Every position needs a job code. Organize job codes under job groups when a hierarchy helps people find related roles, levels, classifications, or families.

Before you begin

You need the Manage job catalog permission to maintain the job catalog and its department availability. In Workforce Planning, viewing or selecting financial reference fields also requires the View labor budgets permission for All departments. Maintaining budget rates requires the Manage labor budgets permission.

Plan the catalog

Use stable names that match the organization language people already know. Create enough levels to support reporting and position selection without turning every title variation into a separate job code. A job code does not receive an employee-style FTE Tree number. Its name is the normal choice label, and its optional external ID is the exact code used to match an approved outside system.

A job code should represent a reusable classification, such as Financial Analyst II. The position title can describe the specific role, such as Senior Grants Analyst, while the job code keeps reporting and setup consistent.

Use job groups to organize related codes by family, level, or another stable catalog meaning. Keep the hierarchy shallow enough that people can find the right code without guessing.

Keep job code choices separate

Choice Meaning
Job code identity The stable code, name, description, and external identifier
Job group Where the code is organized in the job catalog
General availability Dates when the code can be used for position work
Department availability Departments whose positions may use the code
Pay grade or reference information Compensation-program context available only to authorized users
Labor budget rate Planning amount used to calculate approved position capacity

Changing one choice does not automatically change the others. Making a code available to a department does not create a budget rate. Changing its budget rate does not change the job code on a position.

Create a job code or job group

  1. Open Settings, then Job catalog.
  2. Choose whether to create a job group or job code.
  3. Enter the name, parent, availability, and start date.
  4. Add an external ID only if your organization uses one to match another system.
  5. Review and save.

After saving a job code, configure department availability and any labor budget rate separately. Create one sample position to confirm that the code appears for the intended department and date.

Only job codes can be selected on positions. Job groups organize the catalog.

Example: group and code

Finance is a job group. Financial Analyst I, Financial Analyst II, and Finance Manager are job codes within that group. A position selects one of the job codes, not the group.

Department availability

Limit a job code to selected departments only when the organization has a clear business rule for doing so. An unavailable job code remains in history but cannot be selected for a new dated position value.

Review existing and future-dated positions before ending department availability. If the code is valid in one department but not another, change only the relevant department relationship.

Example: department-specific use

The Registered Nurse job code is available to Clinical Services but not Administration. A position in Clinical Services can select it. A position in Administration cannot, even though the job code remains active in the catalog.

Labor budget rates

A job code can have a shared labor budget rate. Manage that rate in Labor budget, not in position control. A position-specific labor budget rate takes priority when both apply.

The shared rate is useful when positions with the same job code use one planning assumption. A position-specific rate is an exception, not an amount to add to the shared rate.

Review dated changes

Add a later value when the catalog changes on a real date. Use activity to review who recorded the change and the effective date to review what applied.

For example, if a job code moves from one job group to another on July 1, add the later relationship. A June report should continue to show the earlier group.

Correct a dated value only when the recorded value or date was wrong. Make a code unavailable when it remains part of history but should not be selected for later work.

Verify a job code change

  1. Review the job code on a date before the change.
  2. Review it again on the effective date.
  3. Confirm its job group and department availability.
  4. Open one affected position and confirm the expected code is available.
  5. If labor budget is used, verify whether the shared job code rate or a position exception applies.
  6. Run Job Code Catalog when you need a repeatable one-row-per-job-code review with job group context in columns.
  7. Open Activity and confirm the change reason is clear.

Should every position title have its own job code?

No. Use a job code for a reusable classification and the position title for the specific role when those meanings differ.

Review scheduled catalog changes

Open Structure changes from the job catalog to review upcoming or earlier job-group and job-code changes. Choose the date view and available filters, then open the affected record. Check the group and availability that apply on the effective date before interpreting a report or adjustment match. See Review structure changes.