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Dear Colleagues:
I am pleased that we are now able to present you with our latest organization chart and job descriptions. This represents the culmination of many months of work by a large number of people in our organization, all of whom have thoroughly appreciated your patience during this time. Even now, we continue to ask for your patience as there are a few more jobs to classify and PSS reassignments to complete. Nonetheless, this chart has much more information than earlier versions and will give you a very good indication of both the number and classification of the positions in our department.
There are just a few changes to note from the chart we presented in June. The names of two of the units have been changed to more clearly indicate the work that will be done in those units: Strategic Resources is now Strategic Planning and Workforce Development, and Senior Leadership Resources is now Executive Compensation and Performance Management. Also, as I announced earlier this month, we are beginning to build the Strategic Unit immediately rather than waiting until next fiscal year. For now, three new jobs will be open and two Staff Diversity positions will report to the Executive Director as we had originally planned. There have been other minor changes in the units, and you will see some changes to the names of positions.
With the new organization design in place, we are ready to begin the staffing process. As we begin to post jobs and accept applications, I want to be sure everyone understands the process that we are following. I presented this information to HRB managers and supervisors at a meeting yesterday.
Job Description
The staffing process began with members of the Implementation Team updating or writing job descriptions for each position, building on work completed in April by the HRB team known as the Berkeley Offsite Group. These job descriptions have a new format, and many of them include performance metrics; those that don't are marked "to be determined". The purpose of this section is to help the manager and the employee in the performance appraisal process. UCOP is moving in this direction, and we expect this section to evolve as the Executive Directors are put in place and our performance appraisal process takes shape for the new organization.
The job descriptions were then sent to the OP HR classification team where they were classified using the same process used for all OP restructuring and consolidation jobs. This process includes consulting outside market data to see how other employers classify similar positions. This was a long process that included consultation with the Implementation Team and the unit designers (Randy Scott, Dennis Larsen, Mike Baptista and John Cammidge). The classification team also leveled the jobs, meaning that they looked for the common characteristics across jobs in the different functional areas.
Reassignment Process
Along with the classification process, local UCOP HR made recommendations about MSP reassignments. They compared the new job descriptions with the current job descriptions to determine whether any positions are substantially similar, which simply means that the new job very closely mirrors the functions of the old job. UCOP HR also consulted with the unit designers to be sure that they clearly understood the intent of each job. The recommended reassignments were then presented to me for final approval, and I have given letters to those MSP employees who are being reassigned.
In a similar manner, reassignments for PSS and bargaining unit positions are being made. In these cases, seniority as well as skills must be considered. Reassignments are made within the same classification (Payroll Title)/title code/salary grade provided employees are equally qualified to perform the duties and responsibilities of the position. As you can imagine, this is a complicated process, and we want to do it right. We hope to complete this process in September, at which time reassignment letters will be distributed and the remainder of the open jobs posted. You can look forward to more detailed information about this process before reassignment letters are distributed.
If you do not receive a reassignment letter, we encourage you to apply for one or more of the open positions. Employees who are reassigned also may want to apply for other positions, but the reassigned positions are theirs provided they continue to perform satisfactorily until such time that they choose to take another job. So, we might have more reassignments to follow if employees who are reassigned apply for and move to other positions; however, if you are not reassigned initially, you need to apply for other positions. I have asked managers and supervisors to help their staff identify new positions which might be a good fit, and I hope you will take advantage of whatever help they can offer.
Job Posting
With MSP-level reassignments completed we now know which MSP jobs are open. They will be posted on CATS later today (August 29). The postings include job details, reporting relationships, salary range, closing date and where the position is being advertised. Most jobs will be open to all UCOP employees. Because we must have competitive pools of candidates for each position, we may need to advertise some jobs to a wider group, such as UC-wide or even outside of UC.
MSP-level jobs will be posted for a minimum of three weeks. That means these jobs could close as early as September 19. PSS level jobs, when ready, will be posted for at least two weeks. You must submit your applications through the CATS website, and you may apply for as many positions as you wish. I encourage you to set up an account in CATS as soon as possible. You'll be asked to provide information from previous jobs that you may have to search for, so setting up your account can take some time. Setting up an account will facilitate the process and allow you to access your stored information for each application you submit. You'll need an updated resume and a cover letter.
You can also view the job descriptions for most of the open MSP positions from links on the organization chart. We will also link the PSS job descriptions to the chart once the reassignments are completed. To view a job description, simply select the box in the organization chart. If the job has been reassigned, the link will direct you to a page which reads "Reassignment".
You may remember that I told you we are entering into an agreement with UCSF to provide local human resources services for UCOP. The affiliation with UCSF has resulted in several jobs in the Human Resources department at UCSF being posted on CATS. These jobs are open to all HRB employees as well as UCSF HR employees; however, you will need to follow the link to the UCSF job site to apply for these positions.
Please also note the dotted box on the organization chart. It lists the units where the status of the jobs has not yet been determined because we are waiting decisions regarding the results of the bids to perform UC's Retirement Administration, further UCOP restructuring, and the review of certain functions that may be transferred to UC locations.
Interview/Hiring Process
Interviews and hiring for our HRB jobs will be done by level. This will allow supervisors to be in place before hiring the next level. We believe this process is vital to maintaining strong supervisor-employee relationships throughout the department, even though it means that we will have to wait for the Executive Director to be announced before interviews begin in the particular unit. Once the process is underway, some hiring managers may choose to interview candidates one-on-one; others will choose to gather a panel of people to participate in the interview process. During the interviews, all candidates will be asked a group of standard questions so that the hiring manager or panel can fairly evaluate all candidates. You might want to look at the sample interview questions available on the UCOP HR website to give you an idea of the types of questions that may be asked.
Timeline
All open MSP jobs will be posted for three weeks (meaning that most will be posted through September 19). Be sure to check the individual postings for the exact closing dates. PSS jobs will be posted after we complete the reassignment process, which we plan to conclude in September. The interview process will not begin until the Executive Director of each unit is announced, which should occur soon. We estimate the hiring process will be completed by the end of November.
Questions
If you have questions about the staffing process, you can talk with your manager or supervisor. They have been briefed on these topics, and should be able to help you. You may also want to attend one of two Brown Bag sessions scheduled for noon on September 3 and 5 in Kaiser 512. Members of UCOP HR will be available to answer questions about the staffing process. And as always, I encourage you to send questions to the Implementation Team through the HRB Restructuring website. The website also has links to helpful career development resources.
I want to again thank all of you for carrying on the work of the department during a time when we have fewer people and many unanswered questions about the future. I am proud of your hard work and dedication, and I know you will continue to be successful given the extraordinary talent we have in HRB.
Sincerely
Judy B