Working @Tech
Job Families & Career Paths
Creating Career Pathways at Georgia Tech.
Georgia Tech is committed to attracting, retaining, and fostering career growth for our staff. To achieve this, we are creating well-defined career pathways for all positions at the Institute by implementing new job families that will establish a more structured career system.
The goal of this initiative is to create a common job framework that will help us recognize and understand the various jobs and career paths within the Institute and provide transparency to support wage equity.
We’ve developed a two-phase framework for implementation.
Framework
Phase I (In Progress)
Identifying functional areas in each job family, career levels for both individual contributors and people/process leaders, and updates to the job descriptions with competencies relevant to compete in the market.
Phase II (Future State)
Includes implementing a performance evaluation model that supports and promotes career growth.
What is a Job Family?
A job family is a classification of related job positions within an organization that share similar characteristics, skills, responsibilities, and career paths. This grouping helps categorize and organize roles systematically, allowing the organization to better manage its workforce, establish fair compensation structures, and plan for career development and progression.
What Does this Mean For You?
As an employee you will have a clear map of professional growth opportunities, defined career levels within a job family, and where you fall based on required qualifications and complexity of work.
This new structure empowers you to advocate for your career goals and make informed career development decisions.
Georgia Tech’s Job Families
We are expanding the Institute’s existing 5 job families to 12 job families detailed below.
Finance
- Accounting
- Finance & Business Services
- Financial Compliance
- Financial Planning
- Analysis
- Budgeting
Institute Operations
- Engineering
- Campus Planning
- Environmental, Health, and Safety
- Infrastructure & Sustainability
- Real Estate
- Dining Services
- Crafts and Trades
Human Resources
- Strategic Collaboration
- Total Rewards
- Support Services
- Employee Life Cycle
- Inclusion and Belonging
Institute Affairs
- Cultural Arts
- Library Services
- Academic Programs
- Academic Records
- Student Engagement
- Student Support
- Student Advocacy
- Advising
- Admissions & Financial Aid
- International Programs
- Residence Life
Administration
- Support & Operations
- Business Administration
- Executive Services
- Organizational Excellence
- Records
Communications
These 6 job families will share the same Compensation Structure.
Information Technology
- Academic & Research Support
- Data management
- Network Technology
- IT Development
- Cybersecurity;
- Administration & Support
- Business & Strategy
- Infrastructure
- DevOps
- Cloud
Institutional Advancement
- Alumni Relations
- Institute Development
- Programming & Events
- Corporate and Foundation Relations
- Fundraising & Gift Planning
Research (Staff)
- Support & Operations
- Technology
- Finance/Grants
- Contracts
- Industry Relations
- Operations
Legal, Risk, Compliance
- Audit
- Compliance
- Legal
- Risk Management
Athletics, Recreation, Healthcare
- Administration
- Facilities & Events
- Performance
- Ticket Sales
- Campus Recreation
- Coaches
- Behavioral Health
- Clinical
- Emergency Medicine
- Pharmacy
- Physical Health
Police & Safety
- Emergency Management
- Law Enforcement
- Security
These 6 job families will each have their own Compensation Structure.
Note: This language is currently in draft mode and is subject to change.
Job family vs. job level vs. job profile
A job family is just one element of a larger job family framework, and job profiles and levels also play key roles in determining which positions in your company are similar and should be grouped together.
Here are the key features that separate job families, levels, and profiles.
Job Families
Job families form the foundational level of a more intricate job framework. Companies typically start grouping similar positions into families, often aligning with the organization’s departments. At this level, positions share relatively similar roles and responsibilities.
Job Levels
Job levels are primarily defined by the nature of responsibilities assigned to team members and the degree of accountability they hold for those duties. A team member’s job level typically correlates with their seniority in the industry and within the organization, as well as the educational qualifications necessary for their role.
Job Profiles
The job profile will be the direct connection and combination of job title, summary, responsibilities, and the appropriate career and job level guide to align on additional job responsibilities, minimum education, and experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who does this initiative apply to?
This initiative applies only to Georgia Tech staff members. Faculty positions are not within the scope of this project but will go through a separate but similar exercise to better align Faculty structures.
Will this initiative affect my pay? What will be done if market analysis shows that salaries need to be review or adjusted?
At the end of the initiative, unit leaders and Human Resources (HR) will have a complete view of market values for job types across the Institute. If positions are being compensated below market value, units will have the opportunity to work with HR to create action plans for adjusting salaries to meet market value. Please note that HR does not intend to decrease any salaries as a direct result of this initiative’s outcomes, even if data shows some positions are compensated above market value.
Please understand that funding for positions varies by unit. Understanding the value of positions across job families does not automatically grant every unit the funding it needs to meet market benchmarks. In the event a unit cannot reach the target compensation for a position, HR will work with that unit to create an action plan to reach market value over time.
Will staff receive clear guidance as to how to move forward in their careers?
Having a complete picture of job architecture grants HR the ability to offer managers and staff members visibility into how roles are classified and related to one another. Staff and managers will be given access to resources on career ladders and lattices, which show potential paths an employee can take to advance their careers through upward promotion or lateral movement. Staff can expect a new web resource to guide them through possible career tracks at Georgia Tech based on their current position.
It is important to recognize that not all staff members wish to be promoted to a higher-level position or become supervisors in the future. New job architecture and career development resources will allow for better visibility into lateral options staff members can pursue and will not only focus on managerial positions but also growing as individual contributors.
Career development activities will be a dual responsibility that involves both the employee and their supervisor. Supervisors will receive new resources to partner with their staff in identifying growth opportunities, and staff members will be responsible for discussing their career goals with their supervisors and carrying out development plans.
What is the desired outcome of this work?
The goal of this initiative is to create comprehensive, modern compensation and career structures and processes. With these new structures and processes, Georgia Tech will aim to attract top talent and retain staff members through better service, new career resources, and increased transparency.
Key areas of focus include:
- Offering visibility into career paths for staff members;
- Establishing a compensation philosophy, a formal framework that describes Georgia Tech’s overall approach to employee compensation;
- Updating job documentation to include consistent job titles and descriptions across the institute and the ability to define specific unit competencies on the job posting
- Defined Career Levels and Position Levels
- Updated JCCS and planned career pathing for staff
- Initial framework of a staff promotion model linked directly to performance evaluations
- Providing comprehensive, transparent, and streamlined compensation and career services to managers and their staff.
How will changes that result from this initiative be implemented?
At the end of this initiative, HR’s Compensation and Classification team will utilize new job architecture in the classification of jobs. Information gleaned from the market review will allow for a clearer understanding of a position’s value when a hiring manager is ready to make an offer. This information will also inform unit leaders of benchmarks for current salaries. The release of training resources and career development information will allow managers to begin more informed conversations with staff members who wish to advance in their careers.
Individual units will be responsible for making decisions based on market information. HR will partner with units in utilizing new information and structures.
What role will managers play in the implementation of the initiative?
Managers’ typical duties will not be disrupted by the results of this initiative. However, managers can expect to have increased visibility into compensation and career processes within HR. HR will partner with managers to streamline compensation elements of recruitment and retention, such as extending offers and conducting job reviews. Managers will also be key reviewers of new staff job profile and level assignments. Overall, this initiative aims to improve processes already in place while redesigning job architecture and evaluating the compensation of staff positions related to market value.
In addition, managers will have access to new resources designed to assist them in supporting their staff’s interest in career development. The redesigned job architecture will help managers and staff members become more informed about what other roles may be suited to their development interests, whether that means promoting upward or moving laterally. Managers will be given more support in how to begin and sustain development conversations with their staff members, as well as support staff members who are looking to advance their career.