CASE STUDY: JOB EVALUATION AND JOB PROFILING
Supporting fair and consistent role assimilation during a housing association merger
Revising and applying a job profiling framework across nearly 500 existing and proposed roles
The client
A large housing association formed through the merger of two established housing providers. EBRS had worked with the larger of the legacy organisations for around ten years, providing job profiling and pay benchmarking using a framework that we had originally devised.
The challenge
The merger brought together two different organisational structures. As new roles were designed for the merged organisation, the client needed to determine how closely existing roles in each legacy organisation matched the proposed roles.
Job titles alone could not provide a reliable basis for these decisions. Roles with similar titles sometimes operated at different levels, while some proposed roles combined responsibilities that had previously been undertaken by several different jobs.
The existing job profiling framework needed to be revised and tested before it could be applied across the new organisation to support fair, smooth and consistent assimilation decisions across nearly 500 existing and proposed roles.
Our approach
EBRS provided continuity from the existing arrangements while adapting the framework to the needs and scale of the merged organisation.
a) Revising and testing the framework
We consulted stakeholders from both legacy organisations to understand how the existing framework had worked, where greater clarity was required and what the new organisation needed from it.
We then analytically evaluated a representative sample of roles using our own job evaluation system. The results provided an independent basis for testing the existing level definitions and identifying where the framework required adjustment.
Drawing on this evidence, we revised the job profiling criteria and level descriptions to reflect the wider range and scale of roles within the new organisation. We also aligned the framework with the new role profile format and produced practical guidance to support its consistent application.
The revised framework was tested against roles that had undergone full analytical evaluation and refined with stakeholders before being used for the merger process.
b) Supporting role matching and assimilation
We applied the revised framework to nearly 500 existing and proposed roles.
Each assessment focused on the documented requirements of the role rather than the individual undertaking it. We considered the level, responsibilities, accountabilities and organisational impact of existing and proposed roles to judge how well they matched.
Roles with similar titles were not assumed to be equivalent. Where necessary, we identified material differences in their scope or responsibilities and recorded the evidence supporting the conclusion.
Assessments were moderated across functions and directorates to help ensure that the framework and matching criteria were applied consistently to employees from both legacy organisations.
This gave the client a structured and defensible basis for deciding whether existing roles represented an appropriate match to roles in the new organisation.
c) Continuing pay benchmarking
Alongside the merger work, EBRS continues to provide pay benchmarking for roles within the new organisation.
The revised job profiling framework provided a consistent basis for understanding the size and requirements of each role before selecting appropriate external market comparisons. This was particularly useful for newly designed roles that combined responsibilities from different legacy positions or did not have a straightforward market equivalent.
The value of the work
The project gave the new organisation a consistent and independently supported approach to role matching during a complex period of organisational change.
It enabled the client to:
make assimilation decisions using structured role evidence;
apply the same principles across both legacy organisations;
distinguish between roles by their actual requirements rather than their titles;
manage a high number of assessments while maintaining consistency;
retain clear supporting evidence for decisions; and
establish a practical framework for assessing new and changed roles in the future.
The ten-year relationship meant that EBRS could combine detailed knowledge of the original arrangements with an independent assessment of what the merged organisation required.
By bringing together analytical job evaluation, job profiling, moderation and pay benchmarking, we helped the client manage the transition to its new structure on a fair, smooth and consistent basis.
Need support with job matching or organisational change?
Whether you are merging organisations, restructuring services or introducing a new role framework, EBRS can provide an independent and proportionate approach to job profiling, role matching and pay benchmarking.