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Job families frequently asked questions

Job family implementation.


What is a job family?

A job family is a group of jobs with common features. Each job family contains a number of levels, which will vary depending on the scope and range of responsibilities.

What are the benefits of job families?

The job family approach helps us to be more flexible in the way we respond to changing service needs and pressures, helping us to modernise the way we work and ensure consistency and equity in pay. It also enables us to support the development of our workforce.

For you as an individual, job families provide clearer career pathways. Role profiles outline the type of work, skills and experience you need at the various levels in your own job family or in a different job family. This will help you to plan your career and identify your development needs.

Who has decided which job family my job is in?

The job evaluation process has provided detailed information about our jobs. This information has been used to determine the most appropriate job family, in conjunction with advice from the job family lead.

What is the role of the job family lead?

Each job family has an allocated job family lead who acts as the professional lead for us in that area. The job family lead has been involved in the development of their own family and in the process of deciding which jobs should be placed within it. They will also help to develop career pathways, for example by linking professional, external qualifications and standards to their family. We will rely on their expertise for the setting of future competencies within their families.

What if I feel I am in the wrong job family?

All of the job family role profiles are available on our website. Have a look at these and if you feel your job does not belong where it has been placed, you should speak to your manager in the first instance, who will discuss this if necessary with the job family lead.

What is a role profile?

Each of the 18 job families has a set of role profiles. They describe the typical responsibilities and knowledge, skills and experience required of jobs at a particular level in a job family. Each level within a family equates to one of the grades in the pay and grading structure. The role profile explains the purpose of jobs at that grade in the family and what is expected of a person at that level.

What are job and person profiles?

Job and person profiles are separate to the job family role profile and are only used during recruitment to inform candidates about vacancies.

Will I be able to input to my role profile and objectives?

The role profiles describe the typical responsibilities and knowledge, skills and experience required of jobs at a particular level in a job family. Your objectives will be agreed with your manager through your annual My Plan review and regularly discussed through one to one's. These will reflect your priorities for the next 6 months or year. They will be regularly reviewed and may be altered from time to time to meet the needs of the service. This is intended to be a two way process through which you and your manager agree the objectives for your job within your grade.

Does this mean my duties will change?

As objectives are agreed with your manager through the performance development review process, this allows greater flexibility for your duties to better reflect the changing needs of the organisation and your own career aspirations.

Will I still have a job description and person specification?

No, role profiles and objectives have replaced job descriptions and person specifications.