Purpose
This procedure sets the standard format and process to create, approve, and update job descriptions across [Organisation Name]. A job description defines a role’s purpose, key responsibilities, reporting lines, working conditions, and required competencies. It forms the baseline for job ads, shortlisting, interviewing, job offers, performance reviews, capability discussions, and redundancy selection.
Working through related paperwork at the same time? See also our Offer Letter, Right to Work Check Procedure and Written Statement of Employment Particulars.
Scope and Legal Framework
This policy applies to all existing and new positions across [Organisation Name].
All job descriptions must comply with the Equality Act 2010. Terms, requirements, and criteria must not directly or indirectly discriminate against applicants or employees under any of the nine protected characteristics.
Key legal and operational requirements:
- Base essential requirements on clear outcomes justified by genuine business needs.
- Define experience by demonstrable capability, not arbitrary time limits.
- Provide reasonable adjustments for disabled applicants throughout recruitment and employment.
- Document and retain evidence justifying all essential criteria.
Roles and Responsibilities
- [Hiring Manager]: Drafts the job description and person specification before advertising. Ensures day-to-day duties and operational requirements are accurate.
- [HR / Senior Role]: Reviews and approves the job description for legal compliance, non-discriminatory language, and operational alignment before publication.
- Employees: Participate in periodic reviews of their job description during performance reviews or when duties change materially.
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Job Description Structure
Every job description produced by [Organisation Name] must contain these standard sections:
- Role Details: Position title, department, reporting manager, direct reports, location or working arrangement, weekly hours or pattern, salary or pay band, and contract type (e.g., permanent, fixed-term, part-time).
- Purpose of the Role: A concise statement (maximum two sentences) outlining why the role exists and what successful performance achieves.
- Key Responsibilities: A focused list of core accountabilities (typically around eight key areas) written with active verbs. Include standard policy compliance duties (e.g., health and safety, data protection) and a general reasonable duties clause.
- Person Specification:
- Essential Criteria: Non-negotiable qualifications, capabilities, systems knowledge, or behaviors required by law or needed to perform the work.
- Desirable Criteria: Extra skills or sector experience that strengthen an application but are not required.
- Working Conditions and Requirements: Objective facts on physical demands, environmental conditions, required legal or background checks (e.g., criminal record checks, driving licenses), and expected work patterns (e.g., shift work, travel, on-call).
- Equality and Adjustments Statement: Confirmation that recruitment is based on merit, plus instructions for requesting reasonable adjustments during the application process.
- Approval and Review Information: Document ownership, author, approver, approval date, and scheduled review date.
Step-by-Step Procedure for Creating a Job Description
- Define the primary purpose of the role in two sentences or fewer. If you cannot state it concisely, re-evaluate the role’s scope before moving forward.
- Outline core accountabilities. Focus on measurable outcomes rather than an exhaustive task list.
- Establish the person specification. Define essential criteria around capabilities and outcomes, not arbitrary years of experience.
- Add concise desirable criteria that add value without unnecessarily limiting the applicant pool.
- Identify any physical demands, mandatory legal or statutory background checks, or specific working conditions.
- Submit the draft to an independent reviewer or [HR / Senior Role] to check for plain language, internal jargon, and potential indirect discrimination.
- Get formal approval from [HR / Senior Role] before publishing job ads or issuing job offers.
- Apply version control by recording the author, approver, and final sign-off date.
Review and Record Retention
- Review job descriptions before launching any recruitment campaign and whenever duties change materially.
- Handle minor task updates routinely. Material changes to core responsibilities, hours, or seniority levels require consultation and formal agreement.
- Keep the approved job description from recruitment in the employee’s personnel file. It serves as the baseline for performance management and structural reviews.
- Conduct scheduled reviews annually or following major operational changes. Next review date: [Date].
FAQs on Job Description
What is a job description?
A job description sets the standard format and process to create, approve, and update job descriptions across your organisation. A job description defines a role’s purpose, key responsibilities, reporting lines, working conditions, and required competencies.
Having it written down means the same rules apply to everyone, so managers are not making judgement calls case by case under pressure.
What does a job description include?
This template covers job description structure and step-by-step procedure for creating a job description.
Every section is written to be filled in. The bracketed placeholders mark the decisions that are yours to make, such as timescales, approval owners and retention periods.
How to implement a job description with Whale
Copy this template into Whale and work through the bracketed placeholders so it reflects how your organisation actually operates.
Assign it to the teams it applies to so it sits where people work rather than in a shared drive, and set a review date so it gets revisited on schedule instead of quietly going out of date.
Use our templates to fast-track your documentation
Customize this template and 100s of others for free in Whale, the fastest way to get your team aligned.
