Elon's Job Architecture
Elon's job architecture standardizes position descriptions and creates a framework that clearly delineates pathways for career development and professional growth.
Navigate Your Career
Career Enrichment at Elon
In support of the Boldly Elon strategic plan, the university conducted the Navigate Your Career initiative — a comprehensive review of job classifications and compensation for permanent staff positions. This work established a stronger foundation for career growth, consistency, and professional advancement across the Elon community.
The goals of the Navigate Your Career Project are:
- Recruit, support, reward, and retain exceptional faculty and staff
- Support the professional development of employees across all stages of their careers
Position Descriptions
Position Descriptions as the Basis for Job Architecture
Accurate and consistent position descriptions are essential to maintaining a clear and equitable job classification system. At Elon University, these descriptions serve as the foundation for mapping staff roles into the university’s job architecture. By standardizing definitions of job responsibilities, qualifications and expectations, the university ensures alignment across departments and supports market-informed decisions around compensation, advancement and recruitment.
The Job Architecture System
Creating Clear Pathways for Professional Advancement
Through the Navigate Your Career initiative, Elon’s job architecture provides a clear structure for career development, helping employees understand how they can grow and advance. The system fosters consistent personnel practices across campus, supports both individual contributors and managers, and ensures compensation is aligned with market standards based on position duties and qualifications.
Overview of the Job Architecture Framework
Defining Every Position with Four Key Attributes
Each staff position at Elon is classified using four key attributes: job family, job sub-family, career stream, and career level. Together, these attributes provide a comprehensive framework that guides career development, supports internal equity, and enables employees to see how roles connect across the university.
Job Families and Sub-Families
- Each job family is grouped based on the similar characteristics and required skills for the general work performed in each position.
- Each job family is further broken down by grouping similar disciplines, functional areas, specialty, or concentration of work into a job sub-family. It is best to view the expanded accordions below on a computer.
- Job families are not necessarily indicative of the department/division where the work is performed.
Explore the Job Families and Sub-Families
- Academic Affairs
- Advancement Services
- Athletics
- University Communications & Marketing
- Inclusive Excellence
- Facilities
- Finance
- Health & Wellness
- Human Resources
- Information Technology
- Library
- Police & Safety
- Student Services
- University Administration
- University Operations
Career Streams and Career Levels
Elon’s job architecture utilizes four career streams: Professional Service and Support, Professional, Management, and Executive.
Within each Career Stream is a career level, relaying the general mastery required to complete the job duties at each level. The career level descriptions and general guidelines can be used a resource to help understand current position and how a career path may typically progress.
Note: There may not be a position mapped to every level within a career stream, and conversely, multiple positions may occupy a single level.
Career Level Factors
Elon’s job architecture utilizes five consistent factors to differentiate jobs within a career track:
- Institutional impact
- Innovation and complexity
- Communication and influence
- Leadership and talent management
- Knowledge and experience.
Understand the Language of Your Career Growth
Navigate Your Career introduces a clear structure for job classifications, career pathways, and compensation at Elon University. To support your understanding, we’ve assembled key terms and definitions related to job architecture, salary structures, career levels, and professional development. Whether you’re exploring career growth opportunities or seeking to better understand your current role, these terms will help you navigate your path with confidence.
Find Answers About Compensation and Career Development
As part of the Navigate Your Career initiative, Elon University is committed to transparency and support throughout your professional journey. Explore frequently asked questions about staff compensation adjustments, the new job architecture system, and the faculty compensation study. Each section provides important insights to help you better understand career growth opportunities and salary structures at Elon.
Compensation FAQs
Explore answers to common questions about salary adjustments, market analysis, minimum wage increases, merit increases, and how Elon University is progressing toward its Boldly Elon compensation goals.
Job Architecture FAQs
Learn how Elon’s job architecture system supports career growth, position classifications, pay equity, and long-term employee development across the university.
Faculty Compensation Study FAQs
Find answers about Elon’s faculty compensation study, including peer salary comparisons, methodology, cost of living adjustments, and the university’s phased approach to salary enhancements.