In determining how best to respond to organisational needs it is essential that you carry out a thorough review of the work to be undertaken, you gain a clear understanding of what the requirements are, and how they fit into the wider needs of your department and overall strategy.
Here are some initial questions to consider:
a) In not more than three sentences, state the end results that the post holder is required to achieve.
b) Does the role have to be performed on a full-time basis at set times to meet business needs or could a more flexible and/or part-time arrangement be accommodated? For example are the work needs temporary, eg. due to short-term absences, peaks in demand, seasonal variations, one-off events etc.
c) List the key result areas, i.e. the areas that will assist in the achievement of the purpose of the role.
d) Could you restructure responsibilities to offer other staff development opportunities and create a vacancy/need at a lower level?
e) List the tasks that the post holder is required to carry out in each of the key work areas, together with the percentage of the post holder’s day/week/term/year that the task will take up. Focus on what they are required to do - not how it should be done. If you are seeking to replace a colleague consider:
f) Are any parts of the role no longer required?
g) Could parts of the role be allocated to other staff as a development opportunity? If so, how quickly/easily could the necessary skills be developed?
h) Should any new responsibilities be included?
i) List the knowledge, skills, abilities and personal attributes required to carry out the job.
j) Could existing staff be considered for this role, or an element of it, as part of the department's action on succession planning and talent management?
k) Are there any departmental staff on fixed-term contracts that could be redeployed into the vacancy, thereby retaining skills and experience within the University? We have a legal obligation to explore the possibilities for suitable alternative employment for staff that are at risk of redundancy (including the expiry of fixed-term contracts).
l) Could the work be considered suitable for a secondment opportunity?
m) What qualifications are necessary for entry in the role? Resist the temptation to ask for qualifications that are not necessary or appropriate.
n) Has the role been through the HERA job evaluation process? If the role is new or considerably altered it will need to go through this process prior to being granted funding approval and advertised.
o) Can the role be carried out flexibly, for example, as a job share or part-time?
p) Should the role attract a market supplement?
It is important that you contact the
Having thought about what your requirements are, you will be better placed to write your job description, person specification and job advert.
