How can a new job category standard be added?
Pursuant to 62 BIAM 11.15, "New job categories may be established only by the Director. To request a new job category, an Education Line Officer must submit to the Director a proposed definition and statement of qualifications in the same format as existing job categories. Justification and rationale must also be submitted to support the establishment of the new category. If approved, the position category and qualifications will be issued for inclusion in the Education Position Categories and Qualification Handbook or will be authorized for a specific position only, at the discretion of the Director."
To ensure sound and consistent job categorization system, the proposed new job category description along with the justification and rationale are to be submitted through the Education Line Officer to Human Resources Services, Albuquerque, NM. Human Resources Services will conduct an analysis of the proposal, survey the Education Line Officers for comments, and based on the results, recommend approval/disapproval of the new Job Category to the Director, OIEP. Once approved, it will be distributed for immediate use. Human Resources will maintain the original job category description.
Is a position description required for P.L. 95-561 Education Contract Personnel position?
Virtually every nonpolitical position in the Federal Government requires a position description. For Contract Education positions, Education Line Officers as outlined in 62 BIAM 11.15 (C), are delegated the authority to establish education positions in approved job categories for their line office and schools. In reference to policy memorandum, "Position Descriptions" (dated September 25, 1997), is required for all positions in the Office of Indian Education Programs, including schools and dormitories.
The supervisor is responsible for assigning duties and responsibilities, writing position descriptions, and maintaining accurate position descriptions. The position description should address the major duties and responsibilities, level of responsibility, education and experience requirements, and physical requirements. Any special requirements such as licenses or certificates, or pre-employment medical screening should be included. In addition to business managers locally, classification staff of Human Resources Services is available to offer technical advice and assistance, but they have only a general impression of what the duties of the position might be. Management must take the lead and provide the facts. In some cases, like a revision, an employee input is a valuable resource that should not be overlooked. The writing of a position description, therefore, is a cooperative effort with management, business managers and classification staff, and, in certain cases, the employee input to the final product.
Is an organization chart required to process position actions under P.L. 95-561?
In 62 BIAM 11.17, there is a requirement for a current organizational chart to process position actions. According to this subpart, Education Line Officers are responsible for maintaining current organizational charts and functional statements. Organizational charts are to show the position number, title, pay plan, series or job category, and pay level or grade for each funded position. The school principal or other supervisor, school board, and appropriate Education Line Officer should sign it. The same section specifies, "No personnel action will be processed unless the position involved is covered by an organizational chart approved by the appropriate Education Line Officer."
How is a position of mixed job categories categorized?
General classification concept governing position involving more than one kind of work (i.e., different job categories) is normally classified on the basis of the paramount requirements and the highest level of work performed. Often the appropriate series is based on the highest-pay level of work that is performed for a majority of the time, e.g., at least 51 percent of the time. However, the highest level of work may not be the most appropriate job category for the position. Therefore, a job category should be determined only after considering the purpose of the position, paramount qualification required, sources of recruitment and line of progression.
Under Title 5, if more work is assigned to a position, can it be upgraded?
Each grade level represents a range of duties and responsibilities. The work of a position may expand and even become more difficult without affecting the grade. For example, several positions in a given organization may look identical on paper, sharing the same series and grade, but there may, in fact, be some variations in how the work is performed. One of the positions may be in the lower part of the grade range, another in the middle, and the third in the upper part of the range. To a limited degree, the standard used to evaluate the work will accommodate shades of difference from one position to another. Adding more of the same kinds of work or increasing the volume of work, will not raise the grade. The assignment of different kinds of duties or increased complexity in some cases may have an impact on the title, series or grade of the position.
