Nanny Job Descriptions

Feb 11, 2014 | Hiring an Employee, Household Employer Policies

There are many concerns to consider when you are involved in hiring a nanny or other household employee, as well as many legalities to abide by to ensure equitable and fair employment opportunities. By taking the hiring process one step at a time, you can proceed with well-planned and well-researched employment offers. First and foremost, nanny job descriptions must be thorough, comprehensive, and well-developed; they will help any employer immensely in the hiring process.

Really think about what the job will entail; cover all aspects of household duties, tasks, responsibilities, work hours, and requirements—and put it into words for everyone to understand. The best job description will clearly set out what the position needs to accomplish; what essential and non-essential tasks and duties are needed; and what skills, abilities, and talents are best used to adequately complete the job. This job description not only helps start the job search, but it also helps tremendously in developing the work agreement with the hired employee.

A job description should include the following elements:

Title—The official title of the position for which you are hiring.
Type of work—Whether the work is full-time or part-time, live-in or live-out, and so on.
Summary—A one- to two-sentence summary that states the primary function of the position.
Dependents—if the role requires the care of dependents, list the ages and names of each one.
Essential functions—A list of the primary responsibilities of the position. These are the functions that are necessary and must be performed on a regular basis.
Nonessential functions—A separate list of responsibilities that account for only a small part of the job.
Knowledge, skills, and abilities—A list of topics that an employee should have knowledge of and at what level (i.e., basic, intermediate, or expert). Also, outline specific skills (i.e., reading and writing skills) and abilities (i.e., lifting heavy objects or children, climbing stairs, etc.) the position requires.
Supervisory responsibilities—If managing other employees list the job titles of those employees.
Working conditions—Guidelines about the working conditions and a description of your home or estate and its layout, provisions for food, any pets in the house, whether or not a vehicle will be provided while working if work performed will be at any other additional residences, and so on.
Minimum qualifications—A list of criteria to be met, such as educational background, license requirements, years of experience required, and so on.
Success factors—A list of qualities or personality traits that would make someone successful in this position.