Evaluation of New / Vacant Positions

Definitions and Abbreviations

  • PTC – People, Talent and Culture 
  • Remuneration Consultants – Trained job evaluators. Members of the PTC Unit are also trained in job evaluation.
  • Local PTC staff member – the person at the local area with responsibility for human resources
  • Position Description (PD) – provides details about a position within the University environment
  • Job Evaluation – Job evaluation is the process used to measure the relative job worth of positions within an organisation at a point in time.
  • Org Structure – Organisational Structure Chart
  • Applicable industrial instrument – Refers to the applicable Collective / Enterprise Agreement, Award, Australian Workplace Agreement, contract of employment or legislation

It is the responsibility of the Supervisor / Manager to review the role and PD for consistency and provide the Remuneration Team with an updated PD for evaluation prior to advertising.

New positions

All non-casual positions that are new to the area must be evaluated. If the position (or a similar position) exists within the University, a consistent approach is required. The position description (PD) is reviewed to ensure the responsibilities are the same.

Vacant positions

Where the position has not been formally evaluated in the previous five years or where there are changes to the requirements of the position, the position must be evaluated.

Guidelines

  • Job Analysis

    Job analysis is the process of identifying the purpose of the position, the skills and knowledge required to undertake the role, understanding how the position contributes to the organisation and documenting the elements of the role.

  • Position Description

    The outcome of the evaluation process relies heavily on the accuracy of the PD supplied to the Remuneration Team. It is essential that the PD is comprehensive, clear and consistent and adequately reflects the requirements of the area. A poorly written PD can cause a delay in the evaluation of the position.

  • Position Title

    A Professional, Security and Grounds staff position title is not tied to a classification level. It is not unusual for positions with the same title to have different classification levels. This is due to factors such as the responsibility, accountability, autonomy and knowledge and skills required of the role rather than the position title.

    Please see the Position Titles – Guidelines.

Indicative Timelines

Forward the positions description to the central mail box: HRPositionDescriptions@unisa.edu.au.

The Remuneration Team will assign an evaluator. New positions will normally be assessed within 7 working days; and a reclassification of a position approximately 20 days, depending on complexity.

Where a PD requires an urgent evaluation, please contact a Consultant in the Remuneration Team who will indicate when a classification outcome can be expected.

Responsibilities

It is important that participants in the job evaluation process have a clear understanding of the steps involved, the indicative timeframes and the responsibilities of each party:

Local PTC staff member

It is the responsibility of the Local PTC staff member to:

  • Review the role of a position when it becomes vacant
  • Discuss the requirements of the position with the Supervisor / Manager
  • Work with them in the preparation of the PD to ensure it adequately represents the needs of the area
  • Forward the PD, org structure and similar positions to the Remuneration Team for review and evaluation
  • Provide further information on the position to the Remuneration Team if required
  • Provide feedback to the Supervisor / Manager on the evaluation outcome
  • Maintain PDs and org structures of the local area
  • Forward final PD to the Remuneration Team if advertising is required
Remuneration Team

It is the responsibility of the Remuneration Team to:

  • Provide assistance in the preparation of the PD and organisational structure if required
  • Recommend any changes to the PD to ensure that the selection criteria adequately reflects the requirements of the position and that the language and format is consistent with University practices
  • Request further information as required
  • Consider potential flow-on effects and implications to other positions within the organisational unit and University
  • Evaluate positions in accordance with the applicable industrial instrument
  • Provide external remuneration benchmarking and advice as required
  • Communicate the classification outcome to the local PTC staff member
Cost Centre Manager

It is the responsibility of the Cost Centre Manager to:

  • Decide on the number and nature of all positions in their area taking into account budget implications
  • Participate in discussions about the position and organisational structure
  • Comply with all aspects of the University’s legislative framework
Supervisor / Manager

It is the responsibility of the Supervisor / Manager to:

  • Review the role of positions when they become vacant
  • Make sure that the position has been designed to satisfy the organisational needs of the Unit / Portfolio
  • Discuss with the local PTC staff member the requirements of the PD

Steps Involved in Evaluating New / Vacant Positions

Step 1

The local PTC staff member and Supervisor / Manager and / or Cost Centre Manager develop a new position description (PD), and update the organisational structure chart. Where a vacant position has not been formally evaluated in the previous five years or where there are changes to the requirements and / or responsibility of the position, the role must be reviewed and the PD updated.

The local PTC staff member and Remuneration Team can provide advice about the area’s organisational structure and the design of positions. The outcome of the evaluation process relies heavily on the accuracy of the PD supplied to the Remuneration Team.

Step 2

The local PTC staff member forwards the PD, organisational structure chart and any supporting documentation to the Remuneration Team for evaluation, such as copies of related and similar PDs across the University. Comparison to similar positions in the University plays a significant role in ensuring equity in the classification outcome of the position. When comparing like positions, consideration will be given to the complexity and size of the work unit, the level of responsibility, autonomy and knowledge and skills required of the role.

The organisational structure chart is a necessary element in job evaluation as it shows the position in relation to other positions in the local area and University as well as the reporting structures.

Step 3

Trained evaluators in the Remuneration Team/PTC Unit will review the documentation and may request further clarification from the local PTC staff manager, supervisor/manager and other relevant staff as required. Delays in the evaluation process can occur due to poorly written PDs and a lack of information.

For this reason local PTC staff member are encouraged to submit PDs for evaluation in advance of the proposed advertising date to avoid delays.

Step 4

Positions and classifications that have potential to cause University wide implications will be distributed and discussed with other local PTC staff. Consistency across the University will be achieved where possible.

External remuneration benchmarking and advice will be provided by the Remuneration Team as required (e.g. HEO10 and above).

Step 5

The Remuneration Team will advise the local PTC staff member of the classification and may provide feedback on the PD.

Step 6

If the local area disagrees with the classification determined by the Remuneration Team, the Executive Director: PTC (or nominee) will hold discussions with the relevant supervisor/manager to ensure there is consistency with the classification and the PD.