How to Build a Role Around Business Outcomes—Not Job Titles
I have clients who get caught up in defining a role based on the title of the person they’re trying to replace. Maybe their Director of Finance left, and they figure they need a new one. Maybe they’ve grown to a point where they need someone to lead their sales team. So, they look up “Director of Finance” or “VP of Sales” and pull together a job description based on what they find online—or even on ChatGPT.
Some might go further and ask the incumbent to help define their responsibilities and then use a polished version of that as the job description. That’s better—but still not quite there.
When you look past the title and dig into the actual outcomes you need this person to deliver, you can define roles much more effectively—and attract stronger talent. Not only that, but you’ll be able to measure their performance against the objectives that really matter to your business.
At this point, titles are just titles. Unless you’re ready to take on a full-blown reinvention of corporate hierarchies (good luck with that), you’re probably not going to change the way titles work. But you can reinvent how you define roles and responsibilities. And that will give your hiring process a whole new perspective.
So how do you define roles more effectively?
How do you stop hiring to replace titles—and start hiring to grow your business?
You start asking better questions.
6 questions I ask when defining a role and its responsibilities:
1. What critical short- and long-term objectives is this role tied to?
This defines what you actually want this person to accomplish. It’s the reason the role exists in your company right now. Even in stable companies, there’s always change—new initiatives, projects, or priorities. Critical leadership roles should be tied to tangible, measurable outcomes. That could be an enterprise system implementation, a fundraise, a restructuring, or a marketing push. Whatever your company is going through, list the outcomes this person needs to drive or support.
2. What’s their primary mandate for each objective?
Leaders play different roles depending on the project. Sometimes they lead the whole thing—design, execution, and all. Other times they’re responsible for driving adoption in their team of something owned elsewhere. Define what role this person will play across each key business objective.
3. What areas of the company will they directly or indirectly influence?
In other words: who will they be leading or shaping? This helps define where they need deep expertise versus where influence and collaboration matter more. Some leaders hold direct oversight of several departments—Finance, IT, HR. Others may lead one team but influence many others—like a Sales leader working closely with Product, Marketing, and Supply Chain. Map this out from highest to lowest influence.
4. What gaps are holding you back in this area today?
If you don’t hire for this role—or if you hire the wrong person—what’s missing? Sometimes it’s technical expertise. Other times, it’s a leadership style or set of experiences your team doesn’t yet have. Be honest about the puzzle pieces this person needs to bring.
5. Who will they need to influence, lead, or collaborate with regularly?
And just as importantly: How will they be most successful with those people?
This is one of the most important questions. If your new hire can’t build strong relationships, they’ll fail—regardless of how technically strong they are. Define the key relationships and ask: What makes these people tick? What kind of leader brings out the best in them?
6. What does success look like when they’ve achieved their mandate?
How will you know you hired the right person?
I don’t tie this to a specific timeline—every mandate is different. Six months in, they might still be building context. At 12 months, they could be deep in a complex project with no results to show yet. So instead, ask: Looking back after a successful tenure, what milestones were hit along the way? This should read like a chronological list of accomplishments.
Now write the job description.
Once you’ve answered the questions above, you’ll have way more than a generic job ad—you’ll have a compelling, grounded, and aligned profile that great candidates will connect with.
Here’s how I structure a great job description:
1. Company profile and current mandate
Explain your purpose, mission, and values—and where the company is headed. Set the context for why this role matters now.
2. How you will shape our future
What impact will this person have on the business? Break it down into three parts:
Your mandates and responsibilities – What major initiatives they’ll lead or support, and how.
Who you will work with – The teams and individuals they’ll lead, collaborate with, or influence.
What you will do – A brief look at the key activities they’ll take on to drive results.
3. What we’re looking for
Forget the checkbox list. Describe the types of experience and qualities the ideal candidate brings. Years of experience only matter if they’ve resulted in meaningful learning.
4. What you’ll be a part of
Paint a picture of success. What will life at your company look like for someone who thrives in this role? Who are you, and why should this opportunity matter to them?