Having picked a role profile from the job library, you'll need to add any specific requirements to the job description.

The purpose of the job description is to describe the main duties and responsibilities of the role.

The introduction

In no more than half a page, describe:

• the background of the role, the general purpose and requirements, and the main objectives of the post
• how these align with team / department / University objectives
• relationships the postholder will have with other posts, teams, departments and external contacts, including who will manage the post

Main purpose of the role

A short paragraph summarising the purpose of the job:

• describe the context and focus for the role
• describe how it fits into the organisation of the department/directorate
• explain the main responsibilities and attributes of the job

Key responsibilities

1. Role specific responsibilities
   • five to ten bullet points outlining specific skills, experience or knowledge requirements for the role, which are not covered in the agreed responsibilities for the grade.
   • don't list every duty and task — summarise the type of work that will be required, along with the principal duties and tasks
   • include any special requirements, eg frequent overseas travel. Ensure that these requirements are truly essential, as they may disadvantage applicants with caring responsibilities
2. University of York responsibilities
   • the responsibilities, skills and knowledge which are typically expected for the selected grade and job family. You should not amend these requirements

Person specification

1. Role specific
   • like the 'key responsibilities', this space is reserved for role-specific qualifications, skills and behaviours. You should aim to list five to ten essential or desirable attributes for the role. See below for more detail on these terms
   • examples include: expertise in a specific research or teaching area, a foreign language qualification, knowledge of a programming language, or the need for a driving licence
2. University of York person specification
   • As above, this section lists the typical qualifications, skills and behaviours that are expected by the University at the selected grade and job family. You should not amend these requirements

Essential and desirable criteria

Distinguish between essential and desirable criteria in the role specific section of the person specification:

• a candidate must meet the essential requirements in order to be appointed
• desirable requirements should be advantageous for a candidate to possess, and may be used to distinguish between applicants
• make sure that the requirements are not too basic or you will receive an excessive number of applications. Similarly, the requirements should not be excessive in relation to the level of work in the job description

The organisation chart

This isn't part of your job description, but is needed to grade support roles. It should:

• show how a job relates to other posts in the same section or department
• be in a ‘family tree’ format, with the highest relevant manager at the top and the lowest grade at the bottom
• be legible when printed at A4 size
• indicate the job title and grade of each post
• show posts at the same grade at the same level on the chart, where possible

An example organisation chart is available.