The job specification details the knowledge, skills and abilities your candidates need to perform effectively in a role.
Use the job specification template on the job specifications page to write a job specification.
The service area you are recruiting for is responsible for nominating a person or group with responsibility for writing the job specification.
Writing a job specification
Review the job design to identify what is involved in the job. Carry out a job analysis to form the basis of the job specification.
Before you begin to write the job specification, consider the role’s core deliverables versus the way they are delivered. This means consider what you can adjust to attract the widest pool of candidates by reviewing things like span of control and key stakeholders. For example:
- what flexibility exists for when, where and how tasks can be completed?
- can you adjust any inherent requirements such as key knowledge and experience to encourage people with a disability to apply for the role? For example, do “excellent verbal skills” need to be included when most communication is by email and would “excellent writing skills” or “report writing skills” be more important?
- how you will describe the role using unbiased language?
A reminder that some candidates may require reasonable accommodation to both fulfil the requirements of the role and apply for the role in the first place.
Consult with key stakeholders to agree on the content for the job specification.
Health service / hiring managers are the subject experts. Their input will make sure it reflects the requirements and standards of the role and profession.
This person or group will:
- have a good understanding of the current and future requirements of the role
- update the job specification with amendments suggested during the consultation process
- be responsible for deciding what changes are to be made to the specification following the consultation phase
- finalise the draft job specification
Steps to follow for writing a job specification
- Download the job specification template.
- Write the first draft with a small number of key stakeholders or subject matter experts (SMEs).
- Identify the key duties and responsibilities.
- Use the Office for Health Management competency framework to help identify the skills and competencies candidates will need.
- Include the nationally approved eligibility criteria.
- Send your draft to the wider group of stakeholders for their feedback.
Make each section relevant
Each job specification must include information on the following:
Job title and approved grade code
Think about the title of the post. Avoid very specific titles if you think that you will use the panel again in the future for other vacancies.
The job title must reflect the post or grade and grade code of the role. For example:
- Leadership Advisor (Director of Nursing 1, Assistant Grade Code 2919
- Operations Manager (Grade VIII Grade Code 0655)
Informal enquiries
This is the nominated person to answer informal questions from potential candidates. It should not be a potential candidate for the role.
Details of the service
Include the key details about your service and the services users in this section.
Location
Include the location of the post.
If you are using a panel, decide:
- if the panel will cover all locations
- what specific locations it will cover
Purpose of the role
This is where your candidate will get their first insight into the role. It is an opportunity to sell the role and attract good quality candidates. You will need to include an overview of the:
- reason for the post
- duties of the post holder
- responsibilities of the post holder
Duties and responsibilities
This section gives information on the scope and purpose of the role, and the mandatory duties and responsibilities that must be included.
Describe the main responsibilities of the role, the most important aspects and accountabilities.
It should be a high-level description of the outcomes expected of the jobholder.
Avoid using words, phrases, or traits that have historically been associated with either the male or the female gender. This can result in a false impression about who the ideal candidate may be.
Use the Gender-Bias Decoder to identify gendered words and help you balance or minimise gendered language in your job specifications.
Duties and responsibilities should be outcome focused, rather than process focused, and ordered according to what is most important / critical for the success of the role.
Be as specific to the role as possible. Do not make this section too long by detailing a list of tasks that are too specific to be meaningful or useful.
Do not describe every aspect of what the role involves. Focus on the most critical and important aspects of the role.
Some posts have conditions that your candidates must demonstrate that they can perform safely and effectively. They must be essential to the role and pitched at an appropriate level.
This information helps define the criteria that you will use for assessment.
The competencies should clearly flow from the description provided in this section. For examples, see the HSE HR job specification repository.
Eligibility criteria
These are the key skills and requirements your candidates will need to apply for the role.
There are published nationally approved eligibility criteria for many roles and grades across these staff categories:
You must not add a time requirement or make any changes to the criteria set.
Consult with the service or discipline to decide if you will accept applications from:
- candidates yet to register with the relevant professional body or professional regulator
- undergraduates due to qualify the same year as the advertisement
The HSE cannot employ a regulated health professional to practice in Ireland without appropriate registration. The relevant regulator is the authority for registration and recognition of qualifications. For several other health and social care professions the Minister for Health is the competent authority.
Allowing candidates, who are not registered, or are due to qualify, to apply can provide access to a wider applicant pool. This can be helpful for entry-level roles or for roles that are difficult to fill.
These candidates, if placed on the panel, are generally not included in invitations to express interest until they have notified the Recruitment Team that they have graduated or registered with the relevant regulator and / or professional body identified in the eligibility criteria.
Record all decisions, the individuals who made them and the rationale in the campaign file.
If there is no agreed eligibility criteria for your post then you will need to follow the process to develop eligibility criteria.
Check that criteria:
- are finalised and included in the job specification before advertising any role
- only include those skills and qualifications essential to the role
- map directly back to the duties and responsibilities of the role as described in the job specification
Desirable criteria
You may decide to include the use of a desired qualification to assist where you include a sifting exercise to reduce the number of candidates to progress to the next round of a competition. Particularity, where there is a high number of candidates.
Decide if you will use essential and desired qualifications as part of the recruitment process in advance of the running of the competition.
Post specific requirements
Some roles may require the inclusion of post specific requirements in addition to the essential criteria. These are unique to a role in a particular setting or service.
Including these requirements does not affect the grade or grade code assigned. For example:
- experience or a qualification is required for a Staff Nurse role in ICU
- a postgraduate qualification or CPD required for a Senior Radiographer in ultrasound
Higher-level qualifications above those stated in the eligibility criteria are not appropriate unless the post is for a particular area of practice within a profession.
You can include requirements to have completed essential short-term training courses, for example:
- Certificate in Emergency Nursing
- CPD programme in Coronary Care
The inclusion of post specific requirements can help with shortlisting if large volumes of candidates apply.
Any specific requirements could have an impact on your potential panel.
Post specific experience
Quality of experience is better than stating a length of time. State what you expect the candidate to know or be able to do.
Use depth and breadth instead of specifying a particular length of time. For example the depth and breadth of:
- experience of working in a High Dependency Unit in an acute setting
- experience in the area of cardiac diagnostics as relevant to the role
- post apprenticeship experience in installation and maintenance of electrical systems in a healthcare environment as relevant to the role
The level of experience you state must be appropriate to the level of the role.
Other requirements specific to the post
This section outlines any practical requirements that are specific to the post. For example, if access to appropriate transport is necessary to fulfil the duties of the role.
Requests for a full, clean driver's licence must have robust and well-documented rationale. Some key considerations include:
- why the job holder will need to drive
- a person with a disability who may not be in a position to drive, but does have access to a driver and transport
- frequency of travel
- post holders who need to drive HSE vehicles
Skills, competencies, knowledge
Use this information to structure and inform the format of each stage of the selection process.
The Office for Health Management competency framework includes 4 domains under which there are 14 competencies. There are a number of behavioural indicators associated with each competency.
Review the guide to using the competency framework to help you select the competencies and identify the behavioural indicators for your specific role. Ideally no more than five behavioural indicators for each competency. Use these to support decision making during assessment.
These must relate to the duties and responsibilities section. Use them to inform the structure of the selection process.
Competencies are:
- skills - not duties
- verbs or action words as they are demonstrable and observable
- discrete - there should not be duplication or overlap as this will lead to significant problems when it comes to assessment
- pitched at an appropriate level that matches the level of the post
Campaign specific selection process
The job specification template includes a standard statement on potential ranking and shortlisting, which must be included
Terms and conditions of employment
Use the terms and conditions pages of the nationally agreed national job specification template in all job specifications.
Check you are using the most up to date HSE terms and conditions of employment.
For queries about terms and conditions of employment email info.t@hse.ie
Check the draft
Review the draft to make sure:
- duties are pitched at an appropriate level and are relevant to the role
- eligibility criteria are correct
- the post specific requirements section does not contain an additional qualification and is worded in terms of experience
- competencies are pitched at an appropriate level and are relevant to the role
- agreed changes made during the consultation process are included
- it meets the expectations of the CPSA Code of Practice
The final job specification will inform the design of your full selection process.
Get the job specification signed off at an appropriately senior level to ensure it meets any future needs of the service, or any service developments likely to take place in the short to medium term.
Submit the final job specification to your local HR recruitment team.
Review job specifications regularly to ensure they meet service needs and fit with changing structures.
Additional resources
Your local HR team can provide support on best practice for job specification, job analysis and review, competencies and future proofing.
Watch a general Introduction to HSE job specifications (Youtube) for an overview of job specifications and CPSA requirements
Watch a guide to developing HSE job specifications (Youtube) for guidance on how to develop a job specification.
Check HSE salary scales.
