NJ Civil Service Navigator

Data Processing Systems Programmer Family

Career series with 4 positions across 2 levels

New Jersey classifies Data Processing Systems Programmer as a 2-level family, 4 titles in all, built for step-by-step advancement.

Entry is typically through Data Processing Systems Programmer 2, advancing through the ladder toward Data Processing Systems Programmer 1 and, from there, into supervisory roles. Pay across the family spans $83,582 to $141,386, around the 70th percentile of all civil service job families by top pay. State payroll records show 82 people across the family's titles, most concentrated at Office of Information Technology.

Data Processing Systems Programmer commonly advances into Health Systems Specialist and Health Data Specialist.

4
Positions
2
Career Levels
Salary Range: $83,582 - $141,386/year

Positions in This Family

What the Data Processing Systems Programmer family covers

Data Processing Systems Programmer is a graded series in the New Jersey civil service classification plan, running 4 title codes across 2 levels. The family straddles jurisdictions: 2 local and 2 state, 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 Data Processing Systems Programmer 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.

The distance from the bottom of Data Processing Systems Programmer 2 to the top of Data Processing Systems Programmer 1 is $57,804, an increase of about 69% 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.

What it takes to qualify

Across the 4 titles we have parsed, the education requirements read as a bachelor's degree on 2 of them and a master's degree on 2 of them. Stated experience runs from 2 years 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: 2 are competitive, filled from an eligible list after an open competitive or promotional examination and 2 are non-competitive, appointed on proof of the stated qualifications rather than by examination. 2 titles in this family are covered by the compendium's special incentive program, which lets an appointing authority hire a qualified candidate above the bottom step instead of starting them at step one. See the full list of incentive titles.

Who actually employs these titles

82 people appear on the state payroll under 1 of these title, at 7 agencies. Office of Information Technology alone accounts for about 79% of them.

  • Office of Information Technology — 65 employees
  • Labor — 9 employees
  • Human Services — 4 employees
  • Election Law Enforcement — 1 employee
  • Banking and Insurance — 1 employee
  • Environmental Protection — 1 employee

Those are the 6 largest of 7 agencies employing this family.

Median actual pay for Data Processing Systems Programmer 2 is $127,826, which is what people in the title are really paid rather than the published band.

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 Data Processing Systems Programmer, which usually means overlapping duties or a related eligible list.

Families next to this one

New Jersey's classification plan links families by shared terminology and by the routes people actually take between them. These sit closest to Data Processing Systems Programmer.

Common questions about Data Processing Systems Programmer jobs

How many separate Data Processing Systems Programmer classifications does New Jersey have?

The Data Processing Systems Programmer family holds 4 title codes arranged across 2 levels. Each code is a separate classification with its own published specification, requirements and salary treatment.

How much is a Data Processing Systems Programmer paid?

Published salary data for this family runs from $83,582 at the bottom of Data Processing Systems Programmer 2 to $141,386 at the top of Data Processing Systems Programmer 1. 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 Data Processing Systems Programmer?

Yes for most of the family. 2 of the 4 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 Data Processing Systems Programmer?

The most common education requirement in this family is a bachelor's degree, named on 2 of the 4 titles. Stated experience ranges from 2 to 4 years depending on the rung. Read the individual specification for the exact wording, including any experience substitution.

Which agencies employ Data Processing Systems Programmer staff?

State payroll records show 82 people in this family across 7 agencies, with Office of Information Technology the largest at 65. Local government employers are not covered by that extract.

Is Data Processing Systems Programmer 1 higher or lower than Data Processing Systems Programmer 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.