Chapter 2: Describe the position

While a job analysis is a document and process specially developed for internal purposes, a position description is an external facing document.

Here are some suggested steps to help you describe the position:

1. Work with your human resources team to understand how your agency goes about position description management – the process of creating, maintaining and governing position descriptions across the agency in a structured and scalable way.
    
2. Create or update the position description: 
    
   • Use data and information from analysing the job to discover and communicate the essential nature of the position.
   • Observe staff performing the work or ask staff about the work they do each day.
   • Explain the position and what it does to a colleague in another business area or agency before you start drafting the position description. This helps you talk in plain language about what the job is about and what is interesting or unique about it.
   • Avoid using jargon, acronyms and ‘insider speak’ that people outside your agency or the sector do not understand.
   • Ask staff outside your team to read the draft to see if they understand what the position does and what is required.
      
3. Include in the position description the suitability requirements. 
    
4. Provide links to other information because not everything can be squeezed into a position description. You may have a webpage with details about working in your agency. If you don’t have such a page, chat with your human resources and communications teams to get one set up.
    
5. Follow your agency’s processes for processes for classifying positions based on work value, and approving and registering position descriptions.

Resources

• Factsheet: What is a position description?
• Guide: Transform position descriptions into compelling narratives
• Checklist: Suitability requirements
• Example: Position description