October, 24, 2008
To: Rick Dickhaut, Administrative Services Manager/CFO
Monterey Peninsula Water Management District
From: Sheila
Forsberg, Principal Consultant
Johnson & Associates
Subject: Cynthia Schmidlin, Human Resources Analyst
At the District’s request, Johnson & Associates
has conducted an analysis of Cynthia Schmidlin’s
position of Human Resources Analyst. As part of this review, Ms. Schmidlin completed a Job Analysis Questionnaire and telephone
interviews were conducted with
Overview and Analysis – The Human Resources Analyst is responsible for performing a wide range of professional and
administrative human resources functions. It is a
single incumbent classification that works under the general direction of the Administrative Services Manager/Chief Financial Officer.
The position was last evaluated in 2001 when the
District underwent a comprehensive classification and compensation study. Through this process, the salary was
aligned with the Executive Assistant at Range 25.
Since this position was last evaluated, there has been an
accretion of duties as well as responsibilities.
Specific expansion of duties include serving with the Chief Financial Officer and the Labor Attorney as a District Bargaining
Representative during negotiations; conducting
benchmark surveys and preparing cost analyses; and analyzing and making
recommendations regarding reclassification requests. Responsibilities have also been enhanced as demonstrated by increased
involvement in making presentations to the
Board, greater involvement in risk management, and continued interaction with employees to respond to and resolve various personnel
related issues and concerns.
The Human Resources Analyst is defined as a professional
level, requiring knowledge, skills and abilities
typically obtained through a 4-year degree program and 3 years of related job experience. The incumbent works under
general direction, with the overall intent of assisting the Administrative
Services Manager/Chief Financial Officer in all matters pertaining to personnel
administration. This requires that the incumbent have broad knowledge of human resources laws, regulations,
policies and practices. While Ms. Schmidlin
does not have authority to make final decisions, she is responsible for making recommendations specific to her area of responsibility.
In comparison, the
Executive Assistant works under direction of the General Manager to provide highly responsible, confidential and complex
administrative and secretarial support to the
General Manager and the Board of Directors. The position requires significant experience in dealing with sensitive issues
and must have a good understanding of District
policies and procedures as well as laws and regulations governing the District. Assigned duties and
responsibilities require knowledge, skills and abilities
typically obtained through several years of experience supplemented by specialized training. These qualifications are not
comparable to the Human Resources Analyst
and, further, the Executive Assistant does not have the same type or level of responsibility for a defined service or program area.
Therefore, the internal salary relationship is not
valid.
In the absence of market data, it is important to
establish salaries internally based on comparability of factors such
as nature of the work, complexity of the job, level of responsibility, and
qualifications required to perform the job. Given the size of the District, there are relatively few internal
comparisons; however, the Accountant is a reasonable classification to consider. The Accountant also works under
general direction from the Chief
Financial Officer and is responsible for performing professional accounting duties. The duties and
responsibilities require knowledge, skills and abilities at a level typically obtained through a 4-year
degree and 2 years of responsible professional
accounting experience. Just as the Human Resources Analyst is required to have
a strong understanding of public sector personnel practices and provide recommendations within this area of
responsibility, the Accountant is required to have knowledge of government or fund-based accounting.
Both serve as a resource to the Administrative Services Manager/Chief Financial
Officer and provide guidance and assistance
to other departments relative to their professional area.
With respect to the current title, although the duties
and responsibilities have expanded and the
position does have day to day responsibility for the human resources function,
it would not be appropriate to change the title of
the position to Human Resources Manager
or Human Resources Officer. The Human Resources Analyst reports to a
“Manager/Officer” and a title change of this type would imply the position has
full responsibility for the function at a higher level
of authority within the organization.
Findings and Recommendation – Ms. Schmidlin, under the general direction of the Administrative Services Manager/Chief Financial Officer,
is responsible for the District’s human resources functions.
The duties have expanded since the position was last evaluated in 2001 and the level of responsibility has also increased.
Based on the changes, and an internal
comparison to other administrative classifications with the District, the current salary relationship is not
considered valid.
Based on these
findings, Johnson & Associates recommends that the title of Ms. Schmidlin’s
classification remain Human Resources Analyst but that the salary be aligned internally with the Accountant at range
30.
If you have any questions or
would like to discuss further, please do not hesitate to call me at (916) 630-1990.
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