Computer Operator Family
Career series with 5 positions across 3 levels
New Jersey classifies Computer Operator as a 3-level family, 5 titles in all, built for step-by-step advancement.
Entry is typically through Computer Operator 3, advancing through the ladder toward Computer Operator 1 and, from there, into supervisory roles. Pay across the family spans $46,727 to $111,856, around the 39th percentile of all civil service job families by top pay. State payroll records show 11 people across the family's titles, most concentrated at Office of Information Technology.
Computer Operator reports to supervising titles such as Senior Sewage Plant Operator / Sewer Repairer and Senior Telephone Operator.
Positions in This Family
- SUPERVISING COMPUTER OPERATOR (05061)
- SUPERVISING COMPUTER OPERATOR (53090) $76,287 - $111,856/year
- COMPUTER OPERATOR 3 (53302) $46,727 - $67,528/year
- COMPUTER OPERATOR 2 (53303) $53,282 - $77,371/year
- COMPUTER OPERATOR 1 (53304) $60,876 - $88,743/year
What the Computer Operator family covers
Computer Operator is a graded series in the New Jersey civil service classification plan, running 5 title codes across 3 levels. The family straddles jurisdictions: 4 state and 1 local, so parts of it are hired by state departments and parts by local civil service employers.
Technology classifications age badly, and New Jersey's show it. The plan still carries titles written around tape libraries, keypunch and input and output control, sitting alongside newer series for network administration, database work and software development. For an applicant that matters practically: an older title may describe duties nobody performs any more while the position itself has quietly become something else, so the specification is a weaker guide to the actual job here than it is in most families. Salaries also drift furthest from private-sector equivalents in this group, which is the reason the compendium allows advanced-step hiring for information processing titles.
The ladder, ordered by pay
Ordered by what they actually pay rather than by the number in the title, the Computer Operator rungs look like this. Note that the numbers in these titles do not run in pay order. In this family a lower number sits higher on the ladder, which is a New Jersey convention that catches people out when they read a title list top to bottom.
- Supervising Computer Operator — $76,287 to $111,856 (4 years of experience)
- Computer Operator 1 — $60,876 to $88,743 (3 years of experience)
- Computer Operator 2 — $53,282 to $77,371 (2 years of experience)
- Computer Operator 3 — $46,727 to $67,528 (1 year of experience)
The distance from the bottom of Computer Operator 3 to the top of Supervising Computer Operator is $65,129, an increase of about 139% over the entry minimum.
What each title does
Each title in the family carries its own published definition. These are the opening lines of each one, which is usually where the difference between two neighboring rungs is actually stated.
- Supervising Computer Operator: Under direction, supervises and coordinates the activities of staff engaged in computer operations; does related work as required NOTE: The examples of work…
- Supervising Computer Operator: Under the direction of an Operations Shift Superintendent or other higher level supervisory official in a state department, agency, institution, or state…
- Computer Operator 3: Under the close supervision of a Supervising Computer Operator or other supervisory official in a state department, agency, institution, or state college, serves as…
- Computer Operator 2: Under the limited supervision of a Supervising Computer Operator, or other supervisory official in a state department, agency, institution, or state college, assists…
- Computer Operator 1: Under the general supervision of a Supervising Computer Operator in a state department, agency, institution, or state college, acts as console operator and…
What it takes to qualify
None of the specifications in this family names a degree requirement, which places these titles among the New Jersey positions open to applicants without formal higher education. Stated experience runs from 1 year at the lowest rung to 4 at the highest, which is the main thing separating one level from the next.
On how the jobs are filled: 4 are competitive, filled from an eligible list after an open competitive or promotional examination and 1 is non-competitive, appointed on proof of the stated qualifications rather than by examination.
Who actually employs these titles
11 people appear on the state payroll under 2 of these titles, at 2 agencies. Office of Information Technology alone accounts for about 82% of them.
- Office of Information Technology — 9 employees
- Treasury — 2 employees
Median actual pay varies across the family, from $65,244 for Computer Operator 3 up to $97,764 for Supervising Computer Operator. Those are medians of what people are really paid, not schedule minimums and maximums.
State payroll only, deduplicated by payroll title; local employers file separately, so a family with local codes looks smaller here than it is. How this is counted.
How the pay is set
Titles in this family are paid on the A-P-R-S salary schedule. See every step in that schedule. Bargaining is handled by CWA. Union contracts and rights are collected here.
Where these jobs exist
Because the family mixes jurisdictions, the answer to "who hires this" depends on the specific code. State codes run through the Civil Service Commission's announcement and eligible list process; local codes are hired by the counties, municipalities and authorities that adopted civil service under Title 11A. Check an employer's status before assuming a title is available where you live.
Related titles elsewhere in the plan
These titles sit elsewhere in the classification plan but share vocabulary with Computer Operator, which usually means overlapping duties or a related eligible list.
- Computer Operator (local jurisdiction)
- Computer Operator Trainee (local jurisdiction)
- Computer Operator/Keyboarding Clerk 3 (local jurisdiction) — in the Computer Operator/Keyboarding Clerk family
- Computer Operator/Senior Account Clerk Computer Operator (local jurisdiction)
- Computer Operator/ Purchasing Assistant Computer Operator (local jurisdiction)
- Computer Service Technician (local jurisdiction)
Common questions about Computer Operator jobs
How many separate Computer Operator classifications does New Jersey have?
The Computer Operator family holds 5 title codes arranged across 3 levels. Each code is a separate classification with its own published specification, requirements and salary treatment.
How much is a Computer Operator paid?
Published salary data for this family runs from $46,727 at the bottom of Computer Operator 3 to $111,856 at the top of Supervising Computer Operator. Those are schedule figures. Where the title appears on the state payroll, actual median pay is listed on the page above.
Is there a civil service test for Computer Operator?
Yes for most of the family. 4 of the 5 titles are in the competitive division, which means appointment comes from an eligible list built by an open competitive or promotional examination.
What are the requirements to become a Computer Operator?
No degree requirement is parsed from the specifications in this family, which puts these titles among the New Jersey civil service jobs reachable without formal higher education. Experience of 1 to 4 years is named where a requirement is stated.
Which agencies employ Computer Operator staff?
State payroll records show 11 people in this family across 2 agencies, with Office of Information Technology the largest at 9. Local government employers are not covered by that extract.
Is Computer Operator 1 higher or lower than Computer Operator 3?
In this family the lower number is the more senior title. New Jersey's level numbering does not run in pay order, and reading the titles by number alone will give you the ladder upside down. The list above is sorted by what each title actually pays.