Writing Position Descriptions
A clear and detailed position description is the key to quickly recruiting a qualified candidate specifically for your job. To write the position description, you must include a Job Title, Overview of the Position, Key Job Duties, and Required or Preferred Qualifications.
Position descriptions for existing faculty and staff positions are retained in the University’s Perceptive Content system and may be accessed by position number, or you may contact your Talent Acquisition team member who can provide you a copy. Any position descriptions which have been modified or updated may also be sent to your Talent Acquisition team member to store in our centralized campus repository.
If you are creating or updating a position description to launch a posting or facilitate a recruitment exception, it is important to acquire approval from your manager/supervisor or budgetary hierarchy prior to moving forward. Upon approval, launch your search by notifying your Talent Acquisition Team member. Prior to posting, your TA Representative will review the request, and set up position details within the HR/Pay system and post your search.
Effective July 1, 2025, Senate Bill 166 (The fostering competitive career opportunity act) was enacted. This bill enacts the removal of unnecessary postsecondary degree requirements from hiring considerations for state employment positions, including University Support Staff (USS) and Unclassified Professional Staff (UPS) positions held at the University of Kansas.
The purpose of this bill was to address a phenomenon called “degree inflation,” the practice of making hiring decisions based solely on a postsecondary degree as an indicator of career readiness, instead of considering relevant work experience. This bill does not apply to positions for which a postsecondary degree is a justifiable necessity.
As HR analyzes new and updated position descriptions, we will be looking at the job duties and the required qualifications very closely to determine if the degree is “justifiable” or if an equivalency statement can be added for the position. The State of Kansas has defined the following work experience levels for positions that should no longer necessitate a degree requirement. HR will be utilizing this as a framework for rebuilding required qualifications as necessary for position description development.
Post Secondary Degree - Full-time Work Experience Equivalency
- Associates - 2 years experience
- Bachelors - 4 years experience
- Masters - 6 years experience
- Professional - 7 years experience
- Doctoral - 9 years experience
All job codes utilized for USS & UPS positions can be found on the Job Title Table; which includes minimum required qualifications and salary ranges. The Job Title Table is currently being updated to meet Senate Bill 166, so please work with your Talent Acquisition Team member to be sure your required qualifications will meet these new requirements.
When launching searches for positions, it is necessary to utilize the established minimum required qualifications and hire within the salary range. Additional requirements, beyond the stated minimums for each job code, may be added if necessary for successful job performance.
If you need assistance in writing a position descriptions, we can help. Training on how to write position descriptions is available by contacting hrrecruitment@ku.edu.