Sign Maker Family
Career series with 4 positions across 4 levels
In New Jersey civil service, Sign Maker names a 4-level progression covering 4 distinct titles.
Entry is typically through Sign Maker 1, advancing through the ladder toward Sign Maker 4. Pay across the family spans $43,934 to $69,346, around the 7th percentile of all civil service job families by top pay.
Sign Maker is a common next step after Model Maker and Sign Technician.
Positions in This Family
- SIGN MAKER 3 (03588)
- SIGN MAKER 2 (03705) $47,916 - $69,346/year
- SIGN MAKER 1 (03706) $43,934 - $63,341/year
- SIGN MAKER 4 (06514)
What the Sign Maker family covers
Sign Maker covers 4 title codes arranged into 4 levels of responsibility. The family straddles jurisdictions: 2 local and 2 both state and local, so parts of it are hired by state departments and parts by local civil service employers.
Skilled and semi-skilled labor is the part of the classification plan that never moved to a degree. Qualification rests on demonstrated ability, and for a great many of these titles the operative credential is a valid New Jersey driver's license of the right class rather than a diploma. The work is also the most physically specific in the plan, which is why the specifications read as lists of tasks and equipment instead of the general responsibility language used elsewhere. Because public works, water and sewer utilities, parks and school plants each run their own yards, near-identical jobs end up as separate title codes in separate places.
The ladder, ordered by pay
The Sign Maker rungs, listed from the best paid down. Here the numbering happens to agree with the pay order, which is not guaranteed elsewhere in New Jersey's plan.
- Sign Maker 2 — $47,916 to $69,346 (2 years of experience)
- Sign Maker 1 — $43,934 to $63,341 (1 year of experience)
The distance from the bottom of Sign Maker 1 to the top of Sign Maker 2 is $25,413, an increase of about 58% over the entry minimum.
What each title does
Reading the definitions side by side is the quickest way to see what changes as you move through the family.
- Sign Maker 3: SIGN MAKER 3 JOB CATEGORY SUMMARY A position in this job category typically leads a team or other group of nonsubordinates in assigned tasks; sets up sign fabrication equipment; operates lettering…
- Sign Maker 2: A position in this job category in a state agency or a local jurisdiction, typically designs sign layout and lettering from wood, plastic or reflective metal; draws graphic…
- Sign Maker 1: SIGN MAKER 1 JOB CATEGORY SUMMARY A position in this job category typically designs sign layout and lettering from wood, plastic or reflective metal; draws graphic material or lettering for title…
- Sign Maker 4: SIGN MAKER 4 JOB CATEGORY SUMMARY A position in this job category typically supervises the work of other employees; designs sign layout and letter from wood, plastic or reflective metal; draws…
Requirements across the family
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.
2 of the 4 titles carry a license or certification requirement. On how the jobs are filled: 4 are competitive, filled from an eligible list after an open competitive or promotional examination.
How the pay is set
The family is split across 2 salary schedules (A-P-R-S and C-I-O), so two titles that look adjacent can be paid from different tables with different step structures. Bargaining is handled by IFPTE. 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
Other classifications built on the same terms as Sign Maker. Worth checking if this family has no current opening.
- Sign Maker Wood and Metal (local jurisdiction)
- Road Repairer 2 / Sign Maker 2 — in the Road Repairer family
- Senior Traffic Maintenance Worker/Sign Maker 2 — in the Senior Traffic Maintenance Worker/Sign Maker family
- Model Maker 1 — in the Model Maker family
- Sign Technician 2 ($47,916 to $69,346, state jurisdiction) — in the Sign Technician family
- Sign Technician Trainee ($42,084 to $43,847, state jurisdiction)
Common questions about Sign Maker jobs
How many separate Sign Maker classifications does New Jersey have?
The Sign Maker family holds 4 title codes arranged across 4 levels. Each code is a separate classification with its own published specification, requirements and salary treatment.
How much is a Sign Maker paid?
Published salary data for this family runs from $43,934 at the bottom of Sign Maker 1 to $69,346 at the top of Sign Maker 2. 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 Sign Maker?
Yes for most of the family. 4 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 Sign Maker?
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. 2 of the titles require a license or certification.