Design + Evaluate Position

Ensure you have completed all prior steps for recruitment before proceeding.

The Total Rewards team establishes fair and equitable base pay, designs jobs for the organization and supports faculties, departments and units in the design of organizational structures aligned with strategic objectives.

If you’d like the Total Rewards team to save and file a position description, job card or job fact sheet you have revised, please email it to job.evaluation@ualberta.ca  and indicate the changes are an “update” to our records and not a job evaluation request. Updating the file does not replace job evaluation. Use the steps below to determine whether a job evaluation is required.

Steps

1. Understand employee types and funding sources

The University of Alberta employs a variety of employee types. Consult your HR Partner  to understand what type of position you should hire. Consult your Finance Partner to advise where funding will come from—operating or trust funds.

2. Determine if a position requires evaluation
Job evaluation is required for:
  • A new position (not yet created).
  • Existing vacant position (position exists but is not occupied by an employee and has not been evaluated within the past five years).
  • Significant changes to duties or qualifications (i.e. supervision responsibilities have been added).

Review the table below to determine what additional guidelines may apply.

Job Evaluation
Job evaluation is REQUIRED
(unless under 0.4 of a full-time employee)
Job evaluation is NOT REQUIRED
  • Support - Regular and Auxiliary over 1 year.
  • Trust/Research Academic Staff (TRAS).
  • Temporary Librarian and Professional Officer (TLAPO).
  • Administrative Professional Officer (APO).
  • Management and Professional Staff (MAPS).
  • Support - Casual (1 year or less).
  • Faculty Service Officer (FSO).
  • Academic Teaching Staff (ATS).
  • Librarian.
  • Faculty (Chairs, Deans, Associate Chairs/Deans, Professors).
  • Casual Academic.
  • Postdoctoral Fellows.

If you do not see a specific scenario in the table, discuss with your HR Partner.

Note: If you want to backfill an APO position, plan to create an additional TLAPO position.

In circumstances where a job evaluation is not required, but you do not have a copu of the most recent position description, please work through your HR Partner to obtain the document. If a job evaluation is not needed, skip the rest of the steps on this page.

3. Job documentation

The following documents are used to describe the responsibilities, accountabilities and other key details of a position.

Job Fact Sheet (JFS) 
  • Job Fact Sheets are used to describe positions that fall under the NASA Collective Agreement.
  • Includes details of the duties of the position and required minimum qualification(s).
Position Description
  • Position descriptions are used to describe work performed by Non-Union, TRAS, APO and TLAPO positions. 
Job Card 
  • Job Cards are a tool used to assist in identifying and describing work.
  • Provide a high level summary of common work. Leaders can use them as a starting point and add their specific duties, responsibilities and accountabilities to the Job Card.
  • Customized and tailored to individual positions.
  • Leaders are encouraged to add unit or role specific context wherever possible. This helps to ensure the Total Rewards team has a comprehensive understanding of the position's accountabilities. 
4. Create an organizational chart

Create an organizational chart that displays the overall reporting structure. Ensure the chart includes:

  • the position being reviewed
  • the position's supervisor
  • peers
  • all direct reports
  • position numbers and working titles
5. Request a job evaluation

When you have finalized your job documentation and gathered all documents and obtained appropriate approvals, submit your completed documents to Job Evaluation for review:

  • Email: job.evaluation@ualberta.ca
  • Subject line format: [Dept ID or Faculty], [New or Position Number], [Working Title], [Employee Description] Evaluation
    • Examples:
      • 200500, New, Research Associate,TRAS Evaluation
      • 432000, 00012345, NASA Support, Re-evaluation
  • Attach:
    • Completed cover sheet
    • Completed job documentation
    • Organizational chart
What to expect after you submit your request

You will receive an automated email acknowledging your submission was received and the position will be evaluated within our service timelines:

  • New and vacant positions: 15 working days
  • Encumbered positions: up to 3 months

The timeline does not begin until all materials have been received, including job documentation/description, organizational chart and signed cover sheet. If information is missing, the timeline starts once missing information is received. 

The evaluation process is completed based on the content of the information provided, the context in which the work is done and comparator positions at the university. 

Positions are reviewed with the appropriate evaluation methodology:

  • Aiken Plan (for NASA and excluded support staff),
  • Hay Plan (for APOs and MAPS), or
  • internally developed ranking systems (for other position types).
Hiring a Foreign National?

If applications are open to foreign nationals, there are additional steps you must take. Learn more