Designing the role

A well-designed role gives the employee a clear purpose, a manageable workload and an objective definition of success. The same design also gives recruiters a sharper brief and managers a sound basis for onboarding and performance conversations.

Group related work around a meaningful outcome. Give the role a clear title, a single manager, regular responsibilities and an understandable place in the wider team.

If tasks come from several local positions, resolve competing priorities before recruitment. Ask whether a capable person could understand the purpose of the role, build expertise in it and see how good performance creates value.

Describe what a good week looks like. Combine activity or volume measures with quality and timeliness measures so that speed is not rewarded at the expense of accuracy or customer experience.

Use the measures consistently in the position description, onboarding milestones and one-on-ones. Where targets are uncertain, establish a reasonable starting point and calibrate it using actual results rather than guesswork.

Work backwards from the job. Customer-facing and highly collaborative roles may require substantial overlap with the local team. Independent processing or production work may need only a defined handover window.

Consider employee wellbeing, coverage requirements, applicable shift costs and the effect of daylight-saving changes. Put the agreed hours, breaks, holiday arrangements and escalation coverage in writing. Confirm current requirements with your partner.

Select the arrangement role by role. Consider supervision, collaboration, talent availability, employee experience, data sensitivity, workspace privacy, equipment, connectivity and continuity arrangements.

Do not assume one model is inherently best. Document the minimum operating and security standard, then review the arrangement after the employee has settled into the role.

Name the manager, identify anyone else authorised to assign work and define how conflicting requests will be prioritised. A single reporting line prevents the employee from having to negotiate among several stakeholders.

List decisions the employee can make independently, decisions that require consultation and decisions that require approval. Expand authority deliberately as competence and trust develop.

Ask your partner for current market evidence for the role, experience level, location and working pattern. Understand the employee’s salary and benefits as well as the total partner fee.

Choose a range that supports recruitment and retention, and explain how performance and market reviews will work. Salary decisions should reflect current evidence and applicable employment requirements rather than a generic benchmark.