A position is a specific seat in the organisation's structure - a job title with a defined place in the reporting line - that an employee is appointed to. The position exists independently of whoever holds it at any given time.
What it means
Treating the position as separate from the person matters for planning: a position can be vacant, filled, or even held by more than one part-time incumbent, while the structure itself stays stable. The organogram is the visual map of how positions relate to each other.
Where it fits in
Payroll links an employee record to a position, and the position's pay grade sets the band the employee's pay should fall within. When a position becomes vacant, it is a candidate for recruiting; when it is created, it adds to budgeted headcount.
Key rules
- A defined seat in the structure, distinct from the person filling it.
- Can be vacant, filled or shared, independent of the org structure itself.
- Linked to a pay grade that bounds the employee's pay.
- A vacant position is what recruiting works to fill.
