Why Job Levels

We list salaries by job level (e.g., Director Level, Manager Level), rather than by individual job title, for multiple reasons:

• To advance internal equity by ensuring that jobs positioned similarly within the organizational structure are paid based on the same salary range
• To minimize cultural biases inherent in the national wage data, given historically lower wages for positions traditionally held by women and members of marginalized communities
• To provide practical recommendations that accommodate unique positions

Guidance for Assigning Job Levels

Use our Job Level Rubric above to assign a job level to each employee based on these characteristics:

• Authority & Accountability
• Visibility & Impact
• Qualifications Needed or Expected
• Responsibilities, Hours, & Conditions

Neither job title nor area of responsibility definitively indicate a job level. The expectations of those who hold a particular job title, e.g., “Membership Coordinator,” tend to vary widely. Moreover, there are membership positions at every job level across our congregations.

The Job, Not the Person

Job characteristics should be considered relative to the role. Look to the job description for clues about the position itself and/or reflect on the job level characteristics with expectations of a new employee in mind.

An individual’s education or experience can be accounted for when deciding where the employee is placed within the recommended range. Be as objective as you can about assessing the job as distinct from the person filling it – and be thoughtful about the job levels of staff members relative to each other.

Tiers

We have suggested two tiers for the top three job levels – one for ministers and one for program or administrative staff who may fill those roles. The slightly higher minister ranges are due to the different process and limitations in place for fellowshipped ministers. Generally, there is a higher cost of entry and “cost of exit” for a transitioning minister and their congregation – a set timetable, a more rigorous transitional process, often more constraints on local employment options, etc. For these reasons, we feel it is reasonable to pay ministers a bit more for comparable work.

“Size A” Congregations

Higher-level positions in small congregations are often more limited in scope and may share power with other leaders differently from those in larger systems. We have included notes for Size A congregations and part-time positions at certain job levels to ensure that their work is appropriately recognized within their context.

Community-Based Positions

As explained in on the main Congregational Salary Program page, our Recommended Salary Ranges and related resources have been created largely for those in UU career-path positions. For your community-based staff, prevailing wages for comparable work in your area are also important to consider – sometimes more important than UUA Recommended Salary Ranges