• The job itself should be described — not the individual performing the job.
• Position descriptions should be written in a concise, uniform and complete fashion to enable reviewing personnel to understand clearly the duties and responsibilities.
• Position descriptions should be written in plain, straightforward, everyday English. Common terms should be used.

The position’s immediate supervisor should develop the position description and share with the employee so the expectations of the job functions are clear. The supervisor and management have the right and responsibility to authorize the content of a position description (assign duties and responsibilities).

Do:

• Use short, direct verbs in the present tense.
• Describe specifically and in sufficient detail:
• What work is completed?
• What methods are used?
• What equipment and/or tools are used?
• Responsibility for the results.
• Consequence of actions or errors.
• Instructions or guidelines provided.
• Supervision exercised and received.
• Relationship of position with others within the organization.
• Any other pertinent facts.
• Assign approximate percent of time spent in each outlined responsibility.
• Provide sufficient information on the position description to clearly distinguish the level from the other levels in the series if requesting that a position be classified to a class within a class series.

Don’t:

• Copy the verbiage from the class specification.
• Use ambiguous terms, such as “handle,” “research,” etc., without an explanation as to what this involves.
• Lump several responsibilities together and assign large percentages of time.
• Use abbreviations or technical terms without an explanation.
• Describe personal characteristics. (example: “Deals with the public and must have a pleasing personality at all times.”) This can be listed under “Other Characteristics of the Position” if necessary.

• Administer – Manage or direct the execution of affairs.
• Adopt – Take up and practice as one’s own.
• Advise – Recommends a course of action; offer an informed opinion based on specialized knowledge.
• Analyze – Separate into elements and critically examine.
• Anticipate – Foresee and deal with in advance.
• Appraise – Give an expert judgment of worth or merit.
• Approve – Accept as satisfactory; exercise final authority with regard to commitment of resources.
• Arrange – Make preparation for an event; put into proper order.
• Assemble – Collect or gather together in a predetermined order from various sources.
• Assign – Specify or designate tasks or duties to be performed by others.
• Assure – Give confidence; make certain of.
• Authorize – Approve; empower through vested authority.
• Calculate – Make a mathematical computation.
• Collaborate – Work jointly with; cooperate with others.
• Collect – Gather.
• Compile – Put together information, collect from other documents.
• Conduct – Carry on; direct the execution of.
• Confer – Consult with others to compare views.
• Consolidate – Bring together.
• Consult – Seek the advice of others.
• Control – Measure, interpret and evaluate actions for conformance with plans or desired results.
• Correspond – Communicate with.
• Delegate – Commission another to perform tasks or duties that may carry specific degrees of accountability.
• Design – Conceive, create and execute according to plan.
• Determine – Resolve; fix conclusively or authoritatively.
• Develop – Disclose, discover, perfect or unfold a plan or idea.
• Direct – Guide work operations through the establishment of objectives, policies, regulations, practices, methods and standards.
• Draft – Prepare papers or documents in preliminary form.
• Endorse – Support or recommend.
• Establish – Bring into existence.
• Estimate – Forecast future requirements.
• Evaluate – Determine or fix the value of.
• Execute – Put into effect or carry out.
• Expedite – Accelerate the process or progress of.
• Formulate – Develop or devise.
• Furnish – Provide with what is needed; supply.
• Implement – Carry out; execute a plan or program.
• Improve – Make something better.
• Initiate – Start or introduce.
• Inspect – Critically examine for suitability.
• Interpret – Explain something to others.
• Investigate – Study through close examination and systematic inquiry.
• Issue – Put forth or to distribute officially.
• Maintain – Keep in an existing state.
• Monitor – Watch, observe, or check for a specific purpose.
• Negotiate – Confer with others in order to reach an agreement.
• Operate – Perform an activity or series of activities.
• Participate – To take part in.
• Perform – Fulfill or carry out.
• Process – Handle in accordance with prescribed procedures.
• Provide – Supply what is need; furnish.
• Recommend – Advise or counsel a course of action; offer or suggest for adoption.
• Represent – Act in the place of or for.
• Report – Give an account of; furnish information or data.
• Research – Inquire into a specific matter from several sources.
• Review – Examine or reexamine.
• Revise – Rework in order to correct or improve.
• Schedule – Plan a timetable.
• Sign – Formally approve a document.
• Specify – State precisely in detail or name explicitly.
• Submit – Yield or present for the discretion or judgment of others.
• Supervise – Communicates with, trains and evaluates employees, plans and directs their work; and has the authority to hire, transfer, suspend, layoff, recall, promote, discharge, assign, reward or discipline subordinate employees or effectively recommends such actions.
• Transcribe – Transfers data from one form of record to another or from one method of preparation to another without changing the nature of the data.
• Verify – Confirm of establish authenticity; substantiate.

Avoid using ambiguous terms such as “assist,” “advise,” “handle,” “inspect,” and “research.” If it is essential that such terms be used, the degree of assistance, advice, handling, inspecting, or researching should be stated.

Complexity of Work Performed

• Difficulty of tasks performed.
• Variety of tasks performed.
• Development of work methods.
• Degree of independence and/or decision-making.

Consequence of Errors

• Responsibility for safety of others.
• Financial costs of errors.
• Necessity for accuracy.

Supervision

• Amount of supervision received.
• Classification of immediate supervisor.
• Number and level of subordinates under direct supervision.

Fiscal Responsibility

• Budget maintenance and planning.
• Dollar amount responsible for, complexity of record kept, number of accounts, types and number of contracts and grants.
• Purchasing authority.
• Type and dollar amount of purchases made.

Reports and Record Keeping

• Complexity of records systems used.
• Design of records systems used.
• Gathering and compiling report data.
• Drawing inferences from data.
• Quantitative reports compiled.

Knowledge and Experience

• Technical knowledge required.
• Amount of training required.
• Education.
• Special Certification.

Responsibility for Public Contact

• Classes or segments of the public, level of public officials dealt with.
• Subject matter dealt with, simple or complex.
• Purposes of contact: to give information, negotiate problems, gain support, etc.

Use these KSA’s as the College standard, then write additional ones specific to the position.

Problem Solving – Identifies and resolves problems in a timely manner; Gathers and analyzes information skillfully; Develops alternative solutions; Works well in-group problem solving situations; Uses reason even when dealing with emotional topics.

Interpersonal Skills – This position requires a strong interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to work effectively with a wide range of constituencies in a diverse setting.

Oral Communication – Speaks clearly and persuasively in positive or negative situations; listens and gets clarification; Responds well to questions; Demonstrates group presentation skills; Participates in meetings.

Written Communication – Writes clearly and informatively; Edits work for spelling and grammar; Varies writing style to meet needs; Presents numerical data effectively; Able to read and interpret written information.

Cost Consciousness – Works within approved budget; Develops and implements cost saving measures. Articulates financial implications and realities.

Ethics – Treats people with respect; Keeps commitments; inspires the trust of others; Works with integrity and ethically; Upholds organizational values.

Planning/Organizing – Prioritizes and plans work activities; Uses time efficiently; Plans for additional resources; Sets goals and objectives;

Quality – Demonstrates accuracy and thoroughness; Looks for ways to improve and promote quality; Applies feedback to improve performance; Monitors own work to ensure quality.

Information Technology – Experience with and understanding of automated systems and analytical and reporting tools.

Continuation of critical and essential services.

Maintaining integrity of infrastructure, property or systems.

Staffing or functions needed at any point during a period offices are closed.

Response or assessment before, during or immediately following an emergency event.

Essential employees also have a responsibility to monitor official College communications related to an emergency, including the Campuswide Alerts page, and the campus phone alert system as well as maintain up-to-date contact information in Employee Self Service (NewCleis)

• If nonexempt employees are required to work during an emergency closing, in addition to their normal pay, they will earn one hour of compensatory leave for each hour worked during the emergency closing. For example, if a nonexempt employee works during an emergency closing for eight (8) hours, the employee will earn eight (8) hours of regular pay (unless they are in overtime status for the workweek), plus they will be granted eight (8) hours of compensatory leave. The employee may receive pay for the compensatory hours worked if requested. If the compensatory leave is not used by the employee within six (6) months following its accrual, the employee will be paid for the leave.

• Exempt staff employees are eligible for compensatory leave at the discretion of the supervisor. If a supervisor elects to provide compensatory leave, the same rules that apply to non-exempt employees will apply to exempt employees.

• Faculty are not eligible for compensatory leave under this process.

Position descriptions were reviewed by Human Resources. Those that had not been updated for several years were reviewed with management. Further review will be forthcoming as the study continues.

Please see the link for the Benchmark Institution List on this page.

If the position descriptions need revising, employees will be notified by their supervisors. The results of the Sibson salary survey portion of this project will not be known until summer. Campus communications will be forthcoming as the project continues.

Employees will be notified by letter if they are affected by the salary survey results.

No. The Sibson study is being conducted to give us updated position descriptions that will result in a classification system that coordinates with the SUS system. The study will also aid us in benchmarking position salaries.

No. It will not be used to judge job effectiveness or job performance.

Yearly. It is a best practice that supervisors and employees review the position descriptions at the same time as the annual evaluation for any significant changes in duty.

Once the study is complete individuals who are performing in excess of their respective job description will be ‘flagged’ and re-evaluated as to the proper channels to take to remedy the situation. For example, some positions may need to be re-classified.

Each position description will state the knowledge, skills, abilities, education level, and amount of experience required. After the review of job descriptions, the relative recruitment markets will be determined and from this a salary range will be applied.

Sibson utilized College and University Personnel Administration (CUPA) salary survey data for CUPA Staff in High Education and two  other companies who specialize in salary compensation data:
Willis Tower Waters (TW)
Comp Analyst

For CUPA data see the national benchmark peer group slide.

For TW and Comp Analyst they used Tampa, Sarasota metro level data. If metro level data was not available, United States  data were analyzed.

See  this slide  Methodology Overview