Create Role Description
Capabilities
The capabilities (i.e. the knowledge, skills and abilities) required for effective performance of the role are described in the 2013 NSW Public Sector Capability Framework (Capability Framework) and any relevant occupation specific capability set.
NSW Public Sector Capabilities
- Four additional 'People Management' capabilities apply to all public sector employees who manage people.
- Consider where the role is situated in the organisational hierarchy and the primary purpose of the role when determining the level of each capability required.
- Roles are unlikely to require all capabilities at the same level. The spread of capability levels selected for a role should not generally exceed three consecutive levels. See: Capability Comparison Guide.
Occupation Specific Capabilities
Occupation Specific Capability Sets describe the specialised knowledge, skills and abilities required for roles within specific functional areas or professions. They are designed to be used in conjunction with the NSW Public Sector Capability Framework.
Generally a role description would require additional capabilities from only one occupation specific capability set, because roles usually belong to one occupational group. For example, a role description will generally not require specialised capabilities from both the Finance Professionals Capability Set and the Procurement Professionals Capability Set.
Capabilities for the Role
The capabilities (i.e. the knowledge, skills and abilities) for the role are obtained from the NSW Public Sector Capability Framework and any relevant occupation specific capability set. The capabilities are separated into two sections within the role description: focus and complementary capabilities.
Focus capabilities are the most important capabilities for effective performance of the role and will be assessed at recruitment. It is recommended that at least one focus capability is selected from each of the Capability Framework’s Personal Attributes, Relationships and Results groups. Selecting focus capabilities from the Business Enabler and Occupation Specific Capabilities is optional.
Complementary Capabilities are also important to performing the role and contribute to employee performance and career development but are not necessarily assessed at recruitment – this is a decision for agencies. They can also be selected from occupation-specific capability frameworks.
Selecting capabilities
Focus and complementary capabilities are selected simultaneously from the table below.
Select Focus capabilities by clicking on the capability name, followed by the level
Select Complementary capabilities by selecting the level associated with the appropriate capability name
The option to select occupation specific capabilities becomes available once focus and complementary capabilities have been selected from the Capability Framework using the same steps described above.
Occupation specific capabilities
Select Occupation Specific Capabilities (OCS) for the role if relevant. Consider whether:
- the work clearly requires specialised knowledge, skills and abilities in a particular functional area;
- the specialised work occupies a large part of the role, as reflected in the ‘Primary Purpose’, ‘Key Accountabilities’ and ‘Key Challenges’ sections of the role description;
- the job title is strongly associated with the functional area.
