Classification & Compensation Specialist I

State of Massachusetts - Suffolk Superior Crt, MA

Full-time

Suffolk Superior Crt, MA

Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support

About the position

This full-time position is a confidential, non-union position assigned to the Trial Court Human Resources Department. The Compensation and Classification Specialist is responsible for supporting the Trial Court's growing needs to provide the Trial Court with compensation and classification structures that advance talent management, total rewards and recognition, and deliver best practices that are critical to maintaining a high performing organization. Under the direction of the Senior Manager for Classification and Compensation, this position will join a team responsible for conducting reviews of salary and compensation structures; compiling and analyzing compensation information to ensure appropriate job classifications and pay equity. The Classification and Compensation Specialist regularly collaborates with all Operations staff on other projects including workforce planning, position management, performance management, career development, reclassification requests, and employee retention and succession planning. This position works closely with other units of the Human Resources Department including Talent Acquisition, Benefits and Onboarding, and Labor Relations.

Responsibilities

• In consultation with Trial Court appointing authorities, assists in the development and review of Trial Court positions, job competencies, job descriptions, classification levels, and compensation rates.
• Supports the Trial Court's commitment to the Massachusetts Pay Equity Law through regular analysis of Trial Court positions for maintaining pay equity.
• Reviews requests for job analysis and recommends classification levels for current positions in the Trial Court using an eight factor based classification tool.
• Prepares and presents summary reports of job analysis and compensation analysis information.
• Benchmarks jobs against survey data and other market information to determine competitive compensation ranges for positions as necessary.
• Provides data and cost analyses for the Labor Relations unit for use in employee negotiations and collective bargaining agreements.
• Prepares and maintains job descriptions for positions in the organization; ensures descriptions accurately reflect the work performed by court employees.
• Interviews and surveys employees and managers to gather and document job, organizational, and occupational information including duties, responsibilities, knowledge, and skills required by each job.
• Assesses jobs and their respective duties to determine classification as exempt or nonexempt and appropriate salary range.
• Gathers focus group data to collect employee feedback on specific issues or topics related to talent acquisition and total rewards.
• Assists in the communication of methods and implementation of best practices for compensating, engaging, evaluating, and retaining employees.
• Participates in periodic job analysis studies in various court divisions and offices on position related issues that address staffing needs and maintain internal equity.
• Assists the Talent Acquisition unit in the development of Trial Court behavioral based interview question bank to assist appointing authorities in order to facilitate best practices in candidate selection.
• Supports training sessions in the areas of compensation and classification.
• Provides interpretation of personnel policies and procedures to managers and employees.
• Participates in other HR projects as they develop.
• Performs other related duties as needed.

Requirements

• A bachelor's degree and 3 (three) years of experience in Human Resources working with compensation and classification systems for a medium to large organization (ideally in a union environment); or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Demonstrated knowledge and experience with MS Office, particularly Excel, Word, and PowerPoint is required. Experience with Microsoft Access also preferred.
• Demonstrated ability conducting salary and job analysis, and pay equity evaluations.
• Ability to use data to diagnose problems and drive enhancements and efficiencies in departmental operations.
• Excellent professional writing skills and the ability to draft job descriptions, interview questions, and formulate organizational policy.
• Ability to understand and administer policies and procedures of the Human Resources Department and the Massachusetts Trial Court.
• Demonstrated ability to initiate action, complete assignments and to handle multiple assignments simultaneously.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work professionally with persons at all levels, including judges, and to maintain effective working relationships.
• Ability to adapt quickly to changing circumstances and develop workarounds for issues that require timely resolution.
• Ability to handle sensitive matters on a confidential basis.
• Ability to maintain accurate records.
• Ability to communicate very clearly and effectively in oral and written form.
• Ability to work independently and with an attention to detail.
• Ability to travel within the Commonwealth as necessary.

Benefits

• Employment with the Trial Court is contingent upon passage of a criminal record check.