Service Professional Guidelines

The service professional position is established by the Arizona Board of Regents (ABOR) and is governed by the ABOR Conditions of Service for Service Professionals (Policy 6-303).

Below is the definition for service professional positions. This should be considered when creating or evaluating positions for the service professional category:

A non-classified employee with a direct role in service who require professional and intellectual freedom and report to a person below the level of vice president, including those in student services, technical services, student health services and public service.

HR guidelines for service professional positions:

Based on this definition, HR has established the guidelines below to assist departments in determining whether a new or current position should fall within the service professional employment category:

Middle management positions

Many service professional employees are part of the university’s middle management structure.  Management responsibilities are the primary focus of their positions.  These employees typically report to an administrator.  Examples of middle management job titles include: assistant/associate director, coordinator, area coordinator, project director, and manager.

Professional/technical jobs

Often jobs that are highly technical or require significant education are included within the service professional category.  Examples of professional/technical jobs may include: physician, research associate, psychologist, and counselor.

Industry/job specifications

Some jobs or industries commonly operate on a year-to-year appointment basis.  These types of positions may be considered for inclusion in the service professional category.  For example, most athletic coaching positions lend themselves to a year-to-year appointment process.  Other types of positions that typically have high error-impact and visibility may fall into this category.  Often this is not a sole determinate for service professional status, but used in conjunction with other criteria.

*For more information on Service Professionals, please contact the Employment and Compensation team.