Grade Structure
The defined hierarchy of grades used to classify roles across an organisation, each with associated anchors, boundaries, and decision implications.
A grade structure is the formal architecture of grade levels within an organisation or evaluation framework. Each grade in the structure is defined by an anchor — a description of the role scope, accountability, and complexity expected at that level — and bounded by level boundaries that distinguish it from adjacent grades.
A well-designed grade structure is not simply a naming convention or pay band overlay. It is a decision architecture: it defines how roles relate to one another in terms of contribution scope, shapes how progression is framed, informs how pay architecture is built, and governs how workforce decisions about leveling, architecture, and reward are made consistently.
Grade structure design requires decisions about breadth (how many grades), boundary definition (where each grade begins and ends), and calibration (whether the anchors reflect real organisational differentiation). Structures that are too broad collapse meaningful distinctions; structures that are too narrow create administrative complexity without decision value.
Usage note
Grade structure is distinct from pay structure. A grade structure organises roles by evaluation-derived scope and complexity. A pay structure defines salary ranges associated with grades. They should be coherent, but they are separate design decisions.
Doctrine boundary
This definition reflects how Evalio uses this term within its evaluation methodology. Usage may differ in other frameworks or contexts.
Terms used alongside this one.
Grade Anchor
A defined reference description of the scope, complexity, and accountability expected at a specific grade level, used to make grade assignment defensible.
Job Architecture
The structured framework that organises roles into families, subfamilies, functions, and levels — forming the skeletal logic through which roles are classified, compared, and governed.
Level Boundary
The defined transition point between adjacent grade levels, specifying the criteria a role must meet to qualify for the higher grade rather than the lower.
Salary Structure
The formal framework of pay ranges associated with grade levels, used to guide consistent and defensible pay positioning decisions across the organisation.