ARTICLE 14

APPOINTMENTS, REASSIGNMENTS, AND PROMOTIONS

a. Appointment - the initial appointment of an employee from outside the agency either by promotion, lateral, or change to lower grade from another federal agency or from selection under an initial appointment program.
b. Reassignment - lateral movement of an employee from one position to another position within the agency.
c. Promotion - the action taken when an employee is changed from one classification act job to another of higher grade, or a job in a different pay method category.
d. Competitive Procedure - The process of evaluating candidates by assessing the degree to Which they possess the knowledge, skills, abilities, and personal characteristics needed for successful performance in the job to be filled, and ranking them in order of merit relative to each other.
e. Qualified Candidates - those candidates for a vacancy who meet the minimum eligibility and qualification requirements, including approved selective placement factors.
f. Priority Consideration - the referral of an employee ahead of all other candidates not also entitled to the same or a higher order of consideration.
g. Position Vacancy - an unfilled position, created by the establishment of a new position or by the promotion transfer, reassignment, retirement or other movement of an incumbent out of a position.
h. Best Qualified - These promotion candidates who rate at the top when compared to other candidates. Members of this group are certified on promotion certificates.
i. "Timing and Intent" - Advancement to the journeyman level is the intent and expectation in the career ladder system. However, promotions within career ladders are neither automatic nor mandatory. There is no guarantee that an employee in a career ladder will be promoted, nor a commitment that a promotion will be made at any set time. Promotions will be effected as the employee's performance demonstrates readiness to assume more difficult duties at the next higher level and as other legal requirements (e.g., time-in-grade) are met.
j. "Basis for Promotion" - Time-in-grade requirements establishes the minimum time within which career promotions may be made. They do not, however, constitute a basis for promotion. Promotions within career ladders are to be made only when (1) the employee has performed successfully at this current grade level and (2) his/her performance indicates that he/she is ready for assignments at a higher level and ultimately can be expected to perform at the journeyman level.
k. "Minimum Time" - "Employees in career ladders will be considered for promotion when they meet time-in-grade requirements; they will be promoted only as they meet established promotion criteria."

SECTION 2. The union and the employer agree that the purpose of the Merit Promotion Plan is to insure that candidates are given full and fair consideration for advancement and to insure selection from among the best qualified candidates. It is further agreed that these procedures must be administered in such a way as to develop maximum employee confidence and to achieve the purposes of the plan as simply and as effectively as possible.

a. When a vacancy in the unit of recognition is filled by competitive procedures, it will be filled from among the best qualified candidates.
b. The following actions, not all inclusive, may be taken non-competitively, unless otherwise provided:

(1) Promotion of the incumbent of a reclassified position or of an individual having re-employment rights to that position will be taken non-competitively when:

(a) the reclassification is the result of gradual accrual of duties and the individual has performed these duties satisfactorily over a reasonable period of time; or
(b) the reclassification results from a change in the content, interpretation, or application of classification standards.

(2) Details to higher graded positions which are for 120 days.

SECTION 4. VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENTS
Vacancy announcements will be issued in accordance with Chapter 06, NOAA Personnel Handbook.