Scope  
This compensation philosophy applies to most TTU staff employees.  
 
Objectives  
In alignment with the mission, values, culture, and university objectives, the compensation program is intended to provide competitive pay and comprehensive benefits to staff employees.  
 
The staff compensation program focus is on the following items:  

• Define jobs based on their responsibilities and alignment to work dimensions, following a job family and subfamily job categorization model. 
• Align base pay to the most relevant market data in support of a defined pay strategy. 
• Ensure consistency and transparent application of the compensation program.
• Balance the needs of the organization and employees with good stewardship of resources.  

Total Compensation Program Elements  
The elements of the total compensation program include: 

• Competitive and Fair Pay
  • Maintain salary ranges aligned with market benchmarks and internal equity to attract, retain, and reward top talent.
• Comprehensive Benefits
  • Health insurance, as well as optional insurance coverages including dental and vision, flexible spending accounts, and wellness benefits to support the well-being of employees and their families.
  • Competitive retirement plans, including university contributions, and voluntary savings options.
  • Paid leave benefits to include vacation, sick leave, and holidays.

• Professional Development
  • Career advancement support through educational assistance, certifications, and ongoing training opportunities.
  • Leadership development and skill-building programs to cultivate talent across all levels of the university.

• Awards and Recognition Programs
  • Formal and informal programs that recognize employee contributions, years of service, and outstanding performance.

Additional administrative components of our program include: 

• Job Descriptions: Colleges and Departments are responsible for accurate and up-to-date descriptions of the accountabilities for each job. 
• Compensation Guidelines: Written administrative policies and procedures. 
• Administrative Partnership: Active administration of programs, partnering with leadership to achieve consistent and transparent results. 
• Training and Support: Available on-going training to educate the campus community.  

Target Market Strategy 

• Market Definition  
  TTU generally defines its labor market for the scope of this philosophy as institutions in the Texas Emerging Research Universities (ERU) and Big XII conference. Additional market references to the local, general, and higher education industry markets are leveraged as appropriate and other markets may also be considered for specific needs. 
• Market Target  
  TTU aspires to provide fair compensation that enables TTU to compete for top talent.  

TTU will take the following approach to ensure that compensation for each job is aligned with the appropriate benchmarks:   

• Staff Positions: TTU defines the labor markets for staff based on the type of job. Salary benchmark sources may include similarly situated peer universities or broader industry data, depending on the nature and focus of the role.  
• Highly Specialized or Unique Positions: TTU recognizes there may be circumstances that require further refinement. In these cases, the TTU Human Resources team will work with leadership to review additional information necessary to align a job with the market, and then determine an appropriate range of compensation that balances internal equity and external competitiveness. Exceptions will be reviewed by the Vice President for Administration & Chief of Staff in collaboration with the TTU Human Resources team and the hiring department’s leadership. 

Program Administration, Governance, and Monitoring 

• Shared Administration of Compensation    
  A compensation program that meets the objectives articulated in this document will require ongoing development and shared responsibility for its administration. TTU is devoted to working as a community to maintain a compensation program that promotes equity and consistency in how compensation is set across the university balanced with flexibility for colleges and departments to make the best decisions to meet their needs and goals within the guidelines of the program. 
• TTU Human Resources seeks to maintain the following practices with respect to compensation:  
  • An accurate and updated job catalog that lists each job and its salary range, including a description of its general responsibilities.  
  • Biennial review of benchmark matches and other corresponding market data.  
  • Written policies and procedures that will allow hiring managers to set compensation within the established compensation guidelines.  
  • Regular training for hiring managers on these policies and procedures.  
  • Periodic updates to this compensation philosophy to ensure it stays aligned with TTU’s strategic priorities and goals.  
• Roles and Responsibilities 
  Texas Tech University leadership commits to upholding and promoting this compensation philosophy.  Leadership recognizes that the compensation philosophy and guidelines will require periodic adjustments to evolve alongside our dynamic community. 
   
  Texas Tech University leadership, alongside the Human Resources team, are responsible for administering the compensation plan.