Resources
PRACTICAL TOOL
Position Description Fit-for-Purpose Check
Position descriptions often stay the same while the jobs around them change.
This short check helps you assess whether a position description still provides a reliable foundation for role clarity, recruitment, capability development and performance.
Answer nine questions about the role as it exists today.
Position description questions
Assess the role, not the person
Answer each question based on what the role requires, rather than the capability, experience or performance of the current role holder.
ROLE CURRENCY
Does the position description describe the role the organisation needs today?
Consider changes in strategy, structure, technology, stakeholder expectations, workload and the organisation's operating model.
Result
Your position description at a glance
Areas to revisit
Australian HR practice and compliance prompts
A position description is one part of sound employment practice. Where relevant, the following should also be considered.
Australian practice references: Fair Work Ombudsman | Safe Work Australia | Australian Human Rights Commission
Why use a standardised approach?
Position descriptions are often created at different times, by different managers and using different templates.
Over time, this can produce inconsistent expectations about role scope, authority, capability and performance.
A standardised role-design approach applies the same logic across roles. It makes it easier to compare positions, identify overlaps or gaps, set appropriate capability expectations and use position descriptions consistently in recruitment, onboarding, development and performance conversations.
Consistent role design
Clear role purpose, success outcomes, accountabilities, authority and performance expectations.
Alignment with Australian workplace practice
Consideration of role clarity, classification, inherent requirements, employment practice and psychosocial safety.
PACS alignment
Capability requirements can be expressed consistently using the Professional Associations Capability Standard and its proficiency levels.
Learn about the Professional Associations Capability Standard (PACS) →A standardised approach provides a more reliable way of defining the work the organisation needs and the capability required to deliver it. It also makes position descriptions more consistent, defensible and repeatable across the organisation.
Does the role need more than a tidy-up?
If the check has identified several gaps, Capvera can help review or redesign the role using a structured, PACS-aligned method. This can include role purpose, success outcomes, accountabilities, decision rights, capability requirements and the final position description.