Position Descriptions

Job Duties and Responsibilities

Duties described in a PD should describe what work is performed, why it is performed and the level at which it is performed. They should provide enough context for a reviewer to understand the scope, complexity, decision-making authority and accountability associated with the role.

The verbs and language used to describe duties matter. When writing duties, the action verb, combined with the context of the duty, should help demonstrate the position's degree of independence, problem-solving, accountability and influence within the organization.

Learn more about action verbs for position descriptions. [link to Selecting Action Verbs for Position Descriptions]

Minimum and Preferred Qualifications

Each staff job has defined minimum qualifications which may include education level and years of experience. These are the only minimum qualifications allowed for each role; however,

Preferred qualifications can also be added to identify additional knowledge, skills, experience or credentials that may enhance an applicant's ability to perform the position.

Learn more about minimum and preferred qualifications, as well as how to apply educational equivalencies.

Business titles

Business titles may be used to provide a more specific working title for use in job postings, the university directory or employee signature lines. Business titles should accurately represent the work being performed and must not include elements of another official K-State job title or imply a higher level of authority, responsibility, or organizational impact than the position actually holds.

Business titles are reviewed and approved by HR COE to ensure they reasonably reflect the work performed.

• Example: An employee in an Assistant Director position may use a business title such as Assistant Director of Student Engagement or Assistant Director of Operations. However, a business title of Director of Student Engagement would not be appropriate because it incorporates another official K-State job title and implies a higher level of authority and responsibility than the position holds.

Essential actions

Essential actions describe the physical activities an employee must be able to perform, with or without a reasonable accommodation, to successfully carry out the responsibilities of the position.

Learn more about ADA-Compliant Language for Essential Actions.

A standard PD template (PER-1) is available to help departments draft consistent, complete position descriptions.

The pre-review option in PageUp allows departments to submit a PD for preliminary feedback from the HR COE team before taking the PD through formal approvals and moving forward with recruitment. This is especially helpful when there is uncertainty about how a position may be classified or if the department would like guidance prior to finalizing the details of a position description.

When should a pre-review be used?

The pre-review option should be used to shore up direction for a vacant/unfilled position in preparation for recruitment. Once the department has thought through the needs of the position and has developed the position purpose statement, duties and qualifications a candidate would need to be successful, the PD can be submitted in PageUp as a pre-review. All required fields will need to be completed for a successful submission.

A pre-review should not be used when updating or seeking reclassification for a filled position.

Why choose pre-review instead of submitting directly for recruitment?

The pre-review option may be used when a position is new, and a department is trying to understand where it would fit in the job architecture. It can be helpful for budget and planning purposes. Because pre-reviews do not require the department’s full PD approval process, this option allows for a streamlined collaboration with HR COE.

If a unit is confident that the duties align with an identified job classification, it’s more efficient to submit the PD in PageUp using the Recruitment checkbox as the Reason for Action.

Important notes

• Pre-review is only available for vacant positions that are planned for recruitment.
• The reason for action checkbox is labeled Pre-Review, and the approval process is titled Pre-Review by Compensation.
• The pre-review process does not approve a position for recruitment. It simply allows for collaboration with HR COE. This process is used in a department’s planning stages for identifying a proper classification. Once HR COE has approved the pre-review and a department is ready to move forward with hiring, the department must resubmit the position description, selecting Recruitment as the reason for action and using the department’s regular PD approval process.
• The position number a department plans to use for the recruitment needs to be identified before the pre-review process is started and used consistently for pre-review and recruitment. The same PD will be utilized for pre-review and recruitment. This allows for seamless collaboration and understanding since all work is completed on the same PD.
• An organizational chart must be included with the PD pre-review submission. This provides context for how the position is situated within the department and allows for consideration of all relevant factors.
• The PD submitted for pre-review will be evaluated and a job title determination will be made based on the submission. The HR COE team will add notes about the classification in the PD’s notes tab within PageUp. If the department would like to discuss further, they are welcome to reach out to hrcomp@k-state.edu for more information.
• During the pre-review process, HRIS data is not changed or updated. Any necessary changes would be made when the PD is formally submitted for recruitment through the department’s regular PD approval process.

Position descriptions should be treated as living documents, not one-time paperwork. Managers and supervisors are expected to:

• Review the PD annually as part of the performance review cycle to confirm it still reflects the work being done.
• Submit an updated PD any time duties change meaningfully — generally, when roughly 30% or more of the position’s work has shifted.
• Participate in a periodic PD refresh/audit cycle to ensure PDs across the university remain current. HR COE conducts annual audits to ensure PDs have been recently reviewed and works with units when PDs need to be updated or confirmed as current.

Step-by-step guidance (pdf) for updating or creating a PD in PageUp is available.

Employees can access their own position description in PageUp and should work with their supervisors to discuss any changes.

HR liaisons have access to the position descriptions within their department.

For assistance locating PDs within PageUp, please contact hrcomp@k-state.edu.

• Understanding K-State’s staff job architecture (LINK: current Job Architecture page)
• PageUp
• Compensation terms and definitions