» Home » Human Resources » Employment »

Job Evaluation

The purpose of Job Evaluation is to produce a fair and equitable level for all General Staff (Scale 1) positions. Scale 1 is the salary scale which most General Staff positions are paid on.

The Job Evaluation System used by the University of Otago is based on the Price Waterhouse system. Management band positions are evaluated by Human Resources using the Hay system.

The role of the Job Evaluation Committee is to gain an understanding of the positions and to evaluate positions in an impartial and objective manner. The Committee comprises members from a variety of areas around the university as outlined in the Terms of Reference.

Job Evaluation determines the level of a position based on the requirements of the position, not the staff member. The Remuneration Policy provides guidance on where in the level a staff member should be placed on appointment. The annual Performance and Development Review covers how staff members can progress within a level. The Committee will determine the effective date of any change in level, which is usually the date the Committee Secretary in Human Resources received the job description.

Criteria

There are ten criteria used to assess the level of a position. These criteria are:

Education – the qualification required.
Experience – the years of experience required on top of education.
Complexity – the degree that job functions are defined and follow established patterns.
Scope of Work – the extent to which the position supervises others.
Problem Solving – the degree of judgment, initiative and analysis involved in solving problems.
Supervision Received – the extent to which the position is supervised, degree of guidance available.
Impact of Discretionary Decisions – the maximum cost of single typical decision.
Contacts / Human Relation Skills – the degree and nature of contact / relationships with people within and outside the University.
Authority – the formal authority of the position to approve expenditure.
Supervisory and Managerial Responsibility – the direct supervision of staff.

More detailed information on the criteria above can be found in the Job Evaluation Criteria document. How the criteria are applied is confidential.

Requesting a Job Evaluation

To request the evaluation of a position, you must:

complete the Job Evaluation Form (this is very important for ensuring a quick response);
prepare the Job Description. If you have used another Job Description as a comparison please advise which one you have used;
include an Organisational Chart or description of your area; and
include a covering memo providing background on the position or information you think may be important to the Committee (optional).

Send the above documents to the Job Evaluation Committee Secretary, Human Resources, Clocktower Building.

Job Evaluation Form

The Job Evaluation Form ( PDF Version, DOC Version) must be used when you request the evaluation of a position. The form gives the Head of Department the responsibility to decide whether the position needs to be re-evaluated. If the position is essentially the same and none of the Job Evaluation Criteria are likely to be affected, then the position does not need to be re-evaluated.

Some Divisions require that Job Evaluation requests come through the Divisional / School office while other Divisions require only the Head of Department’s signature.

Commerce – job descriptions approved by the Head of Department
Health Sciences – job descriptions approved by the Dean’s Office
Humanities – job descriptions approved by the Divisional Office
Sciences – job descriptions approved by the Head of Department
Academic Services – job descriptions approved by the Director’s Office
Operations – job descriptions approved by the Chief Operating Officer’s or Director’s Office
Library - job descriptions approved by Corporate Services
International – job descriptions approved by the Office of PVC
Research – job descriptions approved by the Director’s Office

There are two sections to the Job Evaluation Form. The first section is for an existing position being put forward for re-evaluation for recruitment purposes or re-evaluation with an incumbent.

The second section is for a new position. Sometimes a new position is based on an existing position, so it is helpful to know the details of that existing position.

If you would like some help in writing a job description and would like to see some examples of similar positions to base a new position on, you can contact Human Resources at job.evaluation@otago.ac.nz or on extension 8255. Please bear in mind that the job description submitted for evaluation must be a true reflection of the position.

An organisational chart or description of the area is also required with your request to evaluate a position. This helps the Committee to see how the position fits with other positions in the department or area and where the lines of supervision are.

A covering memo can be included with the request for evaluation to give more detail about the position, or in the case of a re-evaluation highlight the changes to the position and why the re-evaluation is required. It can also give more detail on the relationship between the supervisor and the position, including the degree of supervision and guidance given.

Preparing a Job Description for Evaluation

When preparing a job description for evaluation you should ensure that the job description is clear on the budgetary responsibilities of the position including the signing authority. Is this authority delegated? Does the position make purchases? If so, what is the size of a typical decision?

The supervisory responsibilities should also be clearly outlined. Make sure you answer the four questions regarding supervision:

Do you assist in staff recruitment, etc?
Do you personally address staff performance issues?
Do you undertake Performance Development Reviews (PDR)?
Do you allocate tasks to staff?

While there is a specific section in the job description template for supervision, if the position supervises staff this should also appear under Key Tasks. For example if the position supervises casual staff then under Key Tasks there should be a task that elaborates on this supervision e.g. ‘to supervise casual staff employed once a year to enter questionnaire data on spreadsheet.’

When a task involves coordinating or assisting another position with something, e.g. ‘to assist the HOD in preparing the budget’ it is important to make it clear what they will actually be doing. This can be described in a covering memo so the job description can be kept brief.

It is a requirement to use the University of Otago Job Description Template when writing a new job description for job evaluation.

NB: Job descriptions are regarded as public information by the University. Both the job description and the associated level will normally be published when advertising a vacancy. Job descriptions are an important resource to assist staff. For example they may be made available to assist in writing new descriptions; to compare positions across the University; to define development options or career paths; or to provide clarity on roles and responsibilities within an area.

The specific objectives and tasks that an individual is expected to meet when undertaking a role are set within their Performance & Development Review (PDR), and are private to the holder (i.e. incumbent) of a position and their manager(s).

Process

Once the documentation is prepared and the Job Evaluation Form signed off, the request for job evaluation can be submitted to the Committee Secretary in Human Resources in the Clocktower building. After receiving the job evaluation request, the Committee Secretary provides a provisional evaluation to the Committee.

Please note that the provisional evaluation is an interim guide until the final evaluation is completed by the Committee. The final assessment for each of the criteria used in the Job Evaluation system may differ from the provisional provided by the Committee Secretary. This could result in the final level being different from the provisional level.

Where a provisional evaluation is used for advertising or when a person is offered a position, it is important that they understand that a provisional evaluation may change.
The best means to avoid this situation is to prepare the job description early enough to allow sufficient time for the process to run its course, i.e. the Committee completes their final evaluation. This usually takes three to four weeks.

Following the Committee meeting the Head of Department (and if appropriate the supervisor and incumbent) is informed of the final level. It is possible to appeal the final level, as detailed further below.

If a change in salary results, placement will be as per the remuneration policy.

Timeframe

The Committee usually meets every two weeks (occasionally three weeks apart) on a Wednesday. The agenda for a meeting closes the Monday of the previous week. You may find it useful to consult the timetable of meeting dates and agenda closing dates when you are planning to submit an evaluation request. You can help speed up the process by ensuring all the correct documentation is provided at the time of application.

When you are informed of the provisional evaluation you will also be informed of the date of the meeting at which the job description will be considered. The final evaluation will be advised within two days of the meeting.

Sometimes the Committee requires clarification or more information than that provided in the job description. If the Committee Secretary needs to go back to the contact person for more information, this can extend the process. Therefore it is important to provide a job description which fully explains the nature of the supervision and budgetary responsibilities, extent of contact within and outside the University etc.

Appeal Process

Appeals may be lodged up to one month from the date of the letter advising the final evaluation outcome. Appeals will only be considered by the Job Evaluation Committee where the job description used for the evaluation was inaccurate or insufficient. The result of an appeal could give rise to either no change in the level or a change to a higher or lower level. Appeals may be lodged by the individual incumbent, the Head of Department or Dean, with the Committee Secretary in Human Resources.

If the department has concerns that the outcome of the appeal will cause gross anomalies in the relativities of positions in the Division or School, the Committee Secretary can be contacted to discuss these issues. It is possible to make a case to the Director of Human Resources outlining how relativities will be affected. The Director will consider the case and decide whether the level needs to be changed.

Contact Information for further enquiries

Adrian Chamberlain, HR Advisor, Remuneration and Policy (Committee Secretary)
Email: adrian.chamberlain@otago.ac.nz
Ph: (03) 479 8255

Dan Wilson, HR Manager, Remuneration and Policy (Committee Chair)
Email: dan.wilson@otago.ac.nz
Ph: (03) 479 8092

We are based in the Registry Building, Room 131.

Committee Membership

The membership of the Job Evaluation Committee is made up as outlined in the terms of reference. Some union positions are currently vacant.

The Committee meetings and the job evaluation process are confidential.

All questions or discussions about specific positions must be directed to the Committee Chair or Secretary.

If Committee members have a conflict of interest, such as when a job description is from their department or unit, they leave the room when that item is discussed.