Developmental Opportunity Appointment: Guidelines and Agreements

General Information

A developmental opportunity appointment is a temporary job assignment provided to a classified or unclassified employee. It provides the employee an opportunity to gain new skills and experience relevant to his/her career goals.

A developmental opportunity agreement is also required when a current classified employee is appointed to a short-term unclassified position when there is the expectation that he/she will return to the classified position.

 A developmental opportunity appointment provides a current classified or unclassified employee with an opportunity to gain new skills and experience relevant to his/her career goals. The appointee generally does not receive a salary increase while serving in this temporary job assignment. The benefit to the employee during a developmental opportunity appointment is gaining increased skills and experience which will benefit their career advancement. Should there be a unique or unusual situation which may justify a salary increase, exceptions must be requested and approved by the Classification and Compensation Manager.

Appointment Status During a Developmental Opportunity

During the duration of the developmental opportunity appointment, the employee may be placed in a separate position with a different appointment type as outlined in the chart below. At the end of the developmental opportunity, the employee will be returned to his/her regular position. The chart below provides a general outline of the terms and conditions provided to the employee in the various appointment types used for a developmental opportunity.

Note: The chart below assumes the developmental opportunity is 1.0 FTE.

Current Employee Category Developmental Opportunity-Unclassified Appointment Developmental Opportunity-Classified Appointment
Classified (Classified to Unclassified Agreement)

Appointment Type: Academic Wage

Appointment Salary: No change from current classified appointment.

Sick Leave Accrual: 8 hours per month.

Vacation Leave Accrual: 15 hours per month.

Benefit Costs: Covered by the department offering the developmental opportunity.

Leave of Absence: Employee takes leave of absence from classified position.

 

Current Employee Category Developmental Opportunity-Unclassified Appointment Developmental Opportunity-Classified Appointment
Classified (Classified to Classified Agreement)

 

Appointment Type: No change - employee stays in current classified position and begins to develop the ability to work at the higher level for the duration of the developmental opportunity.

Appointment Salary: No change from current classified appointment.

Sick Leave Accrual: No change from current classified appointment.

Vacation Leave Accrual: No change from current classified appointment.

Benefit Costs: Covered by the department offering the developmental opportunity.

Current Employee Category Developmental Opportunity-Unclassified Appointment Developmental Opportunity-Classified Appointment
Unclassified (Unclassified to Unclassified Agreement)

Appointment Type: Academic Wage

Appointment Salary: No change from current unclassified appointment.

Sick Leave Accrual: 8 hours per month.

Vacation Leave Accrual: 15 hours per month.

Benefit Costs: Covered by the department offering the developmental opportunity.

 

 

 

Department Procedure for Initiating a Developmental Opportunity Appointment

Please follow the steps below to initiate and fill a developmental opportunity appointment.

  1. Review and Approval of the Job Duties: The job duties for the developmental opportunity appointment must be reviewed by the BC-HRC2 in order to determine whether the position is classified or unclassified.
     
  2. Develop Applicant Materials: Create a packet of applicant materials to share with each applicant that applies for the opportunity. The applicant packet must include the following documents:
    • Position description
    • Position announcement
    • Instructions on how to “apply” for the opportunity. Required applicant material, at a minimum, should include a letter of interest and a current resume. Include the name and contact information of the hiring supervisor. Direct applicants to contact the hiring supervisor with questions regarding the opportunity.
    • Sample Developmental Opportunity Appointment Agreement Summary.
  3. Announce the Developmental Opportunity to Current Employees: The recruitment/search process must include posting and circulation of a written announcement about the developmental opportunity to potential applicants within the department or university. At a minimum, the opportunity must be offered to all potential applicants at the department level. The supervisor will be required to provide the following information to the BC-HR Manager at the time a request to appoint an employee into a developmental opportunity work assignment is submitted:
    • How and where the opportunity was announced/advertised to potential applicants;
    • A copy of the developmental opportunity announcement (see sample below);
    • The length of the recruitment period;
    • The name of each candidate who expressed an interest in applying for the developmental opportunity, and their current department(s);
    • The specific job-related reasons for selecting the employee identified to work in the developmental opportunity; and
    • The specific job-related reasons for not selecting the other employees that applied for the developmental opportunity.

    Sample Announcement

    I am pleased to announce a developmental opportunity that is open to all employees. This is an ( unclassified/classified) work assignment with a job title of (title or job classification). Major duties and responsibilities assigned to this developmental opportunity are outlined in the document attached to this announcement (attach a summary page describing the job duties; please be specific). The appointment dates are anticipated to be (beginning date) through ending date). The appointee’s salary will not change from his/her current full-time annual salary rate. The benefit to interested applicants is the opportunity to gain new skills and experience relevant to their career goals. Application packets can be obtained from (name of contact) in the (college/ department/unit name). The closing date for submitting applications is (date).

  4. Complete the Developmental Opportunity Agreement: Upon completion of the search process and selection of the finalist, the Business Center will complete the attached Developmental Opportunity Agreement, according to the appointment type. When completing the agreement, please insert or select the appropriate name or term in those areas that are bolded and in italics. Obtain required signatures on the last page of the agreement. Submit the signed agreement to the classification and compensation manager. The classification and compensation manager will review and approve the agreement and return it to the hiring supervisor.
  5. Submit an Action in the Online Position Description and Recruiting System:

    Classified to Classified Developmental Opportunity:

    Department completes an Establish PD action if the selected employee is not filling an existing position, or Update PD action if the position already exists. The employee’s current classified position title must be selected for the position title. Do not initiate an Establish and Fill or an Update and Fill action.

    The department must then upload a copy of the approved Developmental Opportunity Agreement to the Documents page of the action in the Online PD and Recruiting System.

    Classified to Unclassified Developmental Opportunity:

    Department completes an Establish PD action and selects the Academic Wage position title for the position. The employee cannot be placed in a regular unclassified position during the duration of this appointment. Do not initiate an Establish and Fill or an Update and Fill action. The department must then upload a copy of the approved Developmental Opportunity Agreement to the Documents page of the action in the Online PD and Recruiting System.

    Unclassified to Unclassified Developmental Opportunity:

    Department completes an Establish PD action and selects the Academic Wage position title for the position. The employee cannot be placed in a regular unclassified position during the duration of this appointment. Do not initiate an Establish and Fill or an Update and Fill action. The department must then upload a copy of the approved Developmental Opportunity Agreement to the Documents page of the action in the Online PD and Recruiting System.

  6. Hire the Employee into the Developmental Opportunity Position: Once the action is approved, the Business Center HR Manager will place the employee’s name on the position description in the online system.

    The department then completes the OSCAR developmental opportunity hiring task to place the employee’s existing job on leave and begin the new development opportunity job. The department must attach the approved Developmental Opportunity Agreement to the Job Form when submitting the task to OHR for processing in Banner.