University Human Resources

Job Families

Job families provide a framework for organizing roles across Brown University based on the type of work performed and the skills required. They help bring consistency to how jobs are defined, evaluated and developed, while also supporting career growth and workforce planning.

Job Families

A job family is a group of roles that involve similar work and require comparable training, knowledge, skills and expertise. Positions within a job family may span from entry-level to senior roles, with increasing levels of responsibility and complexity.

Job Grades and Compensation

Most non-union staff positions are assigned a job grade from 1 to 15. These grades encompass approximately 3,200 positions across 19 job families. Because roles in different job families may share the same grade, salary ranges are intentionally broad to reflect differences in market demand and job function.

Compensation within a job grade may vary based on several factors, including:

  • External market for the specific job family
  • Internal equity across comparable roles
  • Individual performance differences

Key Characteristics of Job Families

  • Job families vary in size; some include a wide range of roles and may contain specialized areas
  • Each position is assigned to one job family only
  • Roles within the same job family may exist across multiple departments
    • For example, positions in the Research job family can be found in BioMed, the School of Public Health, the School of Engineering and other areas
  • A job family should align with the primary purpose of the role and the required qualifications and experience

How Job Families Are Used

Job families support managers, staff and University Human Resources in a number of ways:

  • Defining career paths and development opportunities within and across job families
  • Supporting career planning conversations and identifying training or learning needs
  • Ensuring consistency in job evaluation by comparing similar roles
  • Promoting internal equity and maintaining external competitiveness
  • Supporting compliance with affirmative action reporting and workforce data analysis

Brown University Job Families

Key Terms

  • Job Profile: A broad category that reflects the primary purpose of a job and its relationship to other roles. Positions within the same job profile typically require similar education, experience, competencies and have comparable market value.
  • Business Title: A customized, descriptive title that provides additional clarity about an individual employee’s responsibilities and scope within their job profile.