A number of generic job descriptions have been developed to assist departments in writing job descriptions for typical and/or frequently occurring jobs and to promote swift grading turnaround times for these posts.
The generic job descriptions set out the typical duties and selection criteria for a role. All generic job descriptions must be advertised using the up to date job description template. It is intended that departments will copy and paste the generic duties into the job description template, and add contextual information to tailor them to the department. The Reward Team will carry out spot checks on the use of generic job descriptions. Where a job description cannot be matched to a generic (for example, where a number of the key duties have been removed) a full HERA evaluation of the role will be carried out.
Departments can use generic job descriptions in one of two ways:
1. Make no alterations to the duties or selection criteria
Only add contextual information or provide specific detail on the selection criteria, for example, adding a discipline to a qualification, detailing programming languages, or specifying experience in using a particular procedure or system. The generic job description should be copied and pasted into the departmental template and this should be attached to the staff request. The code (for example, GEN-01) for the generic job description should be provided in the “additional information” field on the staff request. Generic job descriptions have already been evaluated using the HERA scheme, so these staff requests do not require grading. It will take on average 1 - 2 days to process these staff requests.
2. Use the generic job description as a base for customisation and alter the duties
Departments might not want all of the activities mentioned in a particular job description, but may want to add equivalent and/or additional duties. Where a duty is highlighted in the generic job description this indicates that it is a key requirement of the role which, if removed, might impact on the grade if not replaced by an equivalent duty. The amended generic job description in the departmental template should be attached to the staff request. The code (for example, GEN-01) for the generic job description should be provided in the “additional information” field on the staff request, with a note that the job description has been customised. The staff request will be assigned to a role analyst and a matching process will be followed. This is a swifter process than carrying out a full grading of a job description.
