Writing Federal Position Descriptions Course

Module 1: Guidelines for Writing Position Descriptions

• Understand the purpose and importance of accurate position descriptions (PDs).
• Learn what content to include and exclude in a PD.
• Recognize the responsibilities of supervisors, HR staff, and incumbents in drafting PDs.
• Conduct necessary research before writing a PD, using tools like org charts and mission statements.

Module 2: Writing General Schedule Non-Supervisory Position Descriptions

• Learn to write PDs using the Factor Evaluation System (FES) format.
• Break down job duties into major responsibilities and action-based tasks.
• Address nine mandatory factors: knowledge, supervisory controls, guidelines, complexity, and more.
• Distinguish between major and minor duties and how to reflect them in PDs.

Module 3: Writing General Schedule Supervisory Position Descriptions

• Apply six specific supervisory factors from the General Schedule Supervisory Guide (GSSG).
• Write complete supervisory PDs including duties like planning, staffing, and reviewing work.
• Understand the distinction between non-supervisory and supervisory PDs.
• Describe organizational relationships and supervisory authorities clearly.

Module 4: Writing Federal Wage System Position Descriptions

• Use narrative format to write non-supervisory FWS PDs.
• Address four critical grading factors: skill/knowledge, responsibility, physical effort, and working conditions.
• Recognize when supervisory responsibilities apply to FWS PDs.
• Describe physical and environmental elements realistically and legally.

Module 5: Putting It All Together

• Apply skills learned to write complete, compliant PDs using realistic scenarios.
• Review and assess completeness and classification accuracy of sample PDs.
• Ensure alignment across major duties and factor descriptions in sample exercises.