Pro3 Competencies

Competencies are skills, abilities, or knowledge that contribute to success on the job. The competencies used in this program were identified and developed through extensive interviews, focus groups, and other research with those who currently excel in these administrative roles at UF.

Fiscal Management Competencies
HR/Payroll Management Competencies
Academic Department Support Competencies

Personal Excellence Competencies (these groups are required for each of the certification programs)
- Communication and Building Relationships Competencies
- Preventing and Solving Problems Competencies
- Organizational Awareness and Experience Competencies

To see the certification requirements, view the Quick and Easy Guide to the Pro3 Series.

Fiscal Management

The competencies described on this page represent the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for effective fiscal management at the University of Florida.

These key skills were identified primarily on the basis of a series of focus groups and interviews with employees in administrative positions who were identified as solid performers in those positions. The competencies represent the range of skills that became apparent as those successful in the positions described their work and how they fulfilled the positions’ demands.

These fiscal competencies are complemented by the personal excellence competencies—core skills such as communication and results orientation that are essential for all administrative professionals.

To see the requirements for the certification, view the Quick and Easy Guide to the Pro3 Series.

Can apply basic accounting principles such as debit, credit, accounts payable, and accounts receivable.

Understands how UF budget is managed.
Understands and can apply related myUFL system requirements, including chartfields, ledger groups, etc.
Can forecast or project budget requirements (personnel, other) using Enterprise Reporting and Query Studio, and other tools as necessary.

Knows and can explain guidelines and restrictions for various funding sources; advises chair, faculty, and staff on appropriate use of funds, including Contracts and Grants guidelines (for specific grants, as well as, guidelines associated with OMB Circular A-21).
Spends from appropriate sources in accordance with guidelines and restrictions.
Identifies and corrects mistakes or discrepancies in use of funds.

Can purchase and pay for items and services using PeopleSoft, including PCard transactions.
Can deposit funds as needed.
Can complete travel and expense transactions for themselves and others in PeopleSoft.
Safeguards department assets by using the appropriate UF subsystem. Has basic understanding of appropriate internal controls necessary, as well as, appropriate security roles that should be assigned.

Understands and can reconcile department ledgers in keeping with UF business requirements and best practices.
Understands key control concepts and application of these to key business processes.
Uses available tools and can create own tools (excel spreadsheets, etc.) as necessary to reconcile accounts and to do budgetary projections and analysis.
Able to facilitate audit, knowing whom to contact in the event auditors show up.

Creates and manipulates spreadsheets, invoices, databases, and other tools using Excel (or other spreadsheet software).

Works quickly and comfortably with numbers. “The numbers speak to me.”

HR/Payroll Management

The competencies described on this page represent the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for effective HR/Payroll management at the University of Florida.

These HR/payroll competencies are complemented by the personal excellence competencies—core skills such as communication and results orientation that are essential for all administrative professionals.

To see the requirements for the certification, view the Quick and Easy Guide to the Pro3 Series.

Payroll—knows guidelines and procedures for entering, monitoring, and adjusting salary distributions (Faculty, Staff, Grad Assts, OPS).
Payroll—knows and effectively manages process for monitoring timeliness and accuracy of time and labor entries in the system.
Payroll—understands processes and requirements for making payroll-related adjustments or changes (e.g., overpayments, retroactive FTE changes)

Knows and facilitates recruitment process (including affirmative action recruiting).
Knows guidelines for hire process and monitors to ensure that correct hiring procedures are used.
Knows required paperwork for hire (for different core offices depending on whether for faculty, staff, OPS, grad assts, student assts) and facilitates completion and submission.
Can complete hire correctly in system.
Organizes and communicates appointment information (letters of appointment, contracts, etc.)
Understands immigration, foreign nationals, and associated tax implications.
Manages any needed start-up packages.

Understands requirements for completing personnel actions and communicates effectively with customers or appropriate core office when necessary.
Completes and submits required paperwork.
Completes job action correctly, securing resources from web (instruction guides) and contacting core office directly as necessary to correct or facilitate.

Personal Excellence

The competencies described on this page represent the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for effectiveness as an administrative professional at the University of Florida.

These core professional skills (e.g., communication and results orientation) are essential for all administrative professionals and are required for all three certifications: Fiscal Management, HR/Payroll, and Academic Department Support. These personal excellence competencies have been organized into three subgroupings: Preventing & Solving Problems, Communication & Building Relationships, and Organizational Awareness & Experience.

Preventing & Solving Problems Competencies

Notices discrepancies and inconsistencies in available information.
Approaches a complex task or problem by breaking it down into its component parts and considering each part in detail.
Identifies the many possible causes for a problem; uses a systematic process to identify source of problem and correct.
Understands how related ideas, actions, or procedures fit together and can execute or articulate as one process, understanding different scenarios.

Identifies the specific information needed to clarify a situation or to make a decision.
Identifies the sources (such as web sites) or people (such as core office or college-level contacts) who can provide needed information; seeks out knowledgeable people to obtain information or clarify a problem.
Gets more complete and accurate information by checking multiple sources.
Probes skillfully to get information; asks questions to clarify a situation.

Evaluates options by considering implications and consequences; chooses effective options.
Implements solutions within a reasonable time.
Evaluates effectiveness of implemented solutions.

Determines or identifies desired result and articulates it clearly to others.
Develops challenging but achievable goals.
Maintains commitment to desired results or goals in the face of obstacles and frustrations.
Exerts unusual effort, over time, to achieve desired results or goals.
Has a strong sense of urgency about solving problems and getting work done.

Organizational Awareness & Experience Competencies

Organizational awareness and experience—understands the university setting including, managerial structure (deans, directors, department chairs), relevant university relationships to the state, University Board of Trustees, Board of Governors, etc., as well as, key resources within the university.

Can provide feedback and assistance to new employees (faculty and staff) in navigating the complexities of a large university, including “the big picture.”
Knows and utilizes resources within university to provide information or assistance, to solve problems, or to connect internal customers (faculty and staff) with resources, even for issues outside his or her daily responsibilities.

To see the requirements for the certification, view the Quick and Easy Guide to the Pro3 Series.

Academic Department Support

The competencies described on this page represent the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to provide effective academic department support at the University of Florida.

These academic department support competencies are complemented by the personal excellence competencies—core skills such as communication and results orientation that are essential for all administrative professionals.

Tenure & Promotion—understands and facilitates tenure and promotion process.

Knows requirements and procedures for Tenure& Promotion process and works effectively with Academic Personnel.
Understands how leave issues affect tenure and promotion process, including rules and procedures for “stopping the tenure clock.”
Communicates requirements, obtains materials, and combines required materials and information for use.

Institutional & academic knowledge—understands and applies relevant policies, procedures, approval processes; can serve as a resource for effort reporting and course scheduling.

Understands and complies with departmental and college-level policies and procedures.
Understands and complies with required approval processes up through the appropriate college-level office and provost’s office.
Works effectively with department chair, faculty and other staff.
Understands requirements and effectively completes faculty assignment and activity reports.
Assists with or completes course scheduling as needed—coordinating dates and times, instructor preferences, registrar requirements, etc.

To see the requirements for the certification, view the Quick and Easy Guide to the Pro3 Series.

Pro3 Competencies

Fiscal Management

Accounting—understands basic accounting principles as a foundation for managing financial activities in their work unit.

Budget development—serves as resource for budget development, working in conjunction with higher-level administrators in their work unit (chair, dean, director, etc.).

Fund and spending knowledge—understands and can apply guidelines and restrictions associated with available funding, including grants, state appropriations, foundation, and overhead accounts.

Completing transactions—can complete financial transactions in the myUFL subsystems of purchasing, travel/expense, accounts payable, and accounts receivable in keeping with UF policies and procedures.

Fiscal management—develops and maintains internal controls in the oversight of the budget, to include reconciliation; able to troubleshoot and work to solve problems that may emerge or be identified; able to facilitate audits.

Spreadsheet software—can use Excel (or other spreadsheet software) as a tool for budget management with a high degree of proficiency.and manipulates spreadsheets, invoices, databases, and other tools using Excel (or other spreadsheet software).

Numbers skills—Possesses a skill and comfort with numbers.

HR/Payroll Management

Payroll and leave—manages process of getting employees paid to ensure that employees are paid correctly, on time, legally, and from correct fund sources.

Hiring and appointments—manages appointment and new hire process.

Other personnel actions–knows guidelines and procedures for personnel actions—including raises, terminations, retirement (including DROP), nonrenewals, and performance management.

Personal Excellence

Preventing & Solving Problems Competencies

Analytical Thinking—able to tackle a problem by using a logical, systematic, sequential approach

Diagnostic Information Gathering—able to identify the information needed to clarify a situation, seek that information from appropriate sources, and use skillful and persistent questioning to draw out the required information.

Problem Solving—solves problems with effective solutions.

Results orientation—able to focus on the desired result of one's own or one's unit's work, set challenging goals, focus effort on the goals, and meet or exceed them.

Communication & Building Relationships Competencies

Networking and building collaborative relationships—able to develop, maintain, and strengthen partnerships with others inside and outside the organization who can provide information, assistance, and support.

Communication—able to express oneself (including concepts and procedures) clearly and in a way that helps others understand; ensures that information is passed on to others who need to be kept informed.

Organizational Awareness & Experience Competencies

Academic Department Support

Tenure & Promotion—understands and facilitates tenure and promotion process.

Institutional & academic knowledge—understands and applies relevant policies, procedures, approval processes; can serve as a resource for effort reporting and course scheduling.