I work in operations at a large regional bank, but my official title is entry-level operations. The role was supposed to provide backup or rotate with a technical support and operations analyst. In practice, I am the analyst, with no backup.
My responsibilities include identity and access administration across four platforms, including a mainframe; application and systems administration; automation development; executive reporting design; production incident coordination; and writing troubleshooting procedures for the helpdesk. One automation reduced a process from roughly three weeks of manual work to about 30 minutes. During a recent outage, I started before my shift, coordinated the vendor and two internal IT teams, led the incident call, and restored service in under three hours. Helpdesk escalations also come to me through the IT ticketing system, even though I am not classified within that team.
I am paid near the bottom of the posted range for my entry-level title, while comparable technical roles in my area appear to pay roughly 40–55% more. For two years I have raised the mismatch, documented my responsibilities against the company's job architecture, and asked for a title or compensation adjustment. Management has repeatedly delayed the issue, claimed the role does not exist in our section, or moved the goalposts. My manager once said we would both transfer to the technical organization; he eventually moved, but I did not. Management has admitted that creating a new title or adjusting my pay is possible, but there is still no owner, timeline, or commitment.
The situation has seriously affected my health. I have a diagnosed condition that has worsened under the stress, and my doctor is prepared to certify medical leave. I plan to take the leave, use some approved vacation afterward, and continue looking for another job. I feel conflicted because so much critical work depends on me, and I know my absence may expose how little coverage exists. I do not want that feeling to influence a decision about my health.
Should I keep pursuing an internal correction, or is two years of delay enough evidence that I should leave? Has anyone successfully addressed a serious title or classification mismatch? How did medical leave affect a situation like this? And how should I present this combination of operations, systems administration, automation, incident response, and reporting experience when applying for analyst or developer roles?
4 Answers
Your resume should lead with the work you actually performed rather than the entry-level title. Possible framing includes: administered access across four enterprise platforms including a mainframe; supported core business applications and systems; automated a workflow from approximately three weeks to 30 minutes; designed recurring executive reporting processes; coordinated vendors and internal teams during production incidents; and authored helpdesk troubleshooting and escalation procedures. Quantify time saved, service restoration, scope, platforms, and stakeholders wherever you can. Target systems analyst, application analyst, IAM analyst, technical operations analyst, automation analyst, or junior developer roles, depending on your tools and coding experience.
You can keep the internal conversation documented, but I would stop treating it as your primary plan. You have already supplied the evidence, explained the business impact, and shown that management has the authority to fix it. After two years without a title, pay adjustment, transfer, owner, or deadline, their inaction is effectively an answer. Keep records of your duties and communications, avoid intentionally letting work fail, and consult an employment professional if you believe there may be a formal classification, retaliation, or leave-rights issue.
Take the medically necessary leave, and treat it as leave—not as a remote on-call assignment. Do not monitor messages, log in to fix emergencies, or keep the operation running from home. Coverage and continuity planning are management’s responsibility, especially at a bank where relying on one person creates its own control risk. Use the time to recover and continue your job search without guilt.
If your absence exposes a single point of failure, that is evidence of a staffing and control problem—not a reason for you to sacrifice your health.
There is no need to choose between continuing to push and leaving. Take the leave, preserve your documentation, and apply elsewhere. If the company makes a serious written offer with a specific title, compensation, reporting line, and effective date, you can evaluate it then. Vague statements about valuing you or possibly creating a role should not outweigh two years of missed commitments.
You are not required to advertise yourself as an entry-level employee just because the company kept that title. Describe the scope and results accurately, then explain the title mismatch briefly if an interviewer asks.