Why is internal movement important?
We offer qualified employees the opportunity to seek career growth and enhancement through promotional and transfer opportunities. Staff productivity, motivation, and retention are linked to employees finding positions well suited to their interests and abilities. Supervisors are encouraged to consider long-term retention of employees by supporting career growth through training and movement throughout various areas of the University where appropriate. Employee movement can have a positive effect on collaboration across departments on campus.
Hiring managers are encouraged to consider promotional career path options when creating a position description and filling a position, such as planning for moving employees from entry to professional, to senior if the work supports it. The hiring manager should budget for the highest career track level available. The hiring manager can work with a Position Management/Compensation Consultant to develop position description templates for each career track level that include the job duties, competencies, and qualifications needed. The hiring manager can use this information to communicate promotional expectations and timelines to their employees. The availability of career paths is dependent upon the nature of the job and the size and role of the work unit. Not all jobs have internal career path options.
Eligibility to Transfer/Promote
Individuals may be promoted within their current position when job responsibilities and job performance warrant through career progression or career development processes. Career progression promotions involve regular or automatic title and/or pay changes based on time in a specific role or other objective metrics that employees can satisfy without competition. Career progression timelines and requirements are typically outlined in the letter of offer. Career development promotions involve updating the employees can satisfy without competition. Career progression timelines and requirements are typically outlined in the letter of offer.
Career development promotions involve updating the employee's job title or compensation to reflect work performed or contributions already made by the employee. This typically occurs when an employee's own duties grow or change over time in their position resulting in a change to a higher or different title or level of pay based on the employee's demonstrated success and performance in the job. A promotion may result in a pay increase, but not always, depending on the employee's experience and the location of the employee's base salary in the pay grade. An increase, if any, is given at the time of the promotion.
Note that reassigning the majority or all of a vacant position’s job responsibilities to an existing position for reallocation to the vacant position’s title level is not a career progression or career development change. This is a method of backfilling a vacant position as an internal campus promotional opportunity or for external competitive recruitment and requires a job posting.
For other transfer or promotion opportunities, employees should typically be in their current position for a minimum of 12 months and be in good standing. This recognizes the time departments spend hiring and training new employees, allowing employees to typically perform the full range of responsibilities within their position. Occasionally employees can transfer or be promoted to new positions sooner than 12 months. To encourage retention, supervisors and employees are encouraged to discuss and pursue these opportunities where appropriate.
Note: When transferring or promoting to another position at the ¾«Æ·SMÔÚÏßӰƬ, employees are encouraged to consider the impact of their current position and provide at least 2 weeks’ notice. It is recommended that both departments involved in the movement work collaboratively to identify a transition plan that works well for each department and the employee.
Search Options for Employees Interested in Transfer or Promotional Opportunities
All unoccupied, new, or soon-to-be-vacated positions needing to be filled are considered promotional opportunities at the ¾«Æ·SMÔÚÏßӰƬ. To encourage employee career growth and retention and to be consistent with the requirements set forth by the state of Colorado in the Equal Pay for Equal Work Act, all promotional opportunities will be posted on the
Occupied career progression and career development promotions are posted on our Internal Career Track Promotional Announcement page to provide transparency around career changes occurring on the campus. These occupied position career changes will be posted for a minimum of three business days before the promotion is finalized. If you have questions about any position on the Internal Career Track Promotional Announcement page, please contact recruiting@colorado.edu.
To access the Internal Career Track Promotional Announcement Page, log in to your and select the "Internal Promotions" tile located in the Business Tools section.
Search Options for Hiring Managers
Depending on the specific nature of a vacancy, and keeping in mind the desire to retain strong performing individuals on campus, there are several search options to consider with your Talent Acquisition Consultant.
All unoccupied, new, or soon-to-be-vacated positions needing to be filled are considered promotional opportunities at the ¾«Æ·SMÔÚÏßӰƬ. To encourage employee career growth and retention and to be consistent with the requirements set forth by the state of Colorado in the Equal Pay for Equal Work Act, all promotional opportunities will be posted on the In scenarios where there is a desire to bring institutional knowledge into the position and/or there is a strong group of employees on campus who may qualify and apply for the opportunity, it may be best to start your search with an internal-only posting.
When there is a desire to bring new skills or areas of expertise to the campus, the opening may also be posted on the ¾«Æ·SMÔÚÏßӰƬ Jobs external job site.
Your campus Talent Acquisition Consultant can help identify the best option for your vacancy and help identify how to best structure the process. You may choose to start with an internal process and move to an external search if appropriately qualified candidates are not identified through your initial search.