Job Evaluation
All roles at the University are evaluated and assigned to a grade using the Higher Education Role Analysis (HERA) job evaluation framework.
Designed by the Education Competencies Consortium (ECC) and Higher Education institutions, HERA ensures equal pay for work of equal value, by providing a consistent framework and fair evaluation methodology.
Roles are evaluated against 14 key skill areas that are applicable to a wider range of roles, for example communication, problem solving or knowledge and experience.
Supporting evidence and role requirements are carefully assessed, and a score is allocated to each of these areas. The grading of a post is then assigned based on the total score.
A job evaluation exercise may be required due to the following reasons:
- New role: where a new role has been created and requires assessment to confirm a grade prior to a recruitment exercise.
- Changes to a role: where significant, permanent changes have been made to an existing vacant role following changes to responsibilities/changes in the service.
- Grading review: where a role is occupied and there have been significant, permanent changes to the duties and responsibilities of the role, and the role holder/manager is requesting a grading review. The role holder must have been in the post for over 12 months.
Job evaluation is managed by our HR Advisor Team. The guidance below outlines the process to commence a request for job evaluation.
If you have any queries, please contact HRAdvisors@exeter.ac.uk.
Please note, requests that require full HERA evaluation are currently being outsourced for evaluation by our external partners. This will incur a charge to the service and a PO number will be required at the time of submitting a request.
Job evaluation process
Recognising the cost pressures on the University and the impacts of job evaluation outcomes on our staffing costs, all roles will require Divisional Directors of Professional Services to confirm their support for requests to proceed to evaluation, confirming the request is business critical and that there is funding to cover any potential financial implications of a request for an evaluation/re-evaluation of a role.
Requests should also be supported by the HR Partner/Senior HR Partner for your area, to ensure the request meets the future workforce planning needs of the service.
Individuals who wish to request a grading review of their current role should discuss this with their line manager in the first instance.
Please ensure the relevant approvals are obtained prior to commencing a request for job evaluation.
Our Guidance for creating new job descriptions or amending current ones and Job Description template provide further information on how to create roles and shape duties.
Roles in the academic job families should utilise the appropriate template job description, which have been HERA evaluated and graded. Please refer to our template job description bank to access the relevant descriptions.
For amendments to existing roles, any changes to duties must be on a permanent basis as well as being an accurate reflection of the role’s requirements. Any changes made should reflect the requirements of the role and not the role holder.
For minor revisions to an existing role, please send through amendments to the job description via tracked changes to HRAdvisors@exeter.ac.uk in the first instance for review, to determine whether a job evaluation exercise is required.
Temporary or acting up duties should not be included within a job description and cannot be assessed as part of a HERA review.
Managers and role holders should be aware that revisions to a job description may increase or decrease the HERA scoring and grading of a role.
Prior to creating or revising a job description, managers should consider the method of HERA evaluation required; whether the role is comparable to an existing role through a job matching exercise, or whether the role is unique and will require a full HERA evaluation.
Job matching acknowledges that many roles across the University hold generic and consistent responsibilities and therefore, a full HERA evaluation is not always required to confirm a grading outcome.
Job matching is the first stage in the job evaluation process and involves assessing the correlation between duties and responsibilities of a newly created and an existing job description, or the significance of the changes that are required to be made to an existing job description.
Managers should consider whether there are existing comparable roles within the service or across the University. The HR Advisor team can support with identifying similar roles that may hold comparable duties and will confirm whether an existing job description is a suitable comparator. Please note:
- A successful match is based on identifying a sufficient correlative relationship with a recently evaluated role.
- An indicative grade/grade match with another role cannot be guaranteed.
- A role can only be matched to an existing job description of the same grade.
- A role cannot be matched to multiple job descriptions.
- Requests for grading reviews cannot be completed via job matching and are required to go through a full HERA evaluation.
In cases where a job matching exercise cannot be successfully applied, the request will be required to proceed through a full HERA Evaluation.
Where a role is considered unique, or if the request is part of a grading review, a full HERA evaluation will be required.
Roles are scored against 50 independent competency-based questions that are aligned under 14 key skill areas. Supporting evidence and role requirements are carefully assessed by a trained HERA analyst and a score is allocated to each of these areas. This provides a total score which aligns within a grade boundary and is used to confirm a grade outcome.
Where appropriate, the scoring completed by the trained HERA analyst is reviewed by the HERA Validation Panel to confirm the final score and grade.
The HERA Validation Panel consists of qualified specialists and is an essential measure to ensure grading consistency and pay parity across the University.
Providing sufficient evidence helps HERA analysts have a greater understating of the role. It will help determine the full requirements and expectations of the role, which often the job description alone does not suffice. It also best ensures consistency and fairness of the HERA process in order to provide fair grade outcomes that support pay parity objectives.
The supporting evidence required to complete a job evaluation exercise will be determined by the type of request and is summarised below.
Job Matching
| New role | Changes to a role |
|---|---|
| 1. Job description | 1. Existing job description |
| 2. Job description for the comparable role identified or used as the basis for role creation | 2. Revised job description via tracked changes to confirm the changes |
| 3. Organisation chart for the service, detailing where the role sits within the department | 3. Job description for the comparable role identified |
| 4. Divisional Director approval | 4. Organisation chart for the service, detailing where the role sits within the department |
| 5. Divisional Director approval |
HERA Evaluation
| New role | Changes to a role | Grading review |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Job description | 1. Existing job description | 1. Existing job description |
| 2. Completed HERA Assessment: Manager’s Questionnaire | 2. Revised job description via tracked changes to confirm the changes | 2. Revised job description via tracked changes to confirm the changes |
| 3. Organisation chart for the service, detailing where the role sits within the department | 3. Completed HERA Assessment: Manager’s Questionnaire | 3. Completed HERA Assessment: Manager’s Questionnaire |
| 4. Divisional Director approval | 4. Organisation chart for the service, detailing where the role sits within the department | 4. Organisation chart for the service, detailing where the role sits within the department |
| 5. Divisional Director approval | 5. Divisional Director approval |
A copy of the HERA Assessment: Manager’s Questionnaire can be obtained by request to HRAdvisors@exeter.ac.uk.
Requests should be submitted by the line manager of the role or senior managers if required.
- Once the supporting evidence for the request has been gathered and the required level of approval has been obtained, please complete a Request for Job Evaluation.
- Following this, please send all required supporting evidence as outlined in Step 4 within one email to HRAdvisors@exeter.ac.uk.
Please note, we will be unable to commence a request until all supporting evidence is received.
The timescales for completion of a job evaluation exercise will be determined by the type of request. These timescales will be applied upon receipt of the required information outlined within Step 5.
Please note that the level of demand, complexity of a role, or if a HERA validation panel review is required may impact upon HERA analysts being able to meet the projected timescales. Where necessary, the manager will be notified and provided with a revised timescale.
Job Matching
Where a successful job matching exercise can be applied, a matching outcome will be provided within 10 working days upon receipt of all supporting evidence received.
HERA Evaluation
Where a role is required to go through a full HERA evaluation, a scoring exercise will be completed by a HERA analyst within 10 working days upon receipt of all supporting evidence received.
Outcomes will be communicated via email to the manager who has submitted the request. If the role is occupied, the role holder will receive written confirmation of the change from HR if a new grade and salary is applicable.
Managers and role holders should be aware that a grading review may increase or decrease the HERA scoring and grading of a role.
Grade changes will take effect from the first of the month in which the request and all supporting evidence was received.
Salary protection arrangements will be applied in instances of a grade decrease, following confirmation that the evaluation has taken account of all the relevant information. The role holder will be provided with written notification of the grade change and salary protection arrangements.
Once an outcome has been provided, we would not seek to re-evaluate the same role for a minimum of 12 months, unless the post has been significantly changed. For example, new duties hold little resemblance to the originally submitted job description.
Where a role is occupied and has been submitted as part of a grading review, an individual has the right to appeal if they are dissatisfied with the outcome.
Appeals will only be considered on the grounds that there was an incorrect application of the grading criteria during the scoring.
Prior to submitting a request for an appeal, the manager should seek feedback from the HERA analyst who carried out the scoring exercise. A review of the scoring elements by the HERA Validation Panel will take place.
Requests for appeals must be made in writing and should be submitted to the Director of Human Resources, sent to HRAdvisors@exeter.ac.uk, within 30 days following notification of the outcome of a HERA grading assessment.
If an appeal is being considered, please reach out to the HR Advisor team for further advice.