Job and function description, job evaluation

Vacant positions must be evaluated before they can be filled. Normally, job descriptions and staffing assessments for the respective positions are already available.

Job descriptions are used to determine the function and value of positions. Moreover, they help establish the status, i.e., whether the position is categorized under technical, library and administrative staff, or academic staff. Job descriptions also form the basis for writing job ads and conducting performance evaluations. They are intended to provide staff with detailed information about their position.

Occasionally, work hours or duties and responsibilities change, or the re-evaluation of a position has been requested, requiring a new job description. The job description is generally drawn up by the employing institute/department/faculty. If you need any assistance, please refer to the faculty administration or HR Cost Control and Position Management (Sec. 64), Team 641.

The evaluation of pay scale positions is subject to the valid collective wage agreement. The wage agreement defines certain job features for various fields and occupational groups corresponding to certain salary groups. Based on details included in the job description (in particular tasks, hours worked, qualification, education, expertise, and job hierarchy) and, if necessary, further information from the employing institute/department/faculty, the Resource Management for Employees and Vacancies Team (641) in HR Section 64 reviews the job features assigned to the position.

Positions for academics with public servant status are assessed analogous to the salary scale.

The Hamburg higher education act (Hamburgisches Hochschulgesetz, HmbHG) stipulates that the type and scope of individual duties shall comply with the specifics of the service and employment agreements and the job description for the position (cf. Section 27 subsection 2 sentence 1 HmbHG).

Further details are determined by whether the tasks are of limited duration or permanent and whether they can be completed independently or require supervision provided by a university teacher (Section 27 subsection 2 sentence 2 HmbHG).

The function description comprises the key features of the position:

• scope of teaching obligations
• independent or supervised teaching and research
• further duties

Similar to job descriptions, function descriptions document in writing the specific duties, authority, and organizational integration of a position according to a uniform model. Both form the basis for demand planning, hiring, orientation period, and evaluation of staff.

Compared with function descriptions, job descriptions contain further and more detailed information. Besides, they are part of job evaluations related to salary scales or salary groups.

Function descriptions in the context of hiring processes

Function descriptions are not required for all hiring procedures. The following survey shows when function descriptions are required and when they can be waived:

Job category	Required	Not required
Academic staff
Doctoral positions pursuant to Section 28 subsection 1 of the Hamburg higher education act (Hamburgisches Hochschulgesetz, HmbHG), valuation: salary level E 13 TV-L	x
Habilitation positions pursuant to Section 28 subsection 2 HmbHG, valuation: salary level E 13 TV-L	x
Other academic staff pursuant to Section 28 subsection 3 HmbHG	x
Teaching-only positions pursuant to Section 28 subsection 3 HmbHG, valuation: salary level E 13 TV-L	x
Professorships		x
Junior professorships		x
Guest and visiting professorships		x
Externally funded positions (Due to its budget-funded portion, mixed financing always requires function descriptions)		x

New appointments always require submission of a function description. Extended employment without contractual or functional changes does not require a new function description, unless the function description for the prior employment contains a time limit. In this case, a new function description must be requested.

The Leitfaden zur Lehrverpflichtungsverordnung (guidelines on the teaching obligation regulation, LVVO) provides further information on function descriptions (see “Further information”).