What you need to know
Attracting and retaining top talent is a key priority at Sandia. Our compensation program is key to meeting that priority. It includes base pay, variable pay, special recognitions and advancement opportunities. We want you to feel rewarded and to understand your opportunities to advance and grow here.
We offer three types of advancement opportunities throughout the year – level promotions, special appointments, and intralevel advancements.
Level promotions and special appointments, whether through the annual process or through post and bid, are an opportunity for you to advance to a higher career level within your defined job description and title.
Intralevel advancements progress you through your current job and level, providing you with more growth opportunities at a quicker pace.
Level Promotions and Special Appointments
A level promotion is a move from member to senior or senior to principal. A special appointment is a move to distinguished, senior administrator, senior scientist or senior engineer.
Special appointments occur annually. Level promotions are reviewed annually at the beginning of the year and then additional level promotions can occur throughout the year through a new monthly process and through the post and bid process.
Special appointments and level promotions recognize when you’ve demonstrated the ability to perform at the next level – and our business can sustain that work. Please keep mind that advancement opportunities throughout the year are subject to budget availability and Division/Center processes.
You and your manager should regularly discuss your performance, capabilities, and development goals.
Your manager will work with your organization’s leadership to determine when promotions may be appropriate.
Promotion Criteria
Sandia’s promotion criteria includes the following:
- The organization has sustainable work at the promotion level.
- You meet the minimum qualifications documented in Sandia’s compensation and job structure.
- You have demonstrated the ability to work at the promotion level.
Eligibility for Promotions
Level Promotions are available to the following employees:
- Regular, non-represented exempt and nonexempt employees
Intralevel Advancements
Each job level contains four intralevels that align to your compra-ratio and reflect the range of skill, knowledge and ability within that level.
Intralevel advancements are not based on how long you’ve been in your job/level, how long it’s been since your last promotion or advancement or your last performance summation.
Your manager can nominate you for an intralevel advancement at any point throughout the year beginning in February 2025. Please keep in mind that advancement opportunities throughout the year are subject to budget availability and Division/Center processes.
Intralevel Advancement Criteria
You can earn an Intralevel Advancement by gaining increased skills, knowledge and abilities and consistently demonstrating:
- Growth – significant learning and deeper understanding of job-related responsibilities
- Skill attainment – skill advancement beyond the minimum required for the job role
- Expanded ability to contribute – ability to bring new ideas and broadened expertise to your team and to Sandia’s mission
During career conversations with your manager, you should discuss specific skills, knowledge and abilities you can work towards attaining. Consider aligning your performance goals to some of the ways you can meet the criteria for advancement opportunities.
Intralevel Advancement Eligibility
Intralevel advancements are available to the following employees:
- Regular, nonrepresented exempt and nonexempt
- Full-time and part-time
- Individual contributors
- Members through distinguished
- Senior administrators, senior engineers and senior scientists
- Fellows
- All other nonrepresented regular jobs without any or typical career levels, for example:
- General/intellectual property counsel,
- Investment managers
- administrative staff
- Management
- Team leads through senior managers
- Directors
Intralevel advancements are not available for the following employees:
- Represented
- Limited Term Employees (LTEs)
- Recurrents
- Student Interns
- Post Doc Appointees
- Fellowship Appointees
- Critical Skills Recruiting Participants
- Senior Executives
- Executive Directors
- Assistant Laboratories Directors (ALDs)
- Deputy Laboratories Directors
- Laboratories Director
Resources
Employee Resources
- 2025 Sandia Intralevel Advancements and Level Promotion Process Employee Frequently Asked Questions (Feb. 2025)
- Intralevel Advancements Employee Guide (Feb. 2025)
Manager Resources
- 2025 Sandia Intralevel Advancements and Level Promotion Process Manager Frequently Asked Questions (Feb. 2025)
- Recording: Manager Information Session – Updates to Promotion and Intralevel Advancement Programs – Feb. 2025
- Intralevel Advancements Manager Guide (Feb. 2025)
- Managers Guide: Promoting Employees at Sandia (Feb. 2025)
Questions? Contact HR Solutions, 505-284-4700, or your Human Resources business partner.
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Quick Tip
Getting paid for your time
You may be eligible for several additional types of compensation – outside of your base salary – including shift differentials and overtime. Be sure to check out Time & Attendance to learn more.