SECTION ONE - INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this manual is to provide a framework and guidelines for writing short and concise Management Category position descriptions.

Since job descriptions are used as source documents for evaluating jobs, it is important that they provide the information needed to assess job content under the three factors used in the Management Category Evaluation Plan:

• Know-How  - the practical, technical and specialized managerial and human relations knowledge and skill required for fully satisfactory performance on the job;
• Problem Solving - the independence and the complexity of the thinking required on the job to solve problems;
• Accountability - the degree to which the job is answerable for actions or the consequences of actions.

A job description should not become a "straitjacket". Indeed, it is because jobs do change that job descriptions have to be periodically updated. Unfortunately, however, there is no quick or easy route to writing a good job description. Because it demands clear thinking about the job, it is usually difficult to complete.

However, once completed, a job description:

• clarifies to you and your supervisor what it is that you are paid to accomplish - your duties and accountabilities as well as how your job fits with others in the unit
• is the basis of agreement between you and your superior about work goals and objectives
• is a means of communication for improved work planning and feedback
• serves as the foundation for developing performance standards and measures, and for appraising performance

A new job description is required when:

• a new job is created
• the program changes, resulting in a realignment of job responsibilities
• the characteristics of the job change due to technological change
• the organization is restructured

For your convenience, a quick checklist of the information your description should cover is included in Appendix A. A sample position description is included in Appendix B. In addition, classification officers can provide clarification or technical advice should you require it.

SECTION TWO - WRITING THE JOB DESCRIPTION

STEP ONE: GATHERING THE JOB INFORMATION

First you will need to gather information about:

• the major responsibilities of the job, including program or legislative responsibilities
• the authority or assistance involved in carrying out those responsibilities
• the peer, superior, subordinate relationships of the job
• where the job fits in the organizational unit
• the major challenges on the job
• the dimensions of the job (in dollar terms)(Rand in our Case)
• any special circumstances which may affect the job

Then you will need to arrange all this information under the titles of:

• Position Identification
• General Accountability
• Organizational Structure
• Nature and Scope
• Dimensions
• Specific Accountabilities

Note: Job descriptions which are overly long generally indicate insufficient preparation or organization. Appendix A provides a quick checklist of the questions you should be sure to cover. However, you will need to sift through all your information about the numerous activities, problems and interrelationships of the job to determine what needs to be included.

For instance: It would be inappropriate to list all the motivational and leadership techniques used in managing a complex technical team in order to portray the level of managerial skill involved.

Also, information which is appropriate for another position in the unit but not for this one should be excluded.

GENERAL ACCOUNTABILITY STATEMENTS

Director or Finance:

is accountable for developing and managing departmental programs for control of assets, budgetary planning, expenditure control, and accounting for revenue and operating costs in accordance with departmental and government policies, and for providing advice to departmental senior officials on all such matters

Director of Personnel:

is accountable for establishing and maintaining the personnel programs needed to enable the Department to attract, develop and retain high-calibre employees

Assistant Deputy Minister, Policy and Co-ordination:

is accountable for ensuring that short- and long-term strategic transportation issues are identified, and that departmental strategies and policies to address them are developed

Chief Project Engineer:

is accountable for planning and directing all projects so that they are completed on time and to planned cost

Director General, Public Affairs:

is accountable for the overall management of internal and external communications in the Department at both the national and regional levels, and for the provision of expert advice to ministers, the Deputy Minister and group heads on communications policies, strategies and programs

STEP TWO: IDENTIFYING THE JOB

The easiest place to begin is by filling in the identification information:

STEP THREE: GENERAL ACCOUNTABILITY STATEMENT

In this section, you give a brief but specific statement of why the position exists.

Your statement should give the reader an immediate impression of the primary purpose for including the job in the organization. The statement should be one sentence in length and should clearly distinguish the job from others, in particular the supervisor's and the subordinates' jobs.

You can fulfill these requirements if you concentrate on what the job is essentially accountable for. Examples are provided above.

Notice how much clearer the shorter statements are in capturing the essential purpose of the job. Careful thought should always be given to the General Accountability statement because it sets the context for the rest of the job description.

ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE

• The Director General, Administration is one of.............positions reporting to the.................The others are...........
• Reporting directly to the Director General, Administration there are three positions, as follows:
  • Director of Financial Services: is accountable for developing, directing and co-ordinating financial and accounting systems and programs for the purpose of asset control, budgetary planning, expenditure control and timely accounting reporting for all departmental activities. Staff of 30
  • Director of Personnel Services: is accountable for developing, directing and co-ordinating personnel programs such as employment and placement, training, wage and salary administration, manpower planning, contract administration. Staff of 15
  • Director of Information Services: is accountable for developing and directing the Department's information programs to ensure that the general public is aware of the facilities and services. Staff of 10

STEP FOUR: ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE

This section identifies the reporting relationships of the position.

1. You will need to show the position location within the hierarchy. It is convenient to use standard wording for describing these relationships.

For example: This position is one of (number) reporting to (Title). The other (number) are (Title), (Title), (Title).

2. If the relationships are not clear from the titles or the statements, add a sentence or so explaining the special relationships.

For example: There may be several positions with the same title. State if they are all doing the same job or, if not, explain why this position is different and in what way.

3. You will also need to show how subordinate staff (if any) are organized and what they do, including any functional relationships there may be, as in the examples above.

STEP FIVE: NATURE AND SCOPE

This section should provide a clear, concise overview of the position:

• the nature of the work
• the requirements and challenges in doing that work
• the environment in which the job exists
• the freedom to act

This is the most difficult part of the job description to complete. The first challenge is in knowing what to include. The sequence of information below is a helpful guide for organizing the information since it works well for most jobs.

1. Where the job fits in the flow of work. Provide a brief description of the organizational unit and of any unique economic, constitutional, environmental or technological aspects of the position.

NATURE AND SCOPE (for a Chief Design Engineer)

When a project is contemplated, the Chief Design Engineer is consulted on the broad aspects of the project and the anticipated costs. After a project is approved in principle and a design requisition prepared, the Chief Design Engineer, working closely with the Project Engineer, assigns appropriate groups to plan and schedule for his or her approval in principle. Major projects include dams, thermal and hydraulic generating stations, and high-voltage transmission lines (both AC and DC, maximum voltage 345 kV). The largest generating station is 1 kmw.

All projects are carried out by teams from the Electrical, Mechanical or Civil Engineering groups as required. The Chief Project Engineer co-ordinates the various design and construction activities. However, the Chief Design Engineer decides upon the design criteria and appropriate safety factors. He or she also resolves problems arising in the field which may affect the design parameters (for example: approving or rejecting work which is not to drawing but which may be technically acceptable otherwise).

The Department has expanded rapidly and at an increasing pace in recent years. Capital work has risen from $15 million per annum in 1965 to present values. At the same time, there has been a shortage of suitably trained engineers. In order to meet the challenge, the Chief Design Engineer has developed a matrix organization structure, removed administrative duties from technical personnel and conducted a comprehensive training program covering all the people in the Division. Training costs average 10% of the Division's budget.

The Chief Design Engineer recommends suitable outside consultants for highly specialized projects (such as experimental pollution control devices). He or she evaluates the consultants' work and advises on contract terms and their fulfillment. He or she also provides specifications for equipment to be purchased and contract services on which tenders are required (for example: generators, transformers and inspection services). Subsequently, he or she evaluates tenders and makes recommendations on their acceptance to the Manager of Design and Construction.

2. What the job does. Describe the functions performed by you personally as distinguished from those performed through subordinates or together with others.

3. Obstacles to be overcome. Specify the greatest technical and managerial challenges of the job, and then outline the nature and variety of the most typical problems. Give examples.

4. The nature and source of controls on the job. Indicate the types of problems that must be referred to a superior for resolution or approval. Also, specify the amount of authority the position has for acting under the relevant legislation, as well as the authority the position has for selecting/assigning personnel, purchasing supplies and services, etc.

5. Contact inside and outside the Department. Outline the most significant internal and external contacts of the position (including the frequency and purpose of these contacts). You should include information about the types of problems on which you must consult with others, the committees of which you are a member and the outside organizations of which you must be a member because of your job.

6. Other information for staff positions. For these positions, it is important to make clear:

• where the work comes from (assigned by the superior, routine work flow, referral from other departments or self-initiated)
• actions taken by you (the practical, technical or specialized depth of knowledge required, and the types of problems dealt with)
• the end results (decisions, recommendations, reports, etc.)

Since this is the narrative portion of the job description, the length will vary. Even with tight, concise writing, it may cover up to a page and a half. Use simple language and the active voice to make the description as clear as possible to the reader, as in the example above.

However, as well as having to plan your description according to the specific areas you need to cover, you will need to edit your first draft at least once. It is wise to leave the first draft for a few days before rewriting it, as you will probably think of more/better ways to describe the job after this pause.

STEP SIX: DIMENSIONS OF THE JOB

In this section, you record the measurable areas upon which the position has either direct or indirect impact.

• A number of items could be included in this area. For instance:
• the number of people supervised (measured in person years)
• the annual payroll of those supervised
• the annual operating expenses of the unit
• the cost of materials purchased or used (annually)
• various assets controlled or affected
• any other significant dollar or other values which are measurable on an annual basis

The evaluation method does not put an inordinate emphasis on "numbers". However, you should provide figures for as many items as are appropriate (probably 2 to 4 items), in order to give the most complete picture of the job. Examples of Dimensions figures for four different jobs are provided above.

STEP SEVEN: SPECIFIC ACCOUNTABILITIES

Having given an overview of what the job does and what areas it affects, you can now formally define the end results expected of the job holder.

The difference between this section and the General Accountability section is that in the latter you described why the job exists in general, while in this section you are specifying the important end results which must be accomplished (and implying how, and how well, those end results are to be achieved).

One of the best ways to understand the difference between the two is to study the General and Specific Accountability examples provided for the position of Director of Finance below. Notice that a Specific Accountability statement is not a listing of activities and duties, but rather a broad statement of what the job is actually expected to accomplish.

For example: Executive Director - improve operating performance and ensure management succession by training, developing, motivating and effectively utilizing the employees of the Division.

SPECIFIC ACCOUNTABILITIES

Director of Finance

1. Contribute to maximum operating efficiency through effective financial planning and reporting, and the resolution of departmental and divisional problems.
2. Contribute to the effective management of the Department through development of short- and long-range operating and capital budgets and forecasts, and through the provision of competent financial advice to senior managers in the development of their operating plans.
3. Safeguard the Department's assets through effective internal audits.
4. Ensure the continual achievement of the Division's objectives through the acquisition, development and motivation of human resources.

Manager, Personnel Development

1. Assist management in effectively utilizing the Department's human resources by implementing government personnel policies and programs and, when appropriate, by developing and implementing new departmental programs and procedures.
2. Develop an understanding and acceptance by management of a positive personnel philosophy and of the need to upgrade the professional personnel throughout the organization by effectively marketing the Department's services, programs and policies on a cost-benefit basis.
3. Ensure a continuing supply of suitable candidates for management and specialist positions through advice, assistance and programs for training, performance appraisal, human resource inventory and succession planning.

Notice also that each statement:

• starts with an action verb
• states an end result
• defines the ways in which the end result is to be achieved or the means to be used

Usually it takes a list of four to seven separate statements to cover a single job. Unfortunately, there is no simple rule for deciding how to split the job's accountabilities into separate statements. In the example of the Manager, Registry and Information Retrieval, below, the accountabilities have been separated according to:

1. production
2. cost and innovation
3. people
4. information access and expertise

In this example, the job description writer has decided that the most important accountability is for production and, therefore, has stated it first. Cost and innovation accountabilities are next in importance, followed by people management responsibilities and, finally, information access and expertise.

You should always prioritize the specific accountabilities of the job in the order of their importance, so as to provide a relative degree of emphasis for each. Examples of such prioritized listings for different jobs are provided above.

STEP EIGHT: FINALIZATION AND APPROVAL

Your supervisor may want to discuss some of the points in the position description when you have completed it. Even if you were confident that you had included all necessary material and deleted any unnecessary material before presenting the document for approval, this is a positive development because:

• you may have underplayed an important item
• you will both have a clearer idea of what the job is supposed to accomplish. (agreement in writing is the best way to get that common understanding)

Regional Personnel Officer

1. Assist the Region in achieving an effective labour-management relationship by ensuring that all supervisory personnel administer the collective agreements in a consistent, fair and equitable manner.
2. Ensure that all supervisory personnel in the Region understand, interpret and communicate the government's and the Department's labour relations stance in the same way by guiding, advising and counselling.
3. Contribute to the effectiveness of the Department's collective bargaining by participating as a member of the collective bargaining team and in the preparation for negotiations.

Manager, Registry and Information Retrieval

1. Provide a central record storage and retrieval service tuned to the needs of the Department by developing and directing the operation of the Registry.
2. Supply a continuing economic service by developing, implementing and maintaining improvements in systems and operations.
3. Improve performance and ensure management succession by acquiring, training, developing and motivating personnel.
4. Keep the Department aware of the implications of current technological advances in information retrieval systems by supplying information and advice on the latest developments.

SECTION THREE - REVIEW CHECKS

A checklist of questions you should cover in your job description is provided in Appendix A. You should double-check your description after you have written it to make sure all the items have been covered.

Another way to check your description is to look for the most common job description errors:

General Mistakes

1. The description is too long, with too many details, many of which are irrelevant.

2. The description is too short and superficial and, as a result, fails to capture the job.

3. There is an incorrect emphasis on minor aspects of the job.

For example: the position is primarily financial, but human resource responsibilities have been placed first.

4. There are incomplete facts.

For example: information on the number of subordinates, branches, offices, locations, programs, services or equipment is omitted.

General Accountability Errors

1. A summary of duties is presented, rather than a statement of the primary purpose of the job.
2. There is a lengthy, detailed list of activities taking 5 to 10 lines. The statement should not exceed 3 lines. Notice the length of the General Accountability statement for the Director of Finance compare with that for the Chief Project Engineer.

Organizational Structure Errors

1. Organizational relationships (upwards or downwards) are confusing or incomplete. Sometimes they contradict the organizational chart or do not differentiate between line and functional relationships.
2. Significant lateral organizational relationships are left out.

Nature and Scope Errors

1. There is an inadequate description of the nature and complexity of the service or function.
2. No examples are used to add meaning or, if they are given, they are poor.
3. Personal judgements or conclusions are presented. For example: The incumbent's or superior's opinion on the education or experience required are stated. Statements of qualifications are kept in other records and should not be included in position descriptions.
4. There are too many vague generalities rather than precise, clear and concise statements.
5. The description of freedom to act and procedural controls are written for subordinate jobs. These belong in the job descriptions for those jobs, not yours.
6. Committee memberships are included with no description of the role of the committee or of the reason the incumbent should serve on it.
7. No recognition is given to the role the position plays in the overall administrative process. For example: The description of a position that is accountable for purchasing materials and equipment should cover the position's role in the total purchasing process, from the determination of feasibility and specifications, to the selection of source, price determination and installation. In addition, any limits that may be placed on this role, depending on the material, equipment or cost level involved, should be identified.
8. This does not mean that it is necessary to quote at length all the standard practices involved. A sentence or two will provide what is needed.
9. No mention is made of the greatest challenge(s) or major problem(s) faced by the position. For example: The need to co-ordinate the Human Resources systems so that all aspects of the staffing needs of the Department are met is left out of the position description of the Director of Human Resources.
10. No mention is made of where the incumbent can obtain assistance in solving problems, either inside or outside the organization.
11. The description of the organizational unit is too long and repetitive and does not provide useful information. For example: Information about the unit that is only relevant for the ADM position is quoted in the descriptions for the subordinate positions in the unit.

Dimensions Errors

1. There is an effort to be too precise. In most cases, approximate figures or data are enough.
2. Too many dimensions are given. Three or four are usually enough.
3. The dimensions are not related to the actual accountabilities or the nature and scope of the job as it has been described.

Specific Accountability Errors

• Activities or duties are listed, rather than major end results.
• The relationship between the end result and the "how" is tenuous.
• One Specific Accountability statement covers several end results to the extent that it encompasses as much as 70% of all that is expected of the job.
• The end result or the means are worded too generally to be meaningful.

APPENDIX A - INFORMATION GATHERING CHECKLIST

Major Responsibilities

1. What is the overall purpose of the job?
2. What are the major responsibilities the job is intended to achieve?
3. Which are the most time-consuming?

Program or Legislative Responsibilities

1. What is your role in administering the legislation or program?
2. What is your role in formulating or recommending policy?

Authority and Assistance

1. What assistance is available to you from other groups in your department or agency?
2. What are the most important decisions you make yourself?
3. About what do you inform your superior before taking action?
4. What are the most important recommendations you make to your superior?
5. What other responsibilities do you have that may not usually be associated with such a position?

Relations with Others

1. To whom do you report?
2. Are there others to whom you are functionally responsible?
3. Are there others to whom you provide functional direction?
4. What aspects of the environment surrounding your job make it more difficult to accomplish your objectives?
5. What subordinates report to you?
6. What are their primary responsibilities? (Be brief.)
7. What positions do you work with in other departments or agencies?
8. What are the reasons for these contacts?
9. Who else reports to your immediate superior?

Hardest Part of the Job

1. What are your major headaches?
2. What is your greatest challenge?
3. What are the most complex problems?
4. Which part of your job requires assistance from others?
5. Who provides this assistance?

Statistics on Job Dimensions

1. What are the approximate numerical values of the items which help to explain the overall size of your job?
2. Which of these are your direct responsibility?
3. Which are you partially or jointly involved in? Identify the other positions involved.

Additional Information

1. What other information would be helpful in giving a complete picture of your job?

APPENDIX B - SAMPLE JOB DESCRIPTION

POSITION TITLE

Assistant Deputy Minister

Food Production and Inspection

GENERAL ACCOUNTABILITY

Is accountable for ensuring the protection of animal and plant resources from foreign diseases and pests, ensuring the protection and marketability of agricultural products, promoting improved agricultural production practices, assisting the Canadian agriculture and food system, and ensuring a dependable and safe food supply.

ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE

This is one of 13 positions at the second level reporting to the Deputy Minister. The other 12 are: SADM, Agricultural Programs; ADM, Policy; ADM, Agricultural Development; ADM, Research; Director General, PFRA; Executive Director General, International Programs; ADM, Grains and Oilseeds; Director General, Personnel; Director General, Communications; ADM, Corporate Management; Director, Legal Services; and Assistant to the Deputy Minister.

Specific functions of the 9 positions reporting directly to the ADM are:

Director General, Health of Animals (staff of 445) is accountable for developing policies and programs on animal disease control to increase the efficiency of livestock production and the export potential of Canadian livestock and animal products, and for directing programs of a scientific nature, including diagnostic services and research on animal health and disease.

Director General, Veterinary Inspection, Operations (staff of 2,164) is accountable for directing field operational activities of seven regions across the nation for the purpose of enforcing the meat inspection, slaughter of food animals, and animal disease and protection acts and regulations.

Director General, Plant Health and Plant Products (staff of 99) is accountable for developing legislation and programs to prevent destructive insects and plant diseases from gaining entry into Canada or from spreading within the country, and to ensure the quality of fertilizers, livestock feeds, seeds and seed potatoes.

Director, Management Services (staff of 41) is accountable for providing expertise so that policy, regulatory, planning, expenditure management, statistical functions and secretariat services contribute to the achievement of Branch objectives.

Director General, Pesticides (staff of 44) is accountable for developing legislation and programs for the safe use and manufacture of pesticides in Canada, including evaluation, registration and labelling control.

Director General, Food Inspection (staff of 252) is accountable for developing programs to ensure that agricultural food products are inspected for safety and graded for quality, for providing analytical services to the Branch, and for gathering and disseminating data within and outside the Department.

Director, Compliance (staff of 12) is accountable for providing investigative services for infractions against the acts and regulations administered by the Branch, and investigations and inquiries related to the involvement in criminal actions of an internal nature by Branch employees.

Director General, Agriculture Inspection Directorate (staff of 1,147) is accountable for directing field operational activities for the purpose of enforcing the inspection for safety and grading for quality of agricultural products, including dairy, eggs, fruit and vegetables, plants and plant material, feeds, fertilizers and pesticides.

Director, Race Tracks (staff of 84) is accountable for protecting the wagering public by directing the supervision of race tracks across Canada.

NATURE AND SCOPE

Within the Agriculture portfolio, the Branch is responsible for the development and administration of legislation, policies, scientific and regulatory programs aimed at ensuring a safe and dependable food supply, increasing the efficiency of livestock and crop production, assisting industry to fully exploit production and export opportunities, researching, controlling and eradicating plant and animal diseases.

The Branch is also responsible for protecting the wagering public through race track supervision. The Branch administers, and ensures compliance to, 15 acts and 46 sets of regulations, and shares responsibility for certain sections of other acts, such as Section 188 of the Criminal Code as it pertains to race track administration.

Authorities for legislative planning, evaluation and administration are largely delegated to the various directorates. An active Branch Executive Committee provides the principal tool for direction setting by the ADM for the analysis and review of policies and operational results.

The ADM provides the managerial interface, between branch and departmental levels. As a member of the Executive Committee of the Department, the ADM contributes to the development of departmental objectives and priorities as well as more global strategies for the continued development of Canadian agriculture and food. Within this framework, and with knowledge of the political, economic and social trends relevant to the Branch mandates, the ADM must review and decide on recommendations related to: Branch objectives, goals and programs; the preparation of program forecast; the allocation of Branch resources; and the evaluation and control of these programs and resources. The ADM subsequently supports the Minister in his defence of budgetary estimates before the Agriculture Committee of the House of Commons.

The ADM is responsible for the co-ordination of Branch programs together with industry, governments and foreign authorities. Differences in the priorities of client groups and foreign governments require innovative mechanisms to develop acceptable regulatory programs that enable the necessary degree of regulatory control, minimize constraints on competitive practices, and ensure the protection of foreign and domestic consumers. Constitutional anomalies related to agriculture require the ADM to meet with provincial ministers and deputy ministers in order to obtain the commitment of provincial resources in support of animal health, plant health and agriculture programs, and to negotiate federal-provincial agreements whereby Canada provides food inspection on behalf of a province on a cost-recovery basis.

The ADM Also participates on committees with other federal departments which have regulation-setting or enforcement authority related to food (e.g., Health and Welfare Canada, Consumer and Corporate Affairs, etc.) in order to ensure that regulatory change is orderly, does not create gaps or overlaps in statutes, and does not inundate the industry with excessive or costly regulatory changes.

For the Branch to succeed in achieving its objectives, the ADM must respond effectively to several challenging factors, including: developing and maintaining an effective organization structure and management process, responsive to the service requirements of client industries as well as the expectations of professional staff; eradicating certain animal and plant diseases which cause substantial losses to producers; maintaining and improving Canada's image as world supplier of livestock and plant products; maintaining the integrity of the food inspection system in a climate of budgetary constraint; and developing the Branch capacity to respond to consumer demand for food products which are free of adulterants and potential food-borne disease agents.

The Branch participates in 43 interdepartmental, intergovernmental and international committees and organizations. Representation is normally delegated to subordinate officers, but the ADM serves as Canada's or the Department's representative on a number of these committees.

The incumbent normally discusses with the Deputy Minister or Minister, or submits for their approval, proposals for legislative or policy changes which influence the objectives of the Department or, on occasion, the legislation, policies or programs of other departments or governments.

DIMENSIONS (CONSTANT DOLLARS)

Number of subordinate staff years 4,292

Annual operating budget (including salaries) $55 million

SPECIFIC ACCOUNTABILITIES

Maintains organizational sensitivity to the external environment (clients, provincial departments of agriculture, etc.) by personal contact with key officials.

Provides a program of scientific services to assist the agricultural and food production industry in reducing economic loss for animal and plant disease.

Ensures Canadian consumers a dependable supply of safe, nutritious and accurately labelled meat and food products through regulatory and compliance programs.

Identifies and proposes legislative and policy change, and regulatory reform measures.

Copyright Notice, Sources and References

This was slightly adapted from a document which was originally written by the Treasury Board of The Canada Secretariat. The orginal document is available for free from their website and can be downloaded by following this link