Transcript Staff Development Summary

Briefing on Staff Development Plan and
Implementation
S. Kahn & D. MacFarlane
October 2, 2008
October 2, 2008
Staff Development Plan & Implementation
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History of input on staff development
* SSRL task force
– Produced a 4-step staff development plan in May 2007 for a
career pathway involving associate (term), staff, senior staff, and
distinguished staff appointments
– Implemented in SSRL and adopted by Photon Science
* PPA task force
– Produced a similar recommendation for a 4-step staff physicist
development plan in 2007
– Also examined the applicability of the SSRL plan, and observed
several important differences
• Main objections were to a standing outside promotions committee
vs a faculty-appointed standing committee on staff promotions and
ad hoc committees for recommendations on individual promotions
• Also objected to “scientist” vs “physicist” titles
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Creating a lab-wide staff development plan
* In May, Executive Council asked Jo Stohr and dbm to
look at outstanding differences and create a common
staff development plan for the lab as a whole
* Common feature of both PPA and SSRL plans was a 4level pathway, but found it useful to consider a overlay
based on the appointing organization
– Directorate-level appointments: Associate, Staff Scientist, Senior
Staff Scientist
– SLAC-level appointments: Distinguished Staff Scientist
* ALDs all believe strongly that there needs to be a termappointment capability for project development
– Address concerns about appropriate mentoring by distinguishing
name for these positions and nature of future commitment
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Staff scientist career paths
Directorate-level appointments
Laboratory-wide
appointments by the
SLAC Director
Research Scientist
(term)
Associate Staff
Scientist (term)
October 2, 2008
Staff Scientist
(continuing)
Senior Staff
Scientist
(continuing)
Staff Development Plan & Implementation
Distinguished Staff
Scientist
(continuing)
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Brief position descriptions
* Associate Staff Scientist
– Fixed-term entry-level position for 3-5 years, made on the basis
of an expected long-term need and stable funding stream
* Staff Scientist
– Continuing appointment based on demonstrated ability to
conduct own research projects and/or take responsibility for
areas of instrumentation or methodology development
* Senior Staff Scientist
– Intended for individuals who have achieved recognition of
leadership nationally or internationally as a result of original
developments or scientific research
* Distinguished Staff Scientist
– Reserved for a small group who have made extraordinary
scientific achievements and are recognized authorities inside
and outside SLAC
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Security of employment
* Over all intentions for staff scientist careers at SLAC:
– Staff scientists are intended to be career appointments of
individuals who are key elements of defining and pursuing the
forefront scientific mission of the laboratory
* Senior staff scientists:
– Expected to assume positions of scientific and management
leadership within PPA, and, assuming a continuing high level of
performance aligned with the PPA scientific mission, are
envisaged to be a major component of the ongoing scientific
program as long as it remains funded at the laboratory
* Distinguished staff scientists:
– Expected to assume high level of leadership and scientific
performance aligned with the ongoing laboratory scientific
mission, and carries a laboratory-wide long-term employment
commitment co-terminus with the SLAC M&O contract
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PPA appointments and promotions
* Associate Staff Scientist
– An ad hoc search committee will be constituted to a conduct a
broad international search for suitable candidates
– Search committee recommendation and the recommendation
the sponsoring Department Head will be brought to the PPA
Director
– PPA Director will also seek the consent of the PPA Faculty, who
will advise on the suitability of the candidate
* Staff Scientist
– An ad hoc promotion committee will be constituted to examine
the case: includes 3-5 senior, distinguished staff or faculty
– PPA Director will also seek the consent of the PPA Faculty, who
will advise on the suitability of the candidate
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PPA appointments and promotions
* Senior Staff Scientist
– An ad hoc promotion committee will be constituted to examine
the case: includes 3-5 senior, distinguished staff or faculty
– Other science Directorates will nominate one representative
each to serve on PPA ad hoc promotion committees for a
minimum of one year
– PPA Director will also seek the consent of the PPA Faculty, who
will advise on the suitability of the candidate
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PPA appointments and promotions
* Distinguished Staff Scientist
– An ad hoc promotion committee will be appointed by the SLAC
Director to examine the case: includes 3-5 senior, distinguished
staff or faculty, with at least 1 external member
– Input required by the candidate letter of support from the
appropriate ALD and 5 suggested referees, at least 3 external
– Promotion committee can seek additional recommendations and
input
– Sponsoring ALD can seek appropriate advice before providing
letter of recommendation
• For example, the PPA Director will, among other steps, seek the
consent of the PPA Faculty, who will advise on the suitability of the
candidate
– Access to housing benefits likely to be an attractive feature in
retention and recruitment…still investigating
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Transitioning to the new system
* PPA plan for implementation
– Existing permanent staff will be grandfathered; some may wish
to be considered for appointments in the new system
– Continuing staff physicists will normally be put into staff scientist
positions
– About 10-20% of these cases will be considered for promotion to
senior staff scientist and, at the few % level, distinguished staff
• Promotion advisory committee will advise of list to be considered for
promotion
• Intend to exercise new promotion process for these decisions
– A few cases where physicists are presently in other job
classifications (most engineering physicist) who may be
considered for staff scientist positions
• Promotion advisory committee will identify and PPA management
will invite candidates who will then be considered using the new
promotion process, including PPA Faculty review of the case
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Promotion Advisory Committee: Task 1
* Promotion Advisory Committee established to make
recommendations on candidates for promotion to Senior
or Distinguished levels
– Charge is to review the complete list of staff scientists and
provide a set of recommendations for who should be considered
for promotion
• Those recommended would then be reviewed through the
procedure described in the Staff Development Plan
– Advice and input being sought from PPA faculty
– Will review requests for promotion consideration from individual
staff, but you are urged to discuss such a request with your
supervisor first
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Promotion Advisory Committee: Task 2
* Promotion Advisory Committee will also make
recommendations on possible staff scientist
appointments from other job categories
– Charge is to review the complete list of engineering physicist,
and various software developer categories, and provide a set of
recommendations for who should be considered for promotion
• Those recommended would then be reviewed through the
procedure described in the Staff Development Plan
– Some historical inconsistency in use of these job categories
• Some have a Ph.D. and some do not; many of these positions are
more technical than science oriented
• None have been subject to PPA Faculty review
– Advice and input being sought from PPA faculty
– Engineering physicist and software developer job categories will
continue into the future
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