Each staff member at the University should have a defined set of job responsibilities. The description of job duties, responsibilities, skills, and qualifications is set forth in the staff member's Job Description. The description should be a current and accurate reflection of the job and every staff member should have a clear understanding of his/her position.
Job descriptions are created when the need for a new position is identified by a hiring department (see KASPER section: HUMAN RESOURCES: Hiring.) A Job Description Questionnaire (JDQ--MS Word format) should be completed to accompany the job requisition for all new positions anticipated to be graded 39 or above.
Once a new position is identified, defined, posted and filled, it should be reviewed periodically to determine whether it still accurately reflects job responsibilities.
There are three main reasons for a position review to be completed:
- Newly
Created or Restructured Position Opening
When a new position is created, or an existing one is restructured, position documentation is reviewed and an appropriate pay grade and title are assigned to the open position. - Replacement
Positions
Prior to recruiting for an existing position that has been previously classified, the position description of the position will be reviewed to ensure that its pay grade is still appropriate. - Position
with Significant Change - Reclassification
For the purposes of the University's job classification program, a "significant" change occurs in a position when:- a
responsibility has been added and is being performed on a regular
and continuous basis;
- an
existing responsibility that had been performed on an infrequent
basis is now performed on a regular and continuous basis;
- a
responsibility performed on a regular and continuous basis has been
deleted or decreased;
- areas or functions within a department are being reorganized and cause a change in the responsibilities of a position or positions.
- a
responsibility has been added and is being performed on a regular
and continuous basis;
When significant changes occur in a position, it is the shared responsibility of the supervisor and the staff member to submit a revised position description, or JDQ, to the KSAS HR Manager, Joan Spoltore. This questionnaire is designed to capture important aspects of work for jobs at Johns Hopkins University. The purpose of the questionnaire is to obtain an accurate description of a job's responsibilities, requirements, and skills as they currently exist. It is not the purpose of this questionnaire to evaluate performance or determine an individual's rate of pay. This questionnaire may be used to: assign this job in the JHU job classification system, develop job descriptions in the Job Description Writer system, define "essential" responsibilities and describe working / physical demands in order to satisfy legal requirements including the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA).
In some cases, Generic
Job Descriptions can be used to describe a position, new or other.
Generic Job Descriptions describe the nature and level of work that is
performed by many employees who are doing the same job in different areas
of the university. They reflect job duties and responsibilities that are
essential or major job functions, are regularly performed, and cover at
least 90% of a position's job duties. If the Generic Job Description is
less than a 90% match, the GJD should not be used except for "cutting
and pasting" terminology.
A list of Position Classification Numbers can be found at the PCN
Appendix to the JHU Policy Manual.
- Job Description Questionnaire (JDQ) (Microsoft Word format)
- Generic
Job Descriptions
KSAS HR Manager, Joan Spoltore
Telephone: 410-516-4138
FAX: 410-516-8480
HR Generalist, Bethany Bauer-Tindell
Telephone: 410-516-7062
FAX: 410-516-8480
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