A Classification & Compensation Study
built for Hampton Roads.
~280 full-time and ~300 part-time positions. The exact twelve comparator jurisdictions the County named. VRS pension (Hybrid and Enhanced Hazardous Duty) layered into total compensation, and The Local Choice benefits modeled at the line-item level. Built to quantify the wage gap the County's RFP describes, and delivered ahead of the FY2028 budget cycle. By House Strategies Group.
Workforce in Scope
~205 classifications · ~280 FT + ~300 PT · 14 functional families
County Administration & Finance
20 classes
Sheriff's Office (sworn LE)
34 classes
Emergency Services / Fire & EMS
22 classes
Emergency Communications (E-911)
9 classes
Public Utilities (Water & Sewer)
18 classes
Public Works & General Services
20 classes
Community Development & Inspections
16 classes
Parks, Recreation, Tourism & Library
15 classes
Social Services (state-supervised)
14 classes
Constitutional Officers' Staff
18 classes
Information Technology & GIS
9 classes
Economic Development & Extension
5 classes
Voter Registration & Animal Services
6 classes
Senior Management & Department Heads
14 classes
Family taxonomy and class counts illustrative; final reconciled against Isle of Wight County's HR job-description inventory at engagement kickoff.
What This Engagement Delivers
Four lenses on Isle of Wight's pay reality.
The RFP asks for internal equity (compression), external competitiveness against Hampton Roads public and private peers, a defensible classification plan, and a salary-administration 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 Isle of Wight.
01
A newcomer who already did the work
The edge in a study like this usually goes to whoever already knows the County. We closed that gap before the bid: a live portal plus a real, sourced market baseline from public records (Newport News pay ranges, Compensation Board sheriff bands, BLS Hampton Roads wages). Incumbent-level preparation at a newcomer-friendly price.
02
The wage gap, quantified, not hand-waved
The RFP §BACKGROUND names the problem plainly: neighboring cities pay more than the County can. Our comparator engine measures that gap role-by-role so the Board can see exactly where retention bleeds.
03
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, captured in an AI / Expert Reconciliation Log.
04
Supervisory compression remediation, by design
We meet RFP Comp-Study item G with a distinct department-head grade ladder, manager-to-report parity flags, and a corrective-action plan tiered for Board adoption.
05
Virginia public-sector specifics, built in
Constitutional-officer / Compensation-Board funding splits, VRS Enhanced Hazardous Duty for sworn staff, DCJS and Virginia OEMS certification pay, modeled the way a Virginia county actually runs.
Aggressive ~6-Month Timeline
Preliminary results by December, final report February 2027, the aggressive timeline the County asked for.
Sep · Phase 1
Kick-off, data intake & employee assessment
Initial meeting with HR Director, County Administrator, and key staff (item A). All-employee job-assessment tool launched (per the County's 7/1 Q&A).
Oct · Phase 2
Classification audit & market survey, in parallel
~205 job titles evaluated by function, not title (item B); the 12 named jurisdictions surveyed concurrently. AI-drafted profiles reconciled by certified job evaluator.
Nov · Phase 3
Pay structure design & compression analysis
Range spread / midpoint progression; compression and supervisory-compression remediation (item G); recommended market-target philosophy.
Dec · Phase 4
Preliminary results to the County
Draft structure, market findings, and first-cut cost impact delivered, meeting the County's December target with a month of margin.
Jan · Phase 5
Refinement, cost modeling & roadmap
Feedback incorporated; phased cost estimates (item H); implementation plan and salary-administration maintenance system delivered.
Feb · Phase 6
Final report + presentation + training
Final report to the HR Director. Presentation to leadership / Board of Supervisors. HR-staff training executed.
Response Companion
This portal is the analytical product Isle of Wight County would receive, already built.
Every chart, every table, every modeling tool here is what we'll deliver: sharper, populated with the County's actual classification, salary, VRS, and benefits data, on a ~6-month engagement clock.