Key elements of a job architecture and signs yours might need a refresh.

A job architecture is the foundation that supports your talent strategy in a variety of ways. While the exact makeup of a job architecture will vary from one organization to the next, there are several elements that will always be present. There are also common signs that will indicate when you need to refresh or re-align your job architecture, and steps to take when it’s time. Let’s take a look!

Key elements of a good job architecture

A good job architecture isn’t just about creating a spreadsheet of titles. It’s about building a system that works for your people and your business.

Here’s what you’ll typically find in a solid job architecture framework:

• Job families:Broad categories that group similar types of work (e.g., Finance, Marketing, Engineering).
• Job functions:Sub-groups within those families (e.g., Accounts Payable, Financial Planning).
• Job levels: Standardized levels of responsibility, experience, and impact (e.g., Analyst, Senior Analyst, Manager).
• Job titles: The official names for roles, ideally aligned with industry standards and internal consistency.
• Leveling criteria: Clear definitions that help differentiate one level from another based on scope, complexity, leadership, and influence.

Together, these elements create a unified language for how you talk about work inside your organization.

How job architecture supports your talent strategy

One of the biggest benefits of job architecture is how it connects your compensation strategy with your talent development efforts.

Career paths

With a clear structure in place, you can design career paths that show how employees can move up, across, or even into new areas. Whether someone wants to stay technical or move into leadership, a good architecture gives them a roadmap.

For example:

• Analyst → Senior Analyst → Lead Analyst → Manager
• Or: Analyst (Finance) → Analyst (Business Operations)

Career paths become visible and intentional, not guesswork.

Salary structures

Job architecture also underpins your salary grades or bands. When you’ve mapped out job levels and families, it’s much easier to set pay ranges that are consistent, equitable, and market-aligned.

This alignment helps with:

• Pay transparency
• Compensation planning
• Budgeting
• Compliance with pay equity laws

Signs your job architecture might need a refresh

Job architecture isn’t a “set it and forget it” type of tool. Over time, your organization evolves — and your job structure should, too.

Here are a few signs suggesting it might be time to revisit — and realign — your architecture:

1. You have title inconsistencies

Are there three people with the title “Manager” — but vastly different responsibilities and pay levels? That’s a red flag. Inconsistent titles can create confusion, impact morale, and even lead to legal risk if pay is challenged.

2. Employees don’t see clear career paths

If your employees are asking, “What’s next for me?” and managers don’t have clear answers, your job architecture might be lacking the structure to support visible growth.

3. Your compensation feels out of sync

Are you struggling to keep salary bands aligned with the market? Or finding it hard to explain pay decisions? Another issue might be that you’re seeing some inequities when you look at what should be similar titles/levels. Without a solid structure, it’s nearly impossible to maintain consistent, competitive compensation.

4. You’re growing, merging, or reorganizing

When your business is going through change, it’s the perfect time to take a fresh look. Mergers, acquisitions, or rapid growth often introduce duplicate or misaligned roles. A new or updated job architecture can bring everything into harmony.

5. You want to move toward skills-based pay

If your organization is looking to pay based on skills, capabilities, or outcomes — rather than job titles alone — you’ll need a structure that supports this shift. That means updating job definitions to include the skills required at each level.Getting started: building (or refreshing) your job architecture

Ready to tackle your job architecture? While the path will be a bit different based on the particular traits of your organization, there are similar steps that all job architecture projects tend to include.

1. Take inventory:What jobs exist today? What are the titles, responsibilities, and reporting lines?
2. Group roles into families and functions: Start creating logical clusters of similar work.
3. Define job levels: Establish a consistent set of levels across the organization.
4. Write role summaries: Focus on responsibilities, scope, and qualifications — not individual performance.
5. Communicate and train: Make sure managers and employees understand the new framework and how it connects to other elements of the talent strategy, like compensation.
6. Keep it flexible:Review and update your architecture regularly as your business and workforce evolve.

Final thoughts

Your job architecture is more than just an HR tool — it’s the foundation for how you attract, develop, and retain talent. It brings clarity to your job titles, supports fair pay, and creates meaningful career paths. And in a world where employee expectations and business needs are constantly changing, that kind of clarity is invaluable.

Whether you’re just starting or considering a refresh, investing in your job architecture is one of the smartest moves you can make to future-proof your workforce strategy.

And remember: you don’t have to do it alone. Mercer has experience building and aligning job architectures in a variety of industries, with all different sizes and structures of organizations. Reach out at 855-286-5302 or surveys@mercer.com for support.