Position Descriptions and Approval Process

Council’s Enterprise Agreement incorporates the former Victorian Local Authorities Award 2001. It is this Award that sets out the minimum requirements for PDs, including:

• that PDs are to be reviewed annually in consultation with the employee, ideally during the annual PDP; and
• the competencies used to decide the Band level of each position. At Council, we have an eight band classification structure, plus Senior Executive Officer and Senior Officer contracts for positions classified above Band 8.

Position Descriptions give employees, and prospective employees, an understanding of purpose, size, and complexity of a role. They are used in recruitment and induction, training and development, and to guide staff when determining the type and level of work that is performed in a role. Position Descriptions do not identify individual work requirements or development goals as these form part of work plans and staff members’ Performance Development and Planning (PDPs).

As well as being good practice to ensure employees know details of their roles, there is also a requirement under the Victorian Local Authorities Award (Part B of Council’s Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA)) to provide each employee a Position Description which clearly identifies as a minimum:

Criteria

• The accountability and extent of authority of the position;
• The level of judgement and decision making skills required;
• Specialist skills and knowledge required to undertake the duties of the position;
• Managerial skills;
• Interpersonal skills;
• Qualifications and experience required for the position.
• Classification (Banding) is assessed based on the above criteria.

Each position is classified based on the level of authority, judgement, decision making skills and qualifications etc needed to perform the role (see criteria immediately above). When classifying a Position Description the following principles are observed:

• The position is analysed - not the person in the position (and not the person’s skills, qualifications, experience)
• The current requirements of the position are analysed - not a possible or desirable model of the position
• The minimum level needed for competent performance is analysed - not the optimum level.
• The greater the level of authority, judgement, etc., the higher the classification.

Yes, Position Descriptions are reviewed in consultation with the employee at least annually. This generally occurs during the annual PDP process, and should happen if there are significant changes to the role. When a role becomes vacant, the Position Description should also be reviewed prior to the commencement of the recruitment process.

Please contact Organisational Development. Process currently under review. 

Appeal - Where the Manager and/or employee have concerns about the outcome of an assessment they may request a further review of the Position Description.

Notification to staff member of changes - When a Position Description has been amended and the consultation process has been completed (other than a minor change) the employee will receive the updated Position Description to review, sign and return to OD.

There may be instances where some role descriptors (i.e. accountability and extent of authority, the level of judgement and decision-making skills, and specialist skills and knowledge etc) required to undertake the duties of the position are assessed at a level that differs from the final Classification of the role. For example, one statement in the Position Description is assessed at a Band 5 whilst all other descriptors are assessed at a Band 4. When this occurs, the final Classification is assessed based on the “over all” assessment, that is, on the majority of the assessed “scores”.

Council is committed to recognising and appropriately paying staff for the work they perform and encourages them to develop and grow in their role.

Where possible, Council provides staff with opportunities to further their career and where a staff member is approved to undertake an acting role or is directed to perform the duties of a higher banded position in the absence of a colleague or similar, they will be paid in accordance with Council’s Higher Duties procedures (ie. at the commencement level of the higher banding (e.g. Band 5, Level A)).

In circumstances where Council regularly requires a staff member to undertake work or duties which are above the current classification of his/her role, the Position Description should be revised and, if a higher Classification is assessed, the salary adjusted to reflect the different duties and responsibilities.

However, it is important to recognise that there is a difference between a staff member “electing” to undertake work and where Council “requires” the work to be done. Where the staff member elects to undertake tasks (e.g. for their own development or similar), then they will continue to be paid in accordance with the duties of their Position Description. Ie. the duties which Council requires them to undertake (unless otherwise agreed by the Manager prior to the work being undertaken).

It is important to remember that whilst you may have skills and abilities in excess of those required of the role, the Classification reflects the authority, judgement, decision making skills and qualifications that are required by Council to do the role, rather than the skills and abilities of the person in it.

For example:

• Council may employ one or more staff members that have the skills and ability to be the Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
• Some of these employees may elect to use their skills and abilities in a way which benefits Council, even though they are not required to do so.
• In these cases Council is grateful for their contribution, but does not make a change to their Position Description or banding.
• As Council only requires one incumbent to be the CEO, the incumbent of this role will be paid accordingly and held accountable for the responsibilities of the role.

Yes. In the first instance employees should discuss their concerns with the person to whom they report (Supervisor, Manager or Director) in an attempt to resolve the matter.

If this does not resolve the concerns regarding the Classification, then the matter can be reviewed in accordance with Council Staff Grievance Procedure. This may include requesting Organisational Development provide the employee and the Manager with information regarding how the role was assessed at the banding based on the descriptors contained within Part B of Council’s Enterprise Agreement.

A Position Description documents the significant duties, responsibilities and nature of the job to be performed, but does not detail the day to day work goals of an employee. Another way of explaining this is that the Position Description outlines the “scope” or “size” of a role rather than the “duties”. Therefore team members often have the same Position Description as they have the same level of accountability, judgement and decision making but different day to day tasks or responsibilities.

“Classification” refers to the overall size of the role (e.g. Band 5) whereas the “Increment Level” recognises the position holder’s experience in the role. Therefore Classification relates to the role itself and increment to the incumbent of the role.

Progress from one Increment Level to another is not automatic but generally occurs after every 12 months of service in the role based on the acquisition and utilisation of new or enhanced skills gained over this period along with meeting established performance objectives and satisfactory work over the preceding twelve months.

When an employee reaches the top of their salary band (i.e. the highest increment) their remuneration increases will be based on the annual percentage increase negotiated under the EBA.

An entitlement to any further increments will only be available if the staff member’s position is re-classified (re-banded) to a higher level. Alternatively, staff can explore options to apply for another role of a higher Classification.

Yes, if the role has increased accountability, judgement, decision making and qualification requirements the Classification level of the Position Description will need to be reviewed. This may result in a different Classification level (for example - previously Classification 5, now 6). If this occurs, and the amended role is approved by the CEO, your salary will reflect the new Classification.

Remuneration is based on the “size” of the job such as accountability, judgement, decision making and therefore your salary is determined by the classification (banding) of your role and not the amount of work or number of tasks allocated i.e. workload.

Workloads often fluctuate depending on priorities, changes to team plans, temporary staff absences and other factors. Where this occurs, staff and Managers should determine how best to meet the changing workloads. If there is difficulty in completing the amount of work the staff member should approach their Manager to discuss options for managing their workload. This could include re-prioritising or reallocation of work, and/or a review of resources.

As part of normal workflows, from time to time staff may undertake tasks normally carried out by their Manager or Supervisor. Generally when this occurs, the staff member will be undertaking one or some of the duties (rather than the whole role). In these circumstances additional payment is not applicable as the Manager or team leader will still have overall accountability for any decisions made.

If, however, where the Manager or Supervisor is on extended periods of leave and the staff member is directed to carry out the role of someone on a higher banding then they may be eligible for higher duties. This should be discussed with the staff members’ Manager.

If a staff member is regularly being directed to carry out tasks normally done by a higher banded role then it may be appropriate for a review of the Position Description to be conducted to ensure it accurately reflects the full extent of their duties and responsibilities.

You can approach your Manager or Supervisor or a member of the Organisational Development team. Council’s Employee Assistance Program provided through Converge International can also assist staff seeking to explore career development options.