Hill
104 Airport Drive
Chapel Hill, NC 27599
(919) 843-2300
hr@unc.edu