Staff Classification and Compensation Project

The Staff Classification and Compensation Project establishes a new framework to help the university provide a more transparent, consistent and market-competitive job classification and compensation structure.

For in-scope staff, the project categorizes jobs at the university by job families and subfamilies, career streams and levels, and job profiles based on the type of work, responsibilities, skills required, level of authority and other factors. You are encouraged to learn more about the project’s key components ahead of the initial implementation of the university’s new job classification and compensation structure on Oct. 1, 2024.

Job Families and Subfamilies

Staff positions are categorized into 18 job families (e.g. Finance, Student Services) and 90 subfamilies (e.g. Accounting, Academic Advising).

View Job Families and Subfamilies
Career Streams and Levels

Staff positions are categorized into three career streams. Each stream contains levels that define career progression toward more job complexity, knowledge and responsibility.

View Career Streams & Levels 
Job Profiles

Job profiles provide high-level definitions of the purpose, responsibilities and qualifications for specific positions. More than 750 job profile summaries are available now with more details coming later.

View Job Profile Summaries (Excel)
Staff Pay Structure

The pay structure consists of 20 pay grades. Each grade defines a range minimum, midpoint and maximum pay.

View Pay Structure
Market Adjustments

Many staff may receive an additional market adjustment to their base pay in two phases following the Staff Classification and Compensation Project’s market analysis.

View Market Adjustments
Project Background

The university initiated a campuswide project designed to better attract, develop and retain talented staff including a significant investment in staff compensation and resources.

View Project Background 

Fiscal Year 2025 Key Dates

The image is a timeline showing the implementation of market adjustments. The timeline runs horizontally from left to right and includes several key dates and events: July 1: Market Adjustment Provided in the Form of a COLA & Phase 1 Additional Market Adjustments Effective. July 15: Staff Receive Market Adjustment Provided in the Form of a COLA in Payslip. September: Individual Staff Learn How Their Positions are Mapped in Job Classification Architecture & are Informed of Any Additional Market Adjustments. October 1: Phase 1 Additional Market Adjustments Reflected in Workday. October 15: Phase 1 Additional Market Adjustments Reflected in Payslip, Calculated Back to July 1. Fall 2024: Staff Job Classification Architecture Loaded in Workday. 2025: Phase 2 Additional Market Adjustments Effective July 1, 2025. Each event is marked by a dot on the timeline with the associated date or time period written below it. The significant dates are highlighted in red.

 

Job Classification Architecture and Career Paths


Key Definitions 


In-Scope Staff: In-scope positions include University of Arkansas, Fayetteville  full-time, appointed staff and provisional positions employed by May 1, 2024, except athletic coaches and certain executive level positions (i.e., VCs, VPs, Chancellor). Extra help, contingent workers, and work-study positions including part-time positions are excluded. In addition, positions that include at least a 51% Division of Agriculture (UADA) split are out-of-scope. 

Job Classification Architecture: A framework to organize and structure the various positions. It provides a systematic way of categorizing and classifying different work based on factors such as responsibilities, qualifications, skills, and other job-related characteristics. 

Market: To evaluate university classification and compensation in relation to the market for similar positions, the project utilized a benchmarking process that included a blend of higher education, regional and national industry data. Learn more on the Project Background page

Market Adjustment: The adjustment to the rate of pay eligible staff employees may receive, with time in position factored in.  Learn more on the Market Adjustment Implementations page

View All Definitions
Benefits For In-Scope* Staff
  • Clearer career pathways and tools to support growth and potential progression
  • Clearer job performance expectations
  • Consistent pay structure across campus
  • Compensation that is more competitive with the market based on the work performed

*Definition of in-scope

Benefits For the University
  • Increased ability to attract and retain top talent
  • Increased ability to promote consistent pay among positions with similar responsibilities
  • Greater clarity and efficiency of processes and administration of compensation
  • Establishment of a sustainable infrastructure designed to enhance competitiveness in the market through changes in the workforce and industry

Frequently Asked Questions


About The Project

In-scope positions include University of Arkansas, Fayetteville full-time, appointed staff and provisional positions employed by May 1, 2024, except athletic coaches and certain executive level positions (i.e., VCs, VPs, Chancellor). Extra help, contingent workers, and work-study positions including part-time positions are excluded. In addition, positions that include at least a 51% Division of Agriculture (UADA) split are out-of-scope. 
The Staff Classification and Compensation Project utilized an iterative, data-driven and highly collaborative campus process. The university partnered with Huron Consulting Group, which has developed similar successful classification and compensation programs with other higher education institutions, to help coordinate the project starting in fall 2022. The project planning team sought feedback from stakeholders across campus and established multiple governance groups to help guide the effort. More than 175 subject matter experts (SMEs) representing various campus units, additional campus and unit leaders, and HR partners collaborated regularly with support from Huron consultants to shape the university’s job classification architecture including job families and subfamilies, career streams and levels, and job profiles. Multiple administrative units contributed time, resources and expertise throughout the process to complete the project, with the goal of providing more consistent staff classification and compensation structures and processes.
At the beginning of the project in fall 2022, university leadership tasked an advisory committee to identify a small core group of initial SMEs. The SMEs were grouped into different categories based on the work they perform at the university. This initial group recommended additional SMEs with expertise in similar roles across campus which evolved into working groups that provided input into developing job families, subfamilies and job profiles for the work performed at the university. More than 175 SMEs collaborated regularly and played a valuable role in providing feedback to shape the job classification architecture.
Please send feedback, questions or suggestions directly to the project team at ccproj@uark.edu.

About Classification

Changes to an individual’s assigned job duties or responsibilities are not the objective of this project. So, changes to duties or titles are not expected during implementation. Discussions are ongoing that would drive greater consistency in titling across campus in the future.
Work responsibilities for staff positions were reviewed prior to mapping them to job profiles with an 80% match on the job duties being performed. This process included input from unit leaders, and subject matter experts (SMEs) across campus in a collaborative effort with HR Partners and Huron Consulting Group.
Career growth and progression may involve moving to a different job family or career stream. The intent of the architecture is to highlight what jobs are available and the knowledge, skills, abilities and competencies that are required so employees can better consider all available options to pursue their career goals at the university.
Job families and subfamilies will be regularly evaluated for relevancy, however frequent changes are not expected. Career streams are not expected to change, but the addition of new levels within the streams may be considered in the future. New job profiles may be added, and existing profiles may be adjusted as required.
Please consult with your supervisor and/or department head.

A career path is a series of jobs an employee may consider as they work toward career goals. Career goals and potential career paths are unique based on individual motivations and aspirations.

The university’s job classification architecture is intended to provide more transparency into what jobs are available and the knowledge, skills, abilities and competencies that are typically required for different jobs so staff can be better prepared and equip themselves with the necessary skills when they are ready to pursue their career journey. This job classification structure is designed to help staff develop a roadmap for considering other opportunities and potential movement within the university. It’s also designed to help supervisors with talent management practices and plan for workforce needs.

The intent of the architecture is to provide employees with increased awareness and visibility into how jobs are categorized and described across campus as well as associated qualifications that may be required for potential career movement.

About Compensation

After receiving a market adjustment provided in the form of a 3% Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) increase to base pay on July 1, 2024, many in-scope staff will receive an additional market adjustment increase to base pay as a result of the Staff Classification and Compensation Project. The project is designed to bring staff compensation to at least the minimum of their position’s assigned market pay range for similar work performed by July 1, 2025.

Not all in-scope staff will receive an additional market adjustment. For instance, if a staff member’s base pay, with time-in-position considered, is already within the assigned market pay range for the work they perform, they would not receive an additional market adjustment (beyond the previous market adjustment provided in the form of a COLA received July 1, 2024).

In addition, staff with a "needs improvement" or "unsatisfactory" performance rating will not receive an additional market adjustment (beyond the previous market adjustment provided in the form of a COLA received July 1, 2024).*

No employee’s pay will decrease as a result of the project – even if the employee’s current base pay is above the market pay range for similar work performed.

*Staff with a "needs improvement" or "unsatisfactory" performance rating from the Spring 2024 evaluation period will not receive an additional market adjustment in phase one but would become eligible for potential market adjustments in phase two if documented performance is improved to at least a satisfactory level during the calendar-year review cycle.

Yes. For in-scope employees who are eligible for an additional market adjustment, an employee’s time in their current position is a factor included in any potential additional market adjustments (beyond the previous market adjustment provided in the form of a COLA received July 1, 2024).

The amount of time (from one month to 30 years) an in-scope staff member has been working in their current position – not their total time of employment at the university – is factored into potential market adjustments beyond the previous market adjustment provided in the form of a COLA received July 1, 2024. Time-in-position is considered both for in-scope employees with base pay below the market pay range minimum and those already within the market pay range at the point of project implementation.

Those with base pay above the market pay range maximum are not eligible for time-in-position consideration. The amount of any potential time-in-position increase is limited to 10% of an employee’s base pay OR to 10% of the market pay range minimum for the work they perform (for employees with base pay currently below the market pay range minimum). Please note that if a staff member’s base pay, with time-in-position considered, is already within the assigned market pay range for the work they perform, they would not receive an additional market adjustment (beyond the previous market adjustment provided in the form of a COLA received July 1, 2024).

For those who are otherwise eligible to receive a market adjustment: Oct. 15, 2024.

Taxes will be withheld on any market adjustments as required by the IRS. Below are common questions about tax implications:

Q: Will the larger Oct. 15 payment be subject to IRS supplemental wages and taxed at a flat 22% federal tax rate? 

A: No. The payment is being computed as regular wages (not as supplemental wages) for the semimonthly pay period.

Q: How can I estimate what the taxes will be on the Oct. 15 payment?

A: Once you know the payment amount, you may utilize the “Model My Pay” feature in Workday to add the earning amount and review the tax deductions.  Model My Pay also allows hypothetical changes to the tax elections.

Q: How do I adjust tax elections if necessary?

A: You can use the “Update Withholding Elections” feature in Workday.

Per Notice 1392, Supplemental Form W-4 Instructions for Nonresident Aliens, nonresidents must follow special instructions when completing Form W-4, Employee's Withholding Certificate. If you are a foreign national, please contact Andrea Crawford at nratax@uark.edu for assistance. 

Q: Will the Oct. 15 payment be subject to mandatory and voluntary retirement contributions?

A. Yes. The payment is subject to retirement contributions.

Salaries for some positions may fall within a higher benefits salary threshold, which could potentially increase the amount of an employee's contributions depending on their benefits elections.

Any potential future Cost-of-Living-Adjustment (COLA) recommendations wouldn’t be contemplated until 2025, and would require both adequate financial resources and approval from the UA System Board of Trustees. Please note: If a potential COLA were to be approved effective July 1, 2025, additional market adjustments for Phase 2 might vary.

Thank you to the countless staff members who provided feedback during the course of this project. We listened and took action by incorporating suggestions and providing more information about the various components of the project including the answers to these frequently asked questions.

Please send any additional questions or suggestions to the project team at ccproj@uark.edu.