Civil Service job grades in this framework

Most levels of a role include one or two Civil Service job grades. These are the most common grades that the role level is performed at, based on government workforce data.

The grades are not mandatory for a role level

The job grade included with each role level is for information only.

The framework does not require that a role level is always performed at that job grade in all organisations. Each organisation will decide which specific grade an individual job is performed at.

Using the job grades information

Including grades with role levels helps you to understand:

• the seniority of role levels across different roles where the level prefixes are similar (for example, ‘senior’ or ‘lead’)
• where a role level might typically sit in a grade hierarchy
• which other elements of Civil Service Success Profiles might be relevant to the role level

Job grades are based on government workforce data

We use Digital and Data workforce data reported by government departments to determine the most common grades for a role level.

Updates to job grades

We review workforce data on job grades at least once a year. The most recent review and update of job grades across the framework was in May 2024.

When a new role is published, we add job grades to its levels as soon as the data to calculate them is available. This can be up to 6 months after publication.

If the job grade included in a role level has changed, there will be a change note in the 'updates' section of the role page.

Calculating the most common job grades

As part of a regular workforce survey, government departments:

• map individual jobs against the role levels on the framework
• report the grades these jobs are performed at

When a role level in this framework includes one job grade, this means that the grade is used by over 85% of jobs mapped to that role level.

When a role level displays more than one grade, this means that:

• each grade is used by at least 15% of jobs at that level
• together, the grades are used for more than 85% of jobs at that level

Sometimes these criteria cannot be applied, for example, when there is a small sample size for a role level. We then decide which grades to include by reviewing the individual jobs and historical data.

To learn more about data on job grades across government, you can contact:

• your organisation’s Capability team to request the latest Digital and Data Workforce Commission insights report
• the Workforce Insights and Analysis team in the Government Digital Service: workforce-insights-and-analytics@digital.cabinet-office.gov.uk