POLICY 4-3
POSITION AUTHORIZATION FOR CLASSIFIED STAFF

• Issued: 12-1-87
• Revised: 01-05
• Approved:
  

I. PURPOSE

The purpose of this policy is to define procedures for requesting classification changes.

 

II. GENERAL

The Vice President for Finance and Administration (Appointing Authority) appoints classified staff positions in consultation with the College President and Vice Presidents. Offices within the College are assigned classified support in terms of the number of positions and the job description of each position. This allocation is done according to the needs of the office and availability of funds, and where appropriate, follows the matrix contained in Section III-c of this policy, which outlines the general classifications associated at the different departmental levels.  These classifications are considered the standard levels at Fort Lewis College.   If additional help or a higher level of classification is needed, supervisors are to request additional position(s) and/or an upgrade in classification.  To ensure efficient use of administrative resources and timely budget information, upgrade requests should be submitted to Human Resources during the months of January and February. 

 

The State of Colorado Personnel System Rules require that all classified employees work within their assigned position descriptions as stated in the Position Description Questionnaire (PDQ) for the position. It is the supervisor's responsibility to carry out this requirement. Only after an upgrade request is approved, should an employee's responsibilities be expanded. It is not acceptable to expand an employee's responsibilities and then request an upgrade.

III. POLICY

A. Procedures for Requesting Classification Changes

 

1.       Supervisors wishing to change the classification of a position must first review the request with the Vice President responsible for the employment area. If the reclassification is ultimately approved by the Department of Personnel, the funding of the request is the responsibility of the respective Vice President and is at the discretion of the respective Vice President.  

 

2.       The Director of Human Resources, upon request of the Vice President, reviews the proposed job duties and recommends the appropriate classification and compensation level.

 

3.       Requests for changes in the classification of an assigned position are to occur once per year during the January/February timeframe to coincide  with the annual budget process.  Vice Presidents are responsible for budget approval and funding of upgrades in their area. Requests for additional new positions must follow the normal budget process and be approved by the budget committee.

 

4.       The Director of Human Resources will provide a “monitoring/status” report showing all reclassifications that were approved during the prior year in order to track and ensure control.  

 

5.       The revised PDQ documents are submitted to the Vice President for Finance and Administration (Appointing Authority) for approval.

 

6.       The revised PDQ is then submitted to the State Department of Personnel Administration for classification review.

 

B. Procedures for Filling Vacancies of Classified Staff

 

1. The supervisor should complete a Position Vacancy Approval Form. The form must be approved by the appropriate Vice President, the remaining Vice Presidents and the President, in that order.

 

2. The approved Position Vacancy Approval Form will be routed by the Office of Human Resources back to the supervisor and the appropriate Vice President. The supervisor, upon receiving notice of approval, should contact the Human Resources selection specialist regarding the selection process to be used to fill the vacancy.

 

C.  Standard Levels of Classification for Administrative Services Positions

 

The following standard levels of classification apply to positions within the State Personnel System (classified staff positions) and are suggested as a standard basis of comparison between administrative services support positions only.  The expectation at Fort Lewis College is that supervisors will maintain positions reporting to them at the standard level.  However, each position is allocated, or classified, on an individual basis.  The allocation is dependent upon the elements of decision-making, complexity, purpose of contact and the line staff authority requirements of each individual position.  If a request is made to allocate a position exceeding the standard level, the supervisor must be prepared to justify any level exceeding the suggested standard.

 

 

Supervisor Level	Standard Classification Level	Comments
President	Exempt Staff
Vice Presidents	Program Assistant I
Deans	Administrative Assistant III
Director	Administrative Assistant II, or III	*
Office Support Staff	Administrative Assistant I or II	**

 

 

*    Most administrative clerical support staff for department directors should be at the Administrative Assistant II level.  However, in some cases it may be required that a clerical position is responsible for creating and maintaining clerical procedures for the office, and/or is given a high level of decision making authority acting on behalf of the director.  For those types of positions the Administrative Assistant III level is standard.

 

**  Office support staff that are responsible for a limited number of activities or provide a basic level of support should be classified as Administrative Assistant I. Administrative Assistant II is the standard classification when the tasks involve more complexity and involve a higher level of flexibility and latitude.

 

More information regarding classifications of administrative support positions is available in the Human Resources Office or on the State of Colorado web site regarding Class Descriptions at:

 

http://www.colorado.gov/dpa/dhr/comp/docs/cds/cdhomepage.htm