Leadership & HR solutions
Position leveling and role clarity
Job titles can drift as an organization grows. Position leveling helps leaders compare the responsibilities of roles and establish an explainable structure for the levels those roles occupy.
01
Examine the role, not the incumbent
Start with purpose, accountabilities and the scope of decisions the position is expected to make. A particularly experienced employee may be doing more than the role was designed to require. Distinguishing the job from the person helps leaders discuss structure without turning every comparison into a judgment about individual performance.
02
Compare positions using agreed criteria
CLEAR's organizational development work includes Position Leveling Workshops. Leaders compare roles against agreed criteria and assign levels on a consistent basis. The discussion should make differences in responsibility explicit, including where similar titles cover different work or where different titles conceal comparable expectations across functions.
03
Connect levels to role expectations
A level framework should be usable after the workshop. Check how it relates to role descriptions, competencies and reporting relationships, and agree how new or substantially changed positions will be reviewed. This gives HR an approach it can explain and maintain as the business adds teams, functions or locations.
Before we talk
Bring the situation into focus.
You do not need a finished brief. These details help us understand the work and discuss a suitable scope, format and timeline.
- Current organization charts and job descriptions
- Examples of roles whose levels are disputed or unclear
- Existing grading criteria and the decisions the review must inform
Questions to consider
Planning the right starting point.
Is position leveling a salary benchmarking exercise?
This work focuses on the relative responsibilities and expectations of roles. Market salary benchmarking is a different question. Clarify any compensation-related requirements during scoping rather than assuming they are included.
Should individual performance determine the job level?
The role's required responsibilities are the starting point. Individual performance and readiness should be discussed separately, so the framework remains understandable when a different person occupies the position.
Clarity starts with a conversation.
Tell us about your situation and the people involved. We will discuss how position leveling and role clarity could fit your priorities and agree what the engagement should cover.
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