a. Career Ladder Promotion -One of your employees occupies a position with full promotion potential to the GS-12 level. He or she is at the GS-9 level currently and has been in grade for one year. The individual is an outstanding performer who has demonstrated potential to perform at the next higher grade level, and you want to promote the employee.

b. Competitive Promotion -Any selection to a higher level position of an internal employee within the work unit from a merit promotion certificate.

The use of noncompetitive promotion procedures is limited to very specific circumstances. Fair and open competition should occur whenever those conditions are not explicitly met.

a. Career Ladder Promotion - Submit a Request for Personnel Action (SF-52) to promote the incumbent two pay periods before the employee completes one year at the current grade or when the employee demonstrates the ability to perform at the next higher grade.

b. Noncompetitive Promotion - Submit a Request for Personnel Action (SF-52) to establish a new position, a copy of the new position description, a short memorandum explaining what changes in the position warrant the proposed higher grade, and a signed statement affirming the following:

1. The "old" position has been absorbed into the new position; and

2.a. The employee continues to perform the same basic functions and the duties represent an outgrowth, over a significant period of time, of the "old" position and no other employee in the organizational unit is qualified to perform the duties; or

2.b. A program change requires the immediate performance of new duties that no other employee in the organizational unit is qualified to perform the duties.

Your servicing human resources office (SHRO) specialist may conduct a desk audit to respond to a request for a noncompetitive promotion. The desk audit will normally always occur when establishment of the requested position would create a precedent across organizational lines, is otherwise highly controversial, or may result in a classification appeal or administrative grievance. The purpose of the desk audit is to advise the manager regarding options for achieving the desired results.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

"Accretion" promotion from non-supervisory positions to higher graded supervisory positions are prohibited. Requests to reclassify positions in one-grade interval series (e.g., technical support) to two-grade interval series (e.g., professional or two-grade administrative series) should generally be avoided. Where the manager does submit a SF-52 of this nature, the request will be considered highly controversial in nature and, consequently, subject to a position review.

Where the employee desires a desk audit to confirm the classification of his/her position, the employee should prepare a memorandum to his/her immediate supervisor requesting a review of the position. If the supervisor concurs, he or she prepares an SF-52 requesting a desk audit, attaches the employee memorandum, and follow the appropriate steps to route the SF-52 to the SHRO.

c. Competitive Promotion - Follow procedures outlined in Section "How Do I Fill a Vacancy?"