Community Management
What community management does
Community managers (ECM/OCM and rating managers) manage rating health: manning, advancement quotas, retention, NEC utilization, and billet requirements. They do not write individual evals, but they shape the opportunity structure a sailor competes in. Quotas are set by paygrade and rating for each exam cycle.
Rating health and quotas
A rating's manning affects advancement opportunity but does not guarantee it. Low manning can produce higher quotas; overmanning can produce lower quotas. Quotas are not individual pass marks. A candidate can pass the exam and still not advance if the FMS rank is below the quota. Conversely, a high FMS in a low-quota rating may not advance.
NECs and career paths
Navy Enlisted Classification (NEC) codes identify specific skills. Community managers use NECs to fill billets and shape training. The Learning and Development Roadmap (LaDR) shows rating-specific milestones, credentials, and education. Use it to plan rather than relying on generic career advice.
Worked example
A sailor in a rating with 100 eligible candidates and 30 quotas is ranked 34th by FMS. He passed the exam but is not advanced. Reasoning: quota is 30; rank 34 is outside the quota. PNA points may help in a later cycle but do not change this cycle's quota.
Traps
- Confusing exam pass with advancement.
- Assuming a fleet-wide quota applies to every command.
- Ignoring NEC requirements for a billet.
- Using outdated LaDR data.