Job evaluation and terms and conditions

The Highland Council grading structure is based around 40 job roles allocated to one of 6 service groups.

A service group is a grouping of roles that are related because they provide similar services, for example business support, technical and practical or personal care services. 

A job role is a group of jobs with similar levels of demands and responsibilities, for example, business support 1, personal care 2, technical and practical 4.

Each of these job roles has an overview that describes the main features of a job. Each job will have many or most of the elements in the overview that relates to it but the job may not contain all of these elements. You can view an overview of the process and job overviews.

Technical and practical

The main focus of jobs in this group is the provision of practical services to a variety of clients or customers who may be our employees or members of the general public. You may also provide technical or specialist support to other parties, normally within the council.

Personal care

The main focus of jobs in this group is the provision of services to external clients with jobs designed to respond to client needs. There may well be face to face contact and jobs may have a significant physical care element. The job will also demand people skills.

Business support

The main focus for jobs in this group is the provision of business support to colleagues, supervisors and managers in the form of administrative, clerical and financial duties. This business support is likely to be delivered mainly to colleagues and managers within your own service but may also be delivered to colleagues and managers in other services. It may also involve contact with the general public, private organisations and public bodies.

Community

The main focus of jobs in this group is the provision of front line services to external clients with significant direct contact with specific clients. A number or range of tasks and processes may be delivered by jobholders.

Professional and specialist

The predominant focus of jobs in this group is the application of knowledge, experience and expertise within a specific discipline. There may be contact with other professionals and specialists as well as possible resource and staffing responsibilities, although staff management is not the main demand. Jobs may involve policy and strategy development, as well as project management.

Management

The predominant focus of jobs in this group is the direction and control of employees, in teams or at a service level, with the management of significant financial, physical and information resources. Jobs in this group will have a significant business planning responsibility, for example, the development of service plans, as well as the identification of targets and the management of teams’ performances.