Career Ladders

The County of San Luis Obispo has established career ladders which illustrate opportunities for upward movement within county service. A career ladder is commonly represented by a single classification series; however, it may also represent more than one classification series.  

 

Definitions & Terms

Career Ladder – A series of defined levels where the nature of work is similar, and the levels represent the typical path for career growth through which employees can move from an entry level position in a series to positions with higher levels of compensation, skill, responsibility, and authority.   

 

Classification Series – A group of jobs that share similar or transferrable duties and responsibilities, minimum qualification requirements, and working conditions, but are distinguished from each other by a progressive level of complexity and authority. Classification series typically begin with an entry level (relative to the series) and progress through an advanced or supervisory level.  

 

Entry Level – Classifications that require little or no professional experience in addition to not requiring a degree from higher education to perform the duties and responsibilities assigned.  

  

Notes

The career ladder samples are not exhaustive and do not reflect the only direction for advancement within the County. Depending on an individual’s background and/or combination of education, skills, and experience, they may be eligible to promote to County classifications outside of a defined career ladder during their employment.  

  

The attached career ladders are subject to change at any time as County classifications and related classification series are updated on a continual basis. 

Note:  Additional career ladders are in development 

Career Ladders

Career ladder for the Administrative Department and Office of Emergency Services. The ladder starts at administrative assistant and moves up to administrative analyst aide. The ladder divulges showing the options of emergency services coordinator or administrative services officer. On the administrative side, the ladder continues up showing administrative analyst, principal administrative analyst, and ending at division manager. The office of emergency services side continues from emergency services coordinator to the end position of division manager.
Career ladder for the Agriculture / Weights and Measures department. The ladder starts with the position of agricultural/weights & measures technician, and moves up to agricultural/weights & measures inspector. The next position is supervising agricultural/weights & measures inspector, then deputy agricultural commissioner, and ending at agricultural commissioner.
Career ladder for the airports department. The ladder starts with the positions of airport terminal services worker and airport maintenance worker. Both of these move up to operations specialist which moves to operations supervisor, and ends at deputy director of operations.
Career ladder for the Auditor Controller Treasurer Tax Collector Public Administrator department. Starting at account clerk, the ladder moves up through senior account clerk and accounting technician. After accounting technician, there is a tax collector track and an auditor controller track. The tax collector track starts with supervising financial technician and moves up through financial analyst, principal financial analyst, and deputy director of tax collector. The auditor controller track starts with auditor analyst and moves up through principal auditor analyst, division manager, and deputy director of auditor controller.
Career ladder for the department of central services. There are three separate ladders on this image. The left most starts with assistant real property agent and moves up through associate real property agent, ending with property manager. The middle ladder starts with fleet intern and moves up through auto or equipment mechanic, lead fleet mechanic, fleet shop supervisor, and ends with fleet manager. The right most ladder starts with buyer 1 and moves up through buyer 2, senior buyer, and ends with purchasing manager.
Career ladder for the department of child support services. The ladder begins with administrative assistant and employment resource specialist. Both positions move up to child support specialist, and end with supervising child support specialist.
Career ladder for the clerk-recorder department. The ladder starts with administrative assistant, and moves up through clerk recorder assistant, division supervisor, and ends with deputy director.
Career ladder for the district attorney department. There are two career ladders. The first on the lower end of the image starts with victim advocate and moves up through victim witness supervisor, ending with division manager. The top ladder starts with deputy district attorney and moves up through chief deputy district attorney, ending with assistant district attorney.
Career ladder for the human resources department. The ladder starts with the positions of human resources technician and department personnel technician, which both move up to human resources analyst. The ladder then moves up through principal human resources analyst, deputy director of human resources, and ends with director of human resources.
Career ladder for the library department. The ladder starts at library associate and moves up to senior library association. The ladder splits into a professional library work track and an operations track. The professional library work track starts with the position of librarian and ends with coordinating librarian. The operations track starts with library branch manager and moves up through regional librarian, assistant library director, and ends with library director.
Career ladder for the parks and golf courses department. There are three ladders on the image. The leftmost ladder begins with golf aide and moves up through greenskeeper, golf course supervisor, and ends with golf course superintendent. The middle ladder begins with park aide and moves up through park ranger aide, park ranger, supervising park ranger, parks superintendent, assistant director, and ends with director. The right most ladder begins with planner and moves up through senior planner, ending with assistant director.