POSITION MANAGEMENT
The purpose of this section is to explain how the Position Management process controls all aspects of the various positions that exist at Vanderbilt, and how the Position Management Form is used by departments to add new positions or make needed changes to their existing positions.
Recruiting for a Vacant Staff Position
Completing the Position Management Form
Position - Current Information
Position Budgeted Compensation - New Information
Position Budgeted Distribution - New Information
Human Resources Recruitment Information
Checklist for Position Reclassification
Checklist for Recruiting for Vacant Staff Position
OVERVIEW
FORM(S) and DOCUMENTS:
The forms listed below may be downloaded from the HR website at: http://hr.vanderbilt.edu/temp/forms/index.htm
- Position Management Form (PMF)
- Position Description Questionnaire (PDQ) / Description of Position's Duties and Responsibilities
- Positions are used to manage staffing levels, organizational structure, budgets, and salary expenses. It is important to note that positions have a unique position number and are created and updated using a Position Management Form (PMF). Each employee must be placed into a position when hired in order to define home department, job code, pay budgeted standard hours per incumbent, FTE (full-time equivalency) per employee, maximum headcount, budgeted compensation, and budgeted earnings distributions.
- The PMF is used to create new positions, make changes to existing positions, and to recruit for vacant staff positions. The position management actions are:
- New Position
- Job Reclassification
- Recruiting for a Vacant Staff Position
- Transfer of Position (same position #, different home department)
- Position Status Change (activate/inactivate)
- Title Change
- Position Data Update (standard hours, full-time/part-time, temporary/regular)
PROCEDURES:
A. New Position
A position must exist or be created before adding a new hire to the HR/Payroll System.
New regular Staff positions are created by classifying a position through the Compensation Office using the Position Description Questionnaire (PDQ) or position description. A completed PMF with budget approvals must be attached to the front of the PDQ/position description of duties and responsibilities with status indicated as follows.
- APPROVED - Staff can only be hired into approved positions. All new positions must pass through the respective budget approvals for each area. Departments can mark a position as "approved" on the PMF if the position qualifies for the "EXPRESS" Classification Process (as described on the HR Website, http://hr.vanderbilt.edu/temp/compensation/newpositionsandreclass.htm). Otherwise, a PMF for staff positions may be forwarded to the Recruitment Office only after the Compensation Office coordinates a recommendation with the department and indicates that the position is "approved".
- PROPOSED - This field is used when a position does not currently exist and the "EXPRESS" Process as described above does not apply. In such instances, a description of the duties and responsibilities of the position must be attached to the PMF. The Position Description Questionnaire (also available on the HR Website) may be used as a tool for this purpose.
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Note: Individuals cannot be hired into frozen or inactive positions. |
The PMF is not required for Faculty Positions. New Faculty positions are established by forwarding the Personnel Action Form (PAF) to HR Records Management (HRRM) or Medical Payroll with a copy of the faculty appointment letter.
B. Position Reclassification
Position reclassification occurs when the job code number changes and/or the FLSA exempt/non-exempt status changes for an existing position. In the case of exempt/non-exempt status changes, the pay group must also change. Existing staff positions are reclassified by submitting a PDQ/position description through the Compensation Office with a completed PMF attached for processing. The position number remains the same for position reclassification, and changes to a position affect all incumbents in that position number. After the reclassification is complete, a Personnel Action Form (PAF) must be processed to initiate appropriate changes for the incumbent (e.g. pay group, pay frequency, center distribution, etc.).
C. Recruiting for a Vacant Staff Position
For replacement, simply submit the PMF for that position with the Position Number, Position Title, Home Department Number, Job Code and Recruitment Information completed at the bottom of the form. Please be sure to obtain all appropriate signatures before submitting the PMF. University departments should send the form to HR Recruitment Services, VU Station B 357700 and VUMC departments should send the form to Medical Payroll (it will be forwarded to the Recruitment Office). All staff positions must be posted for five calendar days before an offer can be made consistent with Vanderbilt University's Affirmative Action Plan. Please contact HR Recruitment Services at 2-8304, if you need additional assistance with the Recruitment process.
D. Transfer of a Position
A "transfer" of a position occurs only when a position moves to a new home department. The position number does not change when a position is transferred. The pay group may change. A transfer of a position to a new home department may be accompanied by reclassification changes requiring Compensation Office review (see Procedure B. Position Reclassification), but the home department change requires only departmental budget approval. The PMF should be processed with budget approval signatures from the respective school, division or department level. In addition, a Personnel Action Form must be processed to initiate changes for incumbents, (e.g. home department, pay group, pay frequency, center distribution, etc).
E. Position Status Change (Active/Inactive)
To inactivate (also known as "eliminate" or "freeze") a position, submit the PMF with an "Inactive" status. The position must be vacant to inactivate. This may require processing a terminating PAF first. Faculty or staff cannot be hired into an inactive position number. The history of an inactive or frozen position will be maintained (not deleted) in the HR/Payroll System, but no one can be hired into the position.
To activate a currently “frozen” position, submit the PMF with the status change indicated. Appropriate budget approvals must be obtained from the respective school, division, or department level.
F. Position Data Update
Departments can change the following position data by submitting a Position Management Form without review by the Compensation Office:
- Full/Part-Time Status
- Standard Hours
- Max Headcount (only student or VTS positions may have more than one for the number of incumbents allowed per position)
- FTE
- Budgeted Compensation Rate (Medical Center only)
- Reports to Staff Position # (not employee id.--Medical Center Only)
- Reports to Faculty Position # (not employee id.--Medical Center Only)
- Budgeted Compensation Frequency (Medical Center only)
- Budgeted Earnings Distribution (Medical Center only)
Any changes to standard hours, FTE, budgeted compensation, or budgeted earnings distribution must be approved through the respective budget approval requirements for each school, division, or department. Other changes are addressed in the above procedures for reclassifications (changes to job code and/or pay group) and transfers (changes to home department and/or pay group).
COMPLETING THE POSITION MANAGEMENT FORM |
The numbers in the following instructions correspond with numbers on the sample form immediately preceding.
Indicate an action of POSITION CHANGE or ADD NEW POSITION and/or RECRUITING |
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Enter one of the following reasons in the reason or comments section:
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Enter the 6-digit home department ID number for the position. |
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Enter name and phone number of the person completing the form. The initiator and the approving authority may not necessarily be the same person. |
POSITION - CURRENT INFORMATION
If you are processing a change to an existing position number, enter the existing position number in the Current Information Position Number section. When changing an existing position, submit both current and new information to show changes that need to occur. Note: Please do not process changes or updates in the left-side Current Information sections.
Leave this field blank for the NEW POSITION action reason -as the system will automatically generate a new position number for new positions. When changing an existing position, submit both current and new information to show changes that need to occur. |
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Enter the effective date of the position change or new position. Enter in a MM/DD/YYYY format. A new position’s effective date must be on or before the hire date of a new employee entering that position. |
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Indicate the status of the position request. Valid values are:
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This field may be completed to help ensure it matches the job title associated with the job code provided. |
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Enter the 4-digit job code number indicating the classification of the position to which the individual is being assigned. The job code number defines the job title description per the job code table. If the job code is to be determined by the Compensation Office, enter "New" in this field. |
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Employee class is defined by the job code table (cannot be changed by departments) and is one factor in determining benefits eligibility for an employee. The other factors are Regular/Temporary status and Exempt/Non-exempt status. The job code for a position classifies any employee(s) in that position into one of the following employee classes: · Faculty - with faculty appointments · Staff - includes regular, term, and temporary employees · Student - enrolled at Vanderbilt and not a "career employee" · Housestaff - also known as "medical residents" · Casual - also known as voucher pay employees · Trainee - post-doctoral trainees or fellows |
Indicate the 6-digit home department number of the position being added or changed. This number defines the home department description. The home department title may be listed to the right of this field. |
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Medical Center Biweekly (MBB) Home Health Biweekly (HBB) Community Health Biweekly (CBB) University Weekly (UWU) Casual Weekly (CWU) University Biweekly (UBA) University Monthly (UM1) Medical Center Monthly (MM1) Home Health Monthly (HM1) Community Health Monthly (CM1) |
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The pay group must be consistent with the non-exempt or exempt status of the job code for this position. For instance, the Registered Nurse job code 6643 is non-exempt; therefore, any position with job code 6643 must be in a biweekly nonexempt pay group (e.g., MBB). |
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Indicate the budgeted total standard hours (up to 40 per week) for each person in the position. Any change in the Standard Hours will occur with the position number. |
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Indicate maximum number of incumbents allowable to occupy the position. Departments can override the maximum in some situations, such as during a transition period from an old employee to a new employee. This field should show "1" for all positions. Exceptions may include only VTS temporary workers and student workers. |
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Indicate assigned FTE (full-time equivalency) per position, not to exceed "1". FTE is calculated by position hours divided by 40. |
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EXAMPLE: A 30 hour position would be .75 FTE (30 hours divided by 40). |
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This field will default as defined by the job code. Departments do not define this status. The Reg/Temp status for all job codes is listed on the HR Website. Note: Temporary positions are not eligible for benefits. |
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Enter "Full" or "Part" for the position. A position in which each employee will work less than 30 hours per week should be classified as part-time regardless of the total budgeted hours for the position. Note: 30 or more hours per employee constitutes full-time status for benefits eligibility in a regular position. |
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Position number of Staff Manager/Supervisor to whom position reports (Medical Center departments only) |
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Position number of Faculty member to whom position reports (Medical Center departments only) |
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POSITION BUDGETED COMPENSATION - NEW INFORMATION |
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Currently used by Medical Center only. Hourly, Monthly, or Contract, consistent with the pay group. |
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Currently used by Medical Center only. Enter the budgeted compensation rate consistent with the compensation frequency entered in the previous field. |
POSITION BUDGETED DISTRIBUTION - NEW INFORMATION |
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Medical Center Departments only--enter the budgeted salary distribution for this position on the PMF. The actual salary distribution for faculty and staff will be defined by the Personnel Action Form (PAF). |
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This section should only be completed if the department is recruiting to fill this position. |
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If applicable, enter the name of the person being replaced in this position. This field should be blank for a new position. |
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If applicable, enter the date the position was or will be vacated. |
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Indicate the date you need to have the position filled. |
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Enter the fax number in your office to which Recruitment Services should fax any resumes or applications for applicants that are referred for this position. |
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LEAVE THIS FIELD BLANK. |
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Indicate the daily start/stop times to be worked. Example: "7:00 AM/4:00 PM" |
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Indicate the days per week to be worked. |
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LEAVE THIS FIELD BLANK. Recruitment Services will enter the date the position is posted. |
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Enter any special requirements or comments to assist Recruitment Services in the recruitment efforts for the position. |
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Indicate if the position has an Affirmative Action minority and/or female hiring goal (reference the University’s Affirmative Action Plan document). |
FOR THE FOLLOWING: |
SEND THE PMF TO: |
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VUMC PMF to recruit, New, Express, or Job Reclassification |
Medical Payroll Office |
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PMF to recruit for University vacant staff positions |
HR Recruitment Services VU Station B 357700 |
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PMF for University New, Express, or Job Reclassification |
HR Records VU Station B 357700 |
NOTE: PMFs should be forwarded to the offices listed above only after obtaining appropriate school, division or department approvals.
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CHECKLISTS |
NOTE: In all situations, appropriate budget approvals must be obtained. |
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NOTE: Changes to a position will change certain information for all incumbents in that position number. |
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New Position
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Obtain classification of position from Compensation Office using Position Description Questionnaire (PDQ) or Position Description. |
Note: Position Management Form (PMF) must accompany PDQ or Position Description.
Position Reclassification
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Position number should remain the same. |
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Submit PMF attached to PDQ to HRRM or Medical Payroll (must have position number noted). |
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If position is filled, submit PAF to change incumbent information for all incumbents in that position number. This should occur after the reclassification is complete and approved by Compensation, not at the same time as the PMF/PDQ. |
NOTE: Changes to a position will change certain information for all incumbents in that position number. |
Recruiting for Vacant Staff Position
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Submit PMF with Recruitment Information completed to Recruitment Services or Medical Payroll. |
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Must be posted for 5 calendar days before making an offer of employment. |
Position Management Reports
VUMC Departments: Please send an e-mail to Terri Phillips in Medical Payroll, (terri.phillips@vanderbilt.edu) with your home department(s) number(s) and Medical Center Payroll (MCP) will have the Position Management Report ready at the MCP window for pick-up under the PAF responsible person’s name every other Tuesday, the week that MCP is not processing the MBB payroll.
University Departments: Please send an e-mail to Cheryl Blackett in HR Management Systems, (cheryl.l.blackett@vanderbilt.edu) with your home department(s) number(s), your name, extension and HRMS will send an electronic spreadsheet that contains the position(s) information.
Vanderbilt University is committed
to principles of equal opportunity and affirmative action.
HR Express 2525 West End Ave Suite 218 Nashville TN 37203 Hours M-F 7:30 - 5:30 Last Updated: October 19, 2009 |
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