Effective January 1, 2024, the new Job Architecture will be implemented. Please see the in-depth overview of the Job Architecture and Career Level Guides and the Career Profile Database.
Rice University’s staff job architecture, also known as a job structure, refers to the systematic arrangement of different job roles and positions. It provides a hierarchical framework for various job roles, their relationships, levels, and the overall structure of the workforce. Job structures are designed to create clarity, consistency, and coherence in how positions are classified, defined, and managed.
Before we dive deeper into the Job Architecture, let's review some glossary words, which will help us better understand the structure, hierarchy, and terminology used within Rice University’s job framework. These key terms provide a foundational understanding of job responsibilities, hierarchies, specifications, and the comprehensive arrangement of positions within the structure.
Glossary
Job Classification: The process of evaluating and reviewing jobs based on an objective analysis of responsibilities/duties, required knowledge/skills, and discipline or field, and then assigning it to an organization’s job architecture.
Job Family: The highest-level grouping of jobs with similar types of work duties and requiring broadly similar technical skills/knowledge and abilities. Rice University now has 15 job families.
Job Subfamily: Represents a more refined collection of jobs performing similar types of work requiring similar technical skills, knowledge, and abilities (e.g., Finance job family, job sub-families may include Financial Analysis & Budgeting, Accounts Receivable, Payroll).
Position Description: A description of a specific job as it relates to an employee. It includes an individual position’s job summary, duties, responsibilities, and the qualifications and skills required. It also includes a list of common tasks, physical requirements, and reporting relationships. A position description is more detailed than a job profile and is customized by the hiring manager/department.
Assignment/Business Title: The title assigned to a position that reflects the level and nature of the work performed. Please be advised that the business title does not always represent the employee's classification. It is considered a working title.
Career Path: The growth or trajectory an employee can take in their career. Career paths depict how a progression of jobs, roles, or experiences fits into a logical career progression. Career paths are important for employees to plan their future, enhance their skills and knowledge to master current jobs, or identify paths for transfers, promotions, and other movements.
Career Stream: Career type characterized by distinct responsibilities and set of competencies (e.g., executive, management, etc.):
- Executive (E) Stream: Academic College and Function Heads providing strategic vision and overall direction. The majority of time is spent overseeing the Function(s) and/or Academic College(s). The goal achievement is typically accomplished through the performance of direct and/or indirect reports, which include multiple layers of management.
- Management (M) Stream: Management and supervisory professionals focusing on the tactical, and operational activities within a specified area. The majority of time is spent overseeing their area of responsibility, strategizing, planning, prioritizing, and/or directing the responsibilities of staff. Goal achievement is typically accomplished through the performance of direct and/or indirect reports. Levels within the Management career stream will have three or more direct reports.
- Independent Contributor (IC) Stream: Independent contributors provide expertise in a professional discipline. The majority of time is spent overseeing the design, implementation, or delivery of processes, programs, and policies using specialized knowledge and skills typically acquired through advanced education (4-year University degree or direct and applicable experience). Employees may have administrative supervision for less than three staff and/or may or have functional supervision of lower levels.
- Organizational Contributor (OC) Stream: Organizational contributors provide institutional support or service in a “hands-on” environment. The majority of time is spent on the delivery of business activities or operational services.
Job Levels: Represents the hierarchical position of a job within a career stream based on a set of leveling factors (e.g. degree of problem solving & complexity). The definitions for each job level are consistent across job families.
Job Leveling Factors: The criteria used to determine the appropriate career level for a job within the job architecture, including:
- Institutional Impact: Nature and scope of influence a job has on its area of responsibility.
- Problem Solving & Complexity: The degree to which the level needs to identify and devise solutions to problems and the level of autonomy to make decisions.
- Communication & Influence: Describes the nature of communication the level is responsible for and the level of influence required.
- Leadership & Talent Management: Responsibility for people development, including supervision, training, coaching, and performance management
- Knowledge & Experience: Level of expertise required to fulfill level responsibilities as defined by minimum levels of formal education and/or work experience.
Job Mapping: A critical step in the implementation of the job architecture in which each job is mapped to a career track, job level, job family, and sub-family based on the duties, responsibilities, level of work performed, and skills/knowledge/expertise required.
Job Profile: A combination of a job family, sub-family, discipline (if applicable), career track, and career level form a job profile. Each job profile has a job title used to describe the job within the job architecture. It outlines the nature of the work and the level at which the work is being performed. Job profiles create a foundation for compensation analysis, pay equity, and career path planning.
Now that we have reviewed the definitions above, please see the in-depth overview of the Job Architecture and Career Level Guides as well as our Job Family and Subfamily Descriptions.