Guidance Notes for Completing the Role Profile

Guidance Notes for completing the Role Profile

A)Grading Request Form

Grading Request Front Sheet - New Requirement Process (NR1)

Section 1 - Request Details

Section 2A – Basis for the role

Section 2B – Clone or Near Clone

Section 2C – Reference Number

Section 3 – Effective Date

Section 4 – Position Details

Section 5 - Screening Checks

Section 6 – Approvals

B)Role Profile

Job Title

Reports to

Role Overview

Role Purpose

Staff Management Responsibility

Organisational Charts

Resources Managed

Main Duties

Person Specification

C)Role Profile Support - HERA Statements

A)Grading Request Form

For each grading request the submitting manager should provide basic details in the relation to the request by using the Grading Request Front Sheet - New Requirement Process (NR1)

Grading Request Front Sheet - New Requirement Process (NR1)

Section 1 - Request Details

Indicates whether the duties are to be treated as new role, or whether there is an existing position on CHRIS for which the current role description is being amended.

Section 2A–Basis for the role

This section is used to indicate whether the duties listed on the role profile are a:

New set of duties / Used where the duties undertaken by the role do not currently exist within the department.
Based on a library template/existing role / Used where the duties are based on an existing role within the University.

If these are a new set of duties then proceed to section 3 (Effective date). If the duties are based on a role contained within the role template library, or another existing role (even if outside of the Department) then sections 2B and 2C should be completed.

Section 2B –Clone or Near Clone

Where the department locates a suitable template within the role template library they would have the option of using it ‘as is’ with no changes, in which case they should place an ‘X’ the ‘exact match’ column. Alternatively where a department wishes to add/ remove duties or tasks from the template they should select ‘match with changes’.

Where the department wishes to use the content of an existing roleas the basis for the new role they would have the option of using the role description ‘as is’ with no changes, in which case they should place an ‘X’ the ‘exact match (Clone)’ column. Alternatively where a department wishes to add/ remove duties or tasks from the current role template they should select ‘match with changes (Near clone) ’.

If the department is matching exactly to a template in the role template library, or to a role which already exists within the department then only submit the grading request front sheet.

If the department is amending the content of a role template library role, or existing role then the changes should be recorded using track changes, and the completed document submitted alongside the grading request form (as separate documents).

Section 2C – Reference Number

This section provides the reference number of the role on which the duties have been based, this will either be:

Role Template Library / The reference number of the document held within the library
Existing role / Either the current Role Code Number or
Position Reference Number

Section 3 – Effective Date

Please state the date that this new role/ change should be effective from. This will be used when setting a role up or changing a role on CHRIS.

Section 4 – Position Details

This section covers the information required to create the role on CHRIS,

Faculty / Department

The full name of the Faculty or Department that will administer the role – this is not

necessarily where the role will be physically located.

Position Number

Only complete this section for existing roles

Position title

For existing roles please list the current title of the position.

For new roles, or where the department wish to alter the position title, please enter the title the department would like this role to be known as in the final ‘proposed changes/ new role details’ column. See the recruitment guidance for further information on naming of roles.

Role Code Number

Only complete this section for existing roles. Grading and Reward allocate new roles with a Role Code Number. The Role Code Number can be found in the CHRIS system, and is stored at the position level. To locate the Role Code Number (access to this will depend of your CHRIS permissions):

• Select the position
• Select “UDF Categories (Position)” from the “User defined forms” menu
• Select “Role Code Number (New)”
• Click “UDF Details (position)”

• The reference will be shown in the top half of the screen, check to ensure that thecurrent Role Code Number is used (the entry with no end date showing).

Grade

For existing roles please list the current grade of the position.

For new roles, or where the department wish to change the grade of a position, please enter the grade sought by the department as part of the grading request.

Employment Basis

For existing roles please list the current employment basis of the position (Assistant T, Assistant CS, Academic related etc).

For new roles, or where the department wish to change the employment basis of a position, please enter the employment basis sought by the department as part of the grading request.

If the basis is felt to be incorrectly specified you will be contacted by to discuss the matter.

Line Manager (Position/ Name)

The position reference number or the name of the person to which this role will report to.

Section 5 - Screening Checks

Please list all pre-employment checks that will be required by this role. The recruitment guidance on the Human Resources webpages contains further information on Pre-employment checks.

Section 6–Approvals

Any approvals required by the department should be recorded here prior to sending the completed form to grading.

B)Role Profile

The following fieldsshaded blue on the role template can be amended without the need to send the role template to the grading team, however you may still need to contact the HR amendments team to make changes on CHRIS.

Job Title

Is the name the department would like this role to be known as. Please see the recruitmentguidance, or contact grading for further information surrounding the naming of positions.

Reports to

List the position title of the role to whom which this role will report. Please do not use names of employees in this section.

Role Overview

This section of the form asks for factual, quantitative information that will help to describe the scope of the role.

If changes are made to any of the remaining sections of the role template revised document should be sent to grading for review. Changes should be shown

Role Purpose

Should contain one or two short sentences that provide clear response to the question ‘Why does the role exist? This section should contain no more than one or two short sentences and the focus should be to define:

What is being done by the role / To provide advice/ guidance on University HR policy.
In support of who or what is the role primarily focussed / to support managers and employees
What is achievement/ outcome is this role supporting or delivering / In order to resolve employment relations issues

So a full example might read as:

To provide technical support to research teams and teaching staff (including the maintenance and operation of equipment to ensure the smooth running of a laboratory or research facility.

Staff Management Responsibility

The information given in this section provides evidence to help score the Teamwork and Motivation, Pastoral Care and Welfare and Team Development elements within the HERA scheme.

This section looks at whether a role is responsible for overseeing the work of staff, contractors or volunteers, whether they are permanently assigned, or part of a project team.There are 2 levels of responsibility which include:

Supervisory

Select this in situations where the role is responsible for the allocation of tasks to others (whether employees, contractors, volunteers or other temporarily assigned staff). The role would normally be responsible for checking that work undertaken is of an appropriate quality or quantity, along with the requirement to provide general feedback where work is not to the expected standard.The role may provide input into the appraisal process which is undertaken by the line manager.

The numbers in this section would include staff, contractors, volunteers, or others for whose work the role is responsible for.

Line management:

Select this option in situations where the role is responsible for the full range of management activity, including undertaking the formal appraisal and performance management processes. The role would be responsible for advising staff on welfare maters, and would identify and be responsible for fulfilling staff training and development needs.

Numbers in this section should cover the total number of staff managed by the role (either direct or indirectly).Departments should tick the applicable statements (one or both), indicating the number of staff, or others overseen by the roleholder.

Organisational Charts

Departments are requested to submit an up to date organisational chart with the role template clearly showing to whom the role holder reports and whether s/he has any other key lines of accountability. Organisational charts should be submitted on a separate document to the role template.

The organisational chart should show:

• The job in question marked as “X”;
• The role title, grade and RCN (or position reference) of the person that the role holder reports to;
• The role titles and RCN (or position reference) of the other roles reporting to that person;
• The role titles, grades and RCN (or position reference) of all roles reporting to the role holder.
• Only include titles of roles, and not the name of any current roleholders

Departmental administrators will normally be able to provide appropriate charts.

Note that a hard line should only be used to identify the formal line management of the role, i.e. the role’s line manager, or those that the role line manages. A dotted line should be used to identify key contacts and essential relationships a role may have.

Organisational charts can be created using MS word, for further guidance please see

Microsoft Office Support Guidance

Video guides

Example 1.

For the purposes of the Role Profile the Staff management responsibility section would be completed as follows:

The Computer Officerrole profile would be completed as follows:

Required
Supervisory / ☒ /
How many people does the role supervise? / Staff / Contractors / Others
1
Line management / ☒ /
How many people does the role Manage? / Staff
2

The Departmental Administratorrole profile would be completed as follows:

Required
Supervisory / ☐ /
How many people does the role supervise? / Staff / Contractors / Others
Line management / ☒ /
How many people does the role Manage? / Staff
3

Example 2.

For the purposes of the Role Profile the Staff management responsibility section would be completed as follows

The technician role profile would be completed as follows:

Required
Supervisory / ☐ /
How many people does the role supervise? / Staff / Contractors / Others
Line management / ☒ /
How many people does the role Manage? / Staff
2

The Laboratory Manager role profile would be completed as follows:

Required
Supervisory / ☐ /
How many people does the role supervise? / Staff / Contractors / Others
Line management / ☒ /
How many people does the role Manage? / Staff
3

Resources Managed

The information given in this section is used to score the Planning and Organising element within the HERA scheme.

This section should give a brief (one or two lines) overview of any resources (budgets, equipment, facilities) for which the role will have direct responsibility for.

Consider:

• What value budget is held, and for what purpose
• How many buildings would the role oversee (and what would the role be responsible for – security, maintenance, etc.).
• What value equipment would the role manage, and what aspects of it’s management would the role be responsible for (repairs, service contracts etc)
• Does the roleholder manage or control data or information?if so what information how does the role plan and organise this resource?

Main Duties

1. Identify the key duties and responsibilities of the role.

2. Define each duty and responsibility as a statement of what the role holder is expected to achieve.

Start sentences with the action / plans, prepares, produces, provides, maintains, analyses, tests
Describing the activity to which the action is applied / tests new systems, analyses financial data
Stating briefly the purpose of the activity in terms of outputs or standards to be achieved / tests new systems to enable them to meet the agreed systems specification; analyses financial data using Excel spreadsheets to show departmental expenditure on a monthly basis).

3. Analyse the key duties and responsibilities and group related tasks together (where possible), e.g. those related to finance, those related to staff management, those related to the management of workshops or other resource. Check that each group is distinct from the others, and give each group a heading.

4. Check that the list represents the whole range of duties and responsibilities currently being carried out by the role holder. It is not appropriate to include duties that may be undertaken by the role holder in the future.

5. Check that the key duties and responsibilities now listed are a true reflection of the role to avoid under or over emphasising the extent/level of responsibility.

Person Specification

The Person Profile should be used to describe the knowledge, skills and experience required to perform the job effectively. Getting it right is vitally important to the success of your recruitment campaign because the content of the profile:

• Informs prospective applicants what you are looking for,which means that it will play an important part in attracting suitable candidates;and
• Formsthe basis of the selection criteria which you will use in long-listing, short-listing and identifying your preferred candidate.

The requirements of the role may be different from the attributes of the current/ previousroleholder who may possess/ have possessed these qualities to a greater or lesser degree than is required.

For further information on the person profile, including Key points to remember, please see the University’s’ recruitment guidance.

C)Role Profile Support - HERA Statements

In order to support those who are writing Role Profiles for roles where there is not a suitable match within the template library (or who wish to amend a template from the library)a tool has been developed help managers write high quality role profiles.

The tool provides a detailed overview of the HERA scheme, breaking each element down into statements that reflect the different levels of responsibility, enabling checking that each element has been covered through the main duties.

The statements are written from most complex (at the top) through the more routine at the bottom, each statement should be read, and the most applicable one (or two) selected by placing a tick in the Yes column, and then indicating which main duty the demonstrates that selected statement(s)

The person completing the support tool should ensure that they:

• Review each of the elements
• Select the statement that they feel most closely describes the requirements of the role
• For a statement to be selected, the whole statement must apply.
• For each statement indicate the main duty (or duties) which demonstrate the statement selected

The tool will not be used for the HERA scoring of the role, but is intended to ensure that the description of the role covers all of the HERA elements to ensure an accurate grading of the requirements of the role.