Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Staffing And Salaries topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Authority reviews staffing growth, promotion and salary-setting approach
Summary
The committee received an update on staffing: the authority now has 45 employees, plans internal promotion (Jess to Chief Experience Officer), and discussed how salaries are set across classified (union) and unclassified positions using benchmarks and HR partners.
Erin, a staff member, told the Policy & Personnel Committee that the authority is marking the fifth anniversary of its first hire and now employs 45 people. She said leadership wants to focus on creating upward mobility and promotional opportunities within the organization.
As an immediate personnel change, Erin said the authority plans to expand Jess's responsibilities to include oversight of both worker and employer experience and will retitle Jess as chief experience officer. Erin said that employer contributions will remain with finance; Jess’s responsibilities will focus on employer registration and other parts of the employer experience.
The committee also discussed the authority’s salary-setting process. Erin summarized the current approach: if a position is comparable to classified state jobs, those employees are treated as classified and represented by collective bargaining; other positions are unclassified and part of the state's variable rate (VR) pay plan. Erin said the authority has employees represented across three unions (clerical; administrative/residual P-5; engineering and scientific P-4).
For unclassified positions, Erin said managers have discretion within the VR plan and that the authority benchmarks salaries using four factors: comparable state managerial/executive pay plans, peer quasi-public agencies, other paid-leave programs nationwide, and the nonprofit market. She said the authority works with HR partners at the Department of Administrative Services (DAS) when setting ranges.
Board oversight occurs primarily through the budget process, Erin said: staffing levels and vacancies are presented in budget documentation so the board is informed of hiring and salary plans.
Why it matters: The staffing and compensation approach affects retention, promotion opportunities, and alignment with state rules and collective bargaining obligations.
Questions from committee members confirmed that the authority is not subject to the state’s traditional position-approval process for classified positions: the authority determines needed positions and then those positions are treated as classified if they are comparable to unionized state roles.
Erin asked for committee feedback as leadership continues to consider span of control, lead roles, and ways to create career pathways.
