There are a number of figures in an organisation who can write job descriptions, but the best choice is most commonly the line manager or immediate supervisor for the role in question. The manager for the position should be most aware of what the requirements and responsibilities of the position are – then, once they have completed the core information, the job description can be fine-tuned by the HR team.
This isn’t the only way of doing things though and commonly, businesses opt for a slightly different approach. Here are some of the other individuals who can write or contribute to job descriptions for your organisation.
Current Role Holders
Though very uncommon, there can be value in asking current employees and position holders about what their role entails on a day-to-day basis. This can be especially valuable if a more hands-off management approach is in effect or if there is no employed line manager for the role.
Additionally, if the manager is new to their position, they may still be unaware of the full scope of the roles underneath them within the business. In this case, a combination of manager and employees working together will allow for developing the most holistic and detailed representation of a roles responsibilities and requirements.
Regardless, current role holders should always be considered in some shape or another.
Senior Management
Alongside the HR team and direct line managers, senior management may also want to weigh into hiring decisions and shaping any job descriptions used within the business. This can be particularly important if senior managers want to have a direct impact on shaping the culture conveyed through the description or, in the case of organisational and structural business changes, align positions with the exact responsibilities they envision.
It’s important to note that senior management is much more likely to take part in shaping job descriptions for more senior positions, brand new roles within the business and within smaller or flatter organisations. Regardless, senior managers should remember to listen to their HR staff and line managers who may have a more specialised skill set, which will help write a more effective and accurate job description.
External Specialists
When asking who should write your job descriptions, it’s common to immediately think about those within the business. However, many organisations choose to get external assistance with their job description writing, direct from job analysts, wage specialists and other figures whose expertise includes understanding the value and impact of this key company documentation.
Job descriptions can have a huge impact on a host of different business operations from recruitment and talent attraction through to organisational culture, employee retention and staff satisfaction. As a result, writing an effective job description is often much more complex than simply listing some requirements and a summary of the role’s scope.
At Paydata, we offer a dedicated Job Description Support Service to assist organisations of all sizes and sectors. We are capable of reviewing existing job descriptions and crafting them into highly-effective talent acquisition and staff retention tools, as well as offering off-the-shelf solutions or training for HR teams of all sizes. Leveraging over 40 years of combined experience, we have designed our service to work around you and your needs, allowing you to change your question from 'Who should write your job descriptions?' to 'Who should we hire?'
Learn more about our Job Description Support Service today by clicking the link above or contact our team of HR, pay and reward experts for bespoke advice tailored to your goals and requirements.
