Job Architecture
Give roles structure.
Give people a path.
Connect responsibilities, levels and career opportunities so your pay decisions make sense across the organization.
When individual decisions stop fitting together
Your company has grown.
Has your structure?
Titles may have evolved one hire at a time. Salary ranges may overlap without a clear reason. Managers may define “senior” differently.
Job architecture provides a shared framework for the work people do, the responsibility they hold and how they can develop.
Example: an individual contributor path
Illustrative only. The number of levels and their definitions should fit your organization.
Build the connections
that make the system work.
A shared framework links job design, career development and compensation.
Job families & roles
Group related work. Clarify the purpose, responsibilities and capabilities of each role.
Levels & career paths
Define changes in scope, complexity, autonomy and impact. Consider both specialist and management paths where appropriate.
Pay grades & progression
Connect comparable responsibility to pay structures. Define movement within a level and promotion to another.
Define growth in the work
A promotion needs
more than a new title.
Strong performance in the current role and readiness for a larger role are related—but different—questions.
Connect your structure with compensation- Scope & impactWhich outcomes, resources or business areas does the role influence?
- Complexity & problem-solvingWhat kinds of decisions and ambiguity must the role handle?
- Autonomy & accountabilityWhat can the role decide, and what is it responsible for delivering?
- Expertise & leadershipHow does the role apply knowledge, guide others or lead a team?
A manageable implementation
Start where structure
will make a difference.
Map the current roles
Review the organization, job descriptions, titles and the inconsistencies causing friction.
Design & calibrate
Agree level criteria with leaders. Test the framework on actual roles before extending it.
Connect & maintain
Link the structure to pay and career conversations. Define ownership and a process for future changes.
Do we need to redesign every job at once?
No. A pilot in one job family or a small set of roles can help you establish useful criteria before applying them more broadly.
Does every career path lead to management?
No. Where the business supports it, specialist and management paths can offer different ways to increase responsibility. A useful design reflects actual work and opportunities.
Will a new level automatically change someone’s pay?
Leveling and pay implementation are separate decisions. A transition plan should review current pay, market alignment, budget and communication before changes are made.
A practical next step
Bring roles, pay and
career growth together.
Tell us where titles, levels or promotion decisions are becoming difficult to explain.