Writing Position Descriptions

• The job itself should be described — not the individual performing the job.
• Position descriptions should be written in a concise, uniform and complete fashion to enable reviewing personnel to understand clearly the duties and responsibilities.
• Position descriptions should be written in plain, straightforward, everyday English.
• Quantify whenever possible. Indicate dollar volume for financial responsibility, number of accounts, ledgers, grants, number of faculty in department, number of persons supervised, etc.
• Use short, direct verbs in the present tense.
• Describe specifically and in sufficient detail:
  • What work is completed?
  • What methods are used?
  • What equipment and/or tools are used?
  • Responsibility for the results.
  • Consequence of actions or errors.
  • Instructions or guidelines provided.
  • Supervision exercised and received.
  • Relationship of position with others within the organization.
  • Assign approximate percent of time spent in each outlined responsibility.

Provide sufficient information on the position description to clearly distinguish the level from the other levels in the series if requesting that a position be classified to a class within a class series.

The position's immediate supervisor should develop the position description and share with the employee so the expectations of the job functions are clear. The supervisor and management have the right and responsibility to authorize the content of a position description (assign duties and responsibilities).

Commonly used action verbs:

Administer – Manage or direct the execution of affairs.
Adopt – Take up and practice as one's own.
Advise – Recommends a course of action; offer an informed opinion based on specialized knowledge.
Analyze - Separate into elements and critically examine.
Anticipate - Foresee and deal with in advance.
Appraise - Give an expert judgment of worth or merit.
Approve - Accept as satisfactory; exercise final authority with regard to commitment of resources.
Arrange - Make preparation for an event; put into proper order.
Assemble - Collect or gather together in a predetermined order from various sources.
Assign - Specify or designate tasks or duties to be performed by others.
Assure - Give confidence; make certain of.
Authorize - Approve; empower through vested authority.
Calculate - Make a mathematical computation.
Collaborate - Work jointly with; cooperate with others.
Collect - Gather.
Compile - Put together information, collect from other documents.
Conduct - Carry on; direct the execution of.
Confer - Consult with others to compare views.
Consolidate - Bring together.
Consult - Seek the advice of others.
Control - Measure, interpret and evaluate actions for conformance with plans or desired results.
Correspond - Communicate with.
Delegate - Commission another to perform tasks or duties that may carry specific degrees of accountability.
Design - Conceive, create and execute according to plan.
Determine - Resolve; fix conclusively or authoritatively.
Develop - Disclose, discover, perfect or unfold a plan or idea.
Direct - Guide work operations through the establishment of objectives, policies, regulations, practices, methods and standards.
Draft - Prepare papers or documents in preliminary form.
Endorse - Support or recommend.
Establish - Bring into existence.
Estimate - Forecast future requirements.
Evaluate - Determine or fix the value of.
Execute - Put into effect or carry out.
Expedite - Accelerate the process or progress of.
Formulate - Develop or devise.
Furnish - Provide with what is needed; supply.
Implement - Carry out; execute a plan or program.
Improve - Make something better.
Initiate - Start or introduce.
Inspect - Critically examine for suitability.
Interpret - Explain something to others.
Investigate - Study through close examination and systematic inquiry.
Issue - Put forth or to distribute officially.
Maintain - Keep in an existing state.
Monitor - Watch, observe, or check for a specific purpose.
Negotiate - Confer with others in order to reach an agreement.
Operate - Perform an activity or series of activities.
Participate - To take part in.
Perform - Fulfill or carry out.
Process - Handle in accordance with prescribed procedures.
Provide - Supply what is need; furnish.
Recommend - Advise or counsel a course of action; offer or suggest for adoption.
Represent - Act in the place of or for.
Report - Give an account of; furnish information or data.
Research - Inquire into a specific matter from several sources.
Review - Examine or reexamine.
Revise - Rework in order to correct or improve.
Schedule - Plan a timetable.
Sign - Formally approve a document.
Specify - State precisely in detail or name explicitly.
Submit - Yield or present for the discretion or judgment of others.
Supervise - Communicates with, trains and evaluates employees, plans and directs their work; and has the authority to hire, transfer, suspend, layoff, recall, promote, discharge, assign, reward or discipline subordinate employees or effectively recommends such actions.
Transcribe - Transfers data from one form of record to another or from one method of preparation to another without changing the nature of the data.
Verify - Confirm of establish authenticity; substantiate.

Ambiguous terms
Avoid using ambiguous terms such as "assist," "advise," "handle," "inspect," and "research." If it is essential that such terms be used, the degree of assistance, advice, handling, inspecting, or researching should be stated.

• Complexity of work performed.
• Difficulty of tasks performed.
• Variety of tasks performed.
• Development of work methods.
• Degree of independence and/or decision-making.

• Responsibility for safety of others.
• Financial costs of errors.
• Necessity for accuracy.

• Amount of supervision received.
• Classification of immediate supervisor.
• Number and level of subordinates under direct supervision.

• Budget maintenance and planning.
• Dollar amount responsible for, complexity of record kept, number of accounts, types and number of contracts and grants.
• Purchasing authority.
• Type and dollar amount of purchases made.

• Complexity of records systems used.
• Design of records systems used.
• Gathering and compiling report data.
• Drawing inferences from data.
• Quantitative reports compiled.

• Technical knowledge required.
• Amount of training required.
• Education.
• Special Certification.

• Classes or segments of the public, level of public officials dealt with.
• Subject matter dealt with, simple or complex.
• Purposes of contact: to give information, negotiate problems, gain support, etc.

The Americans with Disabilities Act requires employers to make job-related decisions on the basis of whether a person can perform essential job functions, under reasonably accommodating conditions, in an acceptable manner. Job descriptions must identify which functions are essential, and employers must make employment decisions based upon the essential functions. Other functions, not designated essential, are categorized as marginal and are not to be used as a basis for employment decisions. Both essential and marginal functions must be identified in job descriptions.

An essential function is a duty or responsibility that is fundamental to the job — a critical or basic component of that job. A marginal function is relatively incidental to the reason for the job's existence. An essential function cannot or should not be assigned elsewhere, but a marginal function, even though it is desirable to include in the job design, could be made part of another job without causing significant problems.

A marginal function is not unessential to the work unit, only to a given job. The function has to be accomplished, but it can be done by another employee or position.

For example, a job requires the operation of a machine. In the job description, "painting the machine twice a month" is stated. However, this is not critical to the execution of the job. "Operating the machine" is the critical role, hence it is listed in the "essential functions". "Painting the machine" is not critical to the performance; hence, it is listed in the "marginal functions". Redistributing the "painting the machine" function would not alter the "Machine Operator's" job description.