Selecting your job family (PASS 5 - 12)
All UCT PASS staff roles have been grouped into five job families depending on the primary nature of work performed within the role. Although likely to improve consistency across campus, this grouping is not intended to be prescriptive and individuals should decide which paragraph describes their activities accurately. Read the broad descriptions below and select accordingly.
| Roles | Descriptions |
| Administrative support | The primary function is administrative, clerical or secretarial. Jobs are generally well-defined however they may involve unforeseen occurrences/situations that require reliance on previous experience. Individuals in these roles are typically engaged in administrative and finance activities within faculties or PASS departments. They would decide on how best to carry out operations within a selected process. Examples would include admin assistants, secretaries, finance officers, residence officers, faculty officers, amongst others. |
| Managers | The primary function is management of a section. Responsibility includes the tactical implementation of strategic decisions within a function. Individuals in these roles are likely to be specialists who spend most of their time managing at least two staff levels. They are directly involved in policy development and have discretion over the deployment of resources including people, finance and technology. Examples would include Faculty Operations Manager, Pharmacy Manager, QA Manager, Communications Manager, amongst others. |
| Operations | The primary function is skilled activities in a craft or trade or general operations. Jobs are generally well-defined however they may involve unforeseen occurrences/situations that require reliance on previous experience. Individuals in these roles typically spend their time ensuring the smooth running of facilities and services. They would decide on how best to carry out operations within a selected process. Examples would include all artisans, traffic wardens, workshop and laboratory assistants, theatre and stage staff, amongst others. |
| Specialist support | The primary function is to provide specialist academic, institutional or student support services. Responsibility includes interpretation of an overall plan and translation of the plan into action. Individuals in these roles typically spend most of their time with students and academic staff in support of the academic project or student development or they are engaged in activities that are central to the running of the university. They are likely to hold post graduate academic qualifications. They may be first level supervisors within their immediate area of expertise. Examples would include librarians, psychologists, accountants, lawyers, HR/CMD/DAD specialists, amongst others. |
| Technical & scientific support | The primary function includes technical duties. An understanding of the theory and or systems behind job processes is required at this level before jobs can be performed successfully. Individuals in these roles offer specialised technical and scientific support to either a faculty or the university as a whole. They are highly skilled and typically ensure that staff and students have ongoing access to technical infrastructure. They also educate users. Examples would include technical officers, scientific officers, IT specialists, graphic designers, set designers, amongst others. |