Building Job Architecture
Design the structure that organizes roles and enables career movement
Create a job architecture that brings clarity to your organization structure, defines career paths, and enables skills-based talent decisions.
Duration
8-12 weeks
Steps
6 phases
Category
Foundation
Step-by-Step Guide
Inventory Current Roles
Catalog all existing job titles, levels, and families.
- Export all job titles from HRIS
- Count headcount per title
- Identify title inconsistencies
- Map current informal families
Duration: 1-2 weeks
Design Job Families
Group roles into logical families based on function and skills.
- Define 8-15 job families
- Create sub-families where needed
- Document family definitions
- Map existing titles to families
Duration: 2 weeks
Define Career Levels
Create consistent levels across families with clear distinctions.
- Establish 6-8 career levels
- Define level criteria (scope, complexity, impact)
- Create individual contributor and manager tracks
- Document level requirements
Duration: 2 weeks
Map Skills to Roles
Connect skills taxonomy to job architecture roles.
- Identify required skills per role
- Define proficiency expectations
- Map skill progression across levels
- Highlight differentiating skills
Duration: 2-3 weeks
Design Career Paths
Create vertical and lateral movement options.
- Map vertical progressions within families
- Identify cross-family lateral moves
- Document skill bridges between paths
- Create career path visualizations
Duration: 2 weeks
Validate and Communicate
Get stakeholder buy-in and communicate to organization.
- Review with HR leadership
- Validate with business leaders
- Create employee communications
- Launch manager training
Duration: 1-2 weeks
Expected Outcomes
- Clear organization of all roles
- Transparent career progression paths
- Foundation for compensation alignment
- Enabled internal mobility
Related Capabilities
WeSoar features that support this playbook
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