Case Study: Grading and Job Title System

Background

Optimizing the grading and job title for an investment bank that has completed an acquisition recently.

The Company business covered Corporate Finance, Securities, Asset Management, Futures, Forex and Equity Investment business.

Objectives

Optimizing the grading and job title system as the first step of post acquisition Human Resources transformation to support new business strategy and to facilitate retention of key talent.

Aligning with market practice by referencing grading structure of both international and Chinese investment banks to facilitate globalization.

Balancing the need for flat organizational structure and career development to improve management efficiency.

Integrating the grading and job titles between back office and front office to promote internal communication and facilitate M&A integration.

Key Features / Process

Referring to the Market Practices and Balancing Different Considerations

Reviewed the typical British and American job grading structure in the market and balanced between flat and traditional organizational structure.

Considered the current grading structures between the two companies; ensured that the proposed grading and job titles were in line with market.

The Key Features of the Proposed Grading and Job Title Structure:

Professional grade vs. non-professional grade – High performing professional staff progressed the career ladder based on pre-determined years.

Management staff vs. non-management staff – Promotion for management staff was based on the management responsibilities, customer network and performance; the promotion for non-management staff was based on the years of experience and performance.

Slotted all department heads and employees to their corresponding grades according to their job responsibilities, years of experience and complexity of their responsibilities, etc.

Integrated internal and external grading and job title structure between front and back office and applied this across different subsidiaries to facilitate market alignment, employee mobility and communication. Specialized job titles were designed for some front office employees due to their business needs.