> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://guide.exiqtive.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Job families

> Group positions by discipline and seniority level: create job families, subfamilies and levels, manage their lifecycle, and assign them to positions.

A job family groups positions by **discipline**, such as Engineering, Sales, Finance, or Operations. Each job family has an ordered set of **levels** that represent seniority within that discipline. A position is assigned to one job family and one level in it, which places the position in your career structure.

Job families are part of the [Fair Base Pay](https://guide.exiqtive.com/fair-pay/overview.md) module. They describe what kind of work a position is and how senior it is. To group positions by the value of the work instead, see [Job categories](https://guide.exiqtive.com/fair-pay/job-categories.md). The two are independent, so a position's family and category don't have to move together.

> [!NOTE]
>
> Job Families are turned on in **Settings → Configuration → Jobs**. The setting is off by default, and only Owners and Co-Owners can change it. Turning it off hides Job Families but keeps all your families, levels, and position assignments, which reappear when you turn it back on.

## Where to find job families

Open **Fair Base Pay** in the side menu and select **Job Families**. The list shows each family with its code, status, number of levels, and number of positions. By default it shows Draft and Active families. Use the filter to include Retired families or show Archived ones, and search by name or code.

## Levels

Levels are the rungs of a family's career ladder. Each family has its own levels, with names that suit its discipline, and can have as many as it needs. A family that uses [subfamilies](#subfamilies) has no levels of its own.

Each level has:

* **Name** (required): a label such as *Engineer I* or *Senior Engineer*. Names must be unique within a family. Two different families can use the same level name.
* **Descriptor** (optional): a one-line summary of the level.

Levels are numbered 1 to N with no gaps. **Level 1 is the bottom of the ladder**, and a new level is added on top. The number reflects position only. It isn't read from the level's name. The list shows the highest level first, and levels appear as *number · name*, for example **3 · Senior Engineer**.

> [!TIP]
>
> A good descriptor covers scope of impact, complexity, autonomy, expertise required, and people or budget responsibility. Writing every family's levels against the same criteria makes levels comparable across families.

### Add, edit, reorder, and delete levels

* **Add:** click **+ Add Level** on the family's Levels tab, enter a name and an optional descriptor, and save. The level goes on top of the ladder.
* **Edit:** open a level's row menu (⋯) and select **Edit** to change its name or descriptor.
* **Reorder:** drag a level to a new place. All levels in the family renumber automatically.
* **Delete:** open the row menu and select **Delete**. If positions are on that level, you must choose another level **in the same family** to move them to before you can delete. You can't delete a family's only level. Add another level first.

Levels have no status of their own. They also have no code. A level is identified by its family and its place in the ladder.

### Suggest levels with IQ

On a family's Levels tab, click **Suggest** to have IQ propose levels and descriptors. IQ uses the family's name, its Context tab (if filled in), your existing levels, and your account's IQ context. It extends your ladder and never deletes or replaces a level you've written. New levels are marked **New** and revised ones **Updated**. Closing the banner ends the review, and **Undo Suggestions** is no longer available after that, or if you leave the page.

## Subfamilies

A family can be split into subfamilies when one discipline has distinct tracks. For example, a Human Resources family can have a Recruiter subfamily.

* **Turn it on for your account.** Subfamilies are turned on or off for the whole account in **Settings → Configuration → Jobs**. You can't turn the setting off while any family still uses subfamilies.
* **Turn it on for a family.** Each family has a **Use subfamilies** switch. A family with subfamilies has no levels of its own. A family without subfamilies must have at least one level.
* **Positions block the switch.** You can't switch a family to use subfamilies while positions are assigned to it. Remove the family from those positions first. exIQtive.com doesn't reassign them for you.
* **Two tiers only.** A subfamily can't have subfamilies of its own. You choose a subfamily's parent when you create it, and you can't change it afterwards.
* **Filtering includes subfamilies.** Filtering by a family also shows the positions in its subfamilies.
* **Changes are recorded.** Each time someone changes the switch, exIQtive.com writes a message in the family's chatter.

## Create a job family

[Adding a new job family to your organization](https://watchclueso.com/embed/ltffbmlnw58zuu1i)

Adding job families helps keep your organization’s positions structured and easy to manage. Here’s how to quickly create a new job family from the Job Families page.

1. In **Fair Base Pay → Job Families**, click Add Job Family to open the creation dialog.
2. Type your desired job family name into the Name field. For example, enter “Accountant”.
3. Click Save to add the new job family and close the dialog.
4. Confirm your new job family appears in the list. It’ll be highlighted in green to show it was added successfully.

That’s it! Your new job family is now set up and ready to use. This keeps your organization list organized and makes assigning job families a breeze.

Names must be unique in your account. A new family starts as a Draft.

When you create a family, exIQtive.com automatically creates its first level, named **No career ladder**. If the family has only one level, rename it and add a descriptor. If it has a ladder, rename it to the bottom rung and add more levels above it.

## Job family status

| Status | What it means |
| - | - |
| **Draft** | New and not yet in use. You can rename, edit, delete, or activate it. It can't be assigned to positions. |
| **Active** | Live. Positions can be assigned to it. |
| **Retired** | No longer offered for new assignments. Positions already assigned to it keep it, for historical reference. |
| **Archived** | Hidden from the default list. Show it with the **Archived** filter. |

Use the family's row menu (⋯) to change status:

* **Activate:** Draft to Active.
* **Rename:** available in any status.
* **Retire:** Active to Retired.
* **Reactivate:** Retired to Active.
* **Archive:** Retired to Archived. A family must be retired first.
* **Unarchive:** Archived to Retired.
* **Delete:** Draft only. Deleting a Draft family also deletes its levels. Once a family is Active, retire and archive it instead.

If you unarchive a family and another live family now has the same name, rename one of them first.

## Assign a job family to a position

A position can have one job family and one level. Only Active families can be assigned. You pick the family first, then the level. If the family has only one level, it's selected for you. If the family you need doesn't exist, you can create it from the picker: type its name and select **+ Add Job Family**. It's created as Active with one level, so you can assign it right away.

To move a position to a different family, remove its current family first, then assign the new one. A position can't be moved directly from one family to another. For the steps, see [Assign a job family to a position](https://guide.exiqtive.com/user-guide/positions/assign-a-job-family.md).

## Common questions

> [accordion] Can a family have subfamilies?
>
> Yes, one tier of them. Turn on subfamilies in **Settings → Configuration → Jobs**, then switch **Use subfamilies** on for the family. See [Subfamilies](#subfamilies).

> [accordion] What happens to positions if I retire or archive a family?
>
> Positions already assigned keep their family and level. A family that is archived is flagged on those positions, and no new positions can be assigned to a family that isn't Active.

> [accordion] Does a job family change a position's responsibilities or readiness?
>
> No. Responsibilities still come from the position's roles. A job family classifies the position for career structure and filtering.

> [accordion] Can I filter positions and employees by job family?
>
> Yes. Filter by job family on the Positions and Employees lists. To filter by level, choose the family first, because level numbers repeat across families.

## Related

> [card] [Fair Base Pay](https://guide.exiqtive.com/fair-pay/overview.md)
>
> The module that job families belong to.

> [card] [Job categories](https://guide.exiqtive.com/fair-pay/job-categories.md)
>
> Group positions by the value of the work.

> [card] [Assign a job family](https://guide.exiqtive.com/user-guide/positions/assign-a-job-family.md)
>
> Step-by-step assignment.

> [card] [Positions](https://guide.exiqtive.com/organization/positions.md)
>
> The positions you classify.

> [card] [Organization concepts](https://guide.exiqtive.com/concepts/organization.md)
>
> Definitions and shared object codes.


This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.