A Compensation & Classification Study
built for the South Carolina Piedmont.
157 classifications. A separate Department-Head grade ladder. Twelve SC peer-county comparators. SCRS and PORS pension layered into total compensation, PEBA benefits modeled at the line-item level — all delivered by Thursday, December 17, 2026, in time for the County's FY 2027 budget cycle. By House Strategies Group.
Workforce in Scope
157 classifications · ~580 FTE · 13 functional families
Administration & Finance
18 classes
Public Safety (Sheriff & EMS)
38 classes
Detention & Court Services
22 classes
Public Works & Roads
20 classes
Parks, Rec & Library
14 classes
Tax, Auditor & Treasurer
12 classes
Information Technology & GIS
9 classes
Building Codes & Planning
10 classes
Voter Registration & Elections
4 classes
Coroner & Investigation
3 classes
Animal Control
3 classes
Veterans Affairs
2 classes
Department Heads (separate grade ladder)
12 classes
Family taxonomy and class counts illustrative; final reconciled against Greenwood County HR job description inventory at engagement kickoff.
What This Engagement Delivers
Four lenses on Greenwood County's pay reality.
The County's RFP §SCOPE asks for internal equity, external competitiveness against South Carolina public and private peers, and a separate Department-Head ladder — all delivered as an electronically maintained system the HR Director can run after we leave. That is the deliverable on the next four cards.
Why HSG
Five reasons our methodology fits Greenwood.
01
South Carolina public-sector fluency
Comparator pool drawn from SC counties; SCRS/PORS pension layered into total comp; PEBA benefits modeled at the line-item level — all per RFP §SCOPE.
02
Defensibly human-validated AI methodology
Every AI-generated classification draft, market band, and compression flag is reconciled by a credentialed analyst before it reaches the County.
03
Dept-Head separate grade ladder, by design
We meet the RFP requirement for a distinct Department-Head grade structure with calibrated peer-county anchors and SC-context responsibility tiers.
04
Career ladders + compression remediation
Promotional paths, internal-parity flags, and a corrective-action plan — implementation-ready, tiered for Council adoption.
05
On-time delivery for FY 2027 budget cycle
Final report Thursday, December 17, 2026 — purpose-built so Council, Manager, and HR can act before budget development opens.
7-Month Engagement Timeline
Final report due Thursday, December 17, 2026 — calibrated to County's FY 2027 budget cycle.
Jun · Phase 1
Project kick-off, data intake, & JAT design
HR Director, HR Generalist, County Manager kickoff. Job Analysis Tools (JAT) drafted with employee input.
Jul · Phase 2
Classification audit & evaluation
157 classifications evaluated. AI-drafted profiles reconciled by certified job evaluator.
Aug · Phase 3
Comparator survey & data collection
12 SC peer counties + targeted private-sector pull. Department-Head ladder anchored.
Sep–Oct · Phase 4
Pay structure design & compression analysis
Min/mid/max pay grades. Compression remediation plan. Career ladders mapped.
Nov · Phase 5
Recommendations & implementation roadmap
Tiered (immediate / FY 27 / structural). Cost-impact modeled. HR maintenance system delivered.
Dec · Phase 6
Final delivery + Council presentation + HR training
December 17 final report. Council presentation. HR-staff training program executed.
Response Companion
This portal is the analytical product Greenwood County would receive — already built.
Every chart, every table, every modeling tool here is what we'll deliver — sharper, populated with Greenwood's actual classification, salary, and pension data, on a 7-month engagement clock.