In brief
- Who draws it up: The employer draws up and approves the instructions, based on the job description from the Directory of Job Descriptions (DKHP).
- Main sections: General provisions · Tasks and duties · Must know · Qualification requirements · Specialisation (if applicable) · Rights · Responsibilities.
- Timeframes: The timeframe of ‘15 working days’ applies only to civil servants in categories ‘B’ and ‘C’. For other employers, there is no statutory deadline for drafting the instructions.
- Familiarisation: The instructions must be provided to the employee against a signed acknowledgement, and the employee must be informed of their rights and duties before commencing work (Article 29 of the Labour Code).
- Fines: Financial liability under Article 265 of the Labour Code — the minimum wage for each breach (8,647 UAH from 1 January 2026); for a repeat offence within a year — double that amount.
- Below: A template for the job description, a comparative table ‘Civil Service / private employer’, a step-by-step procedure and an analysis of fines.
Is a job description mandatory?
The Labour Code (LC) does not contain the specific term ‘job description’, however, their mandatory nature follows from two regulatory bases:
General Provisions of Issue 1 of the Labour Code (Order of the Ministry of Labour No. 336 of 29 December 2004): ‘Job descriptions shall be drawn up for employees in all posts specified in the establishment plan’ (with the exception of managers, whose legal status is determined by the company’s articles of association).
Article 29 of the Labour Code: before the start of employment, the employer is obliged to inform the employee of their rights and duties.
The State Labour Service interprets the absence of a job description as a breach of labour legislation, citing Articles 29 and 265 of the Labour Code and Article 41 of the Code of Administrative Offences.
There is also an alternative viewpoint: job descriptions are approved by ministerial order rather than by law, and an employee’s duties can be set out directly in the employment contract. However, the absence of clearly defined duties deprives the employer of documentary evidence as to exactly which tasks the employee was required to perform in the event of a dispute.
Structure: which sections the job description should contain
The basic framework is set out in the job description from the State Classification of Occupations: ‘Tasks and Duties’, ‘Must Know’, ‘Qualification Requirements’ and, where necessary, ‘Specialisation’. In practice, three further sections are added to these.
Job descriptions are drawn up for posts in sections 1–4 of the DK 003:2010 Classification of Occupations (managers, professionals, specialists, technical staff). For blue-collar occupations, job instructions are drawn up — both documents have equal legal force. The job title must correspond precisely to the Classification of Occupations and the establishment plan.
| Section | Where to find the content |
|---|---|
| General provisions | staffing table and organisational structure of the enterprise |
| Tasks and duties | DKHP |
| Must know | DKHP |
| Qualification requirements | DKHP |
| Specialisation (where applicable) | DKHP |
| Rights | of the employer within the framework of the Labour Code |
| Liability | of the employer within the framework of the Labour Code |
For civil servants, the list of sections must not be altered, and the number of main duties must not exceed ten.
Below is a template for private employers — please fill in the relevant fields with your own details.
APPROVED
Order No. _________ dated _________ No. _____
JOB DESCRIPTION
(job title according to DK 003:2010 and the establishment plan)
1. General Provisions
Reports to ____________________; is appointed to and dismissed from the post by order of ____________________; in the employee’s absence, their duties are performed by ____________________.
2. Tasks and duties
____________________ (detailed tasks from the DKHP job description, adapted to the organisation’s work processes).
3. Must be familiar with
____________________ (regulatory acts, standards and methodologies in accordance with the State Qualification Framework).
4. Qualification requirements
Education ____________________, work experience ____________________ (in accordance with the requirements of the State Qualification Framework for the relevant job category).
5. Specialisation (where applicable)
____________________ (to be completed if the DKHP job description contains this section).
6. Rights
The employee is entitled to ____________________ (access to information, signing authority, the right to demand appropriate working conditions, etc.).
7. Responsibilities
The employee is responsible for ____________________ (within the limits of current labour legislation).
I have read and understood the job description:
_________ / _________________________________ / ‘_’ ____________ 20
(signature) (first name and surname)
Civil service or private employer: which applies to you
A common breach is the application to private enterprises of the deadlines and structure set out in the Procedure for drawing up job descriptions for civil servants in categories ‘B’ and ‘C’ (Order of the National Agency for Civil Service No. 172-19 of 11 September 2019). This regulatory act is in force, but its scope of application is clearly limited by the very title of the document.
| Issue | Civil servants in categories ‘B’ and ‘C’ | Other employers |
|---|---|---|
| Timeframe for drafting | 15 working days from the date of issue of the order amending the establishment plan | There is no statutory timeframe |
| Composition of sections | Clearly defined: general information, purpose of the post, duties (up to 10), rights, external official communication, special conditions | There is no approved list; the guideline is the sections of the DKHP job description |
| Who approves | The appointing authority or the head of the civil service | The employer (or a body authorised by them) |
| Familiarisation | The Human Resources Department on the day of appointment or transfer | Against receipt; regarding rights and obligations — before commencing work (Article 29 of the Labour Code) |
How to draw up instructions: procedure
Check the job title against the DK 003:2010 Classification of Occupations and the establishment plan.
Find the relevant job description in your edition of the DKHP (for example, Edition 1, approved by Order No. 336, covers professions common to all sectors).
Transfer the list of duties, the ‘Must know’ section and the qualification requirements from the specification, tailoring them to your own work processes.
Add the sections ‘General Provisions’, ‘Rights’ and ‘Responsibilities’. Approve the document with the stamp APPROVED with a reference to the relevant order.
Familiarise the employee with the instructions against signature — this must be done before they commence their duties.
The fact that the development of instructions is the primary purpose of the Handbook is enshrined in the Procedure for Developing Job Descriptions (Order of the Ministry of Social Policy No. 918 of 31 May 2017).
Drafting, approval and storage
A job description is classified as an organisational and administrative document; therefore, it must be drawn up in accordance with the rules set out in DSTU 4163:2020 (in force from 1 September 2021). The standard sets out 32 required details and applies, amongst other things, to electronic record-keeping.
The approval stamp is placed in the top right-hand corner of the first page: the word APPROVED, the title of the administrative document in the nominative case, its date and number.
Retention periods: A repealed (replaced) job description shall be retained for 5 years following its replacement (Article 43 of the List of Standard Documents, approved by Order of the Ministry of Justice No. 578/5 of 12 April 2012). The current job description is retained in the organisation’s day-to-day records.
Before printing the form, please check against the official text of DSTU 4163:2020.
How to change an employee’s duties
An employer is not entitled to require an employee to perform work not specified in the employment contract (Article 31 of the Labour Code). Therefore, any new duties must first be included in the job description.
If the changes affect essential terms and conditions of employment (job title, combination of roles, working hours, remuneration system or amount), the employee must be given written notice no later than two months in advance (Article 32 of the Labour Code). If the employee does not agree to the new conditions and it is not possible to retain the previous ones, the employment contract is terminated. Transfer to another post is permitted only with the employee’s consent (except in the cases provided for in Article 33 of the Labour Code).
Example of a written notice:
‘We hereby inform you that with effect from ‘_’ ____________ 20, the essential terms and conditions of your employment will change, namely: ________________________.
Reason: ________________________.
Should you not agree to continue working under the new conditions, your employment contract will be terminated pursuant to paragraph 6 of Article 36 of the Labour Code of Ukraine.”
Special provisions during martial law
Whilst martial law is in force, Part 1 of Article 3 of the Law of Ukraine dated 15 March 2022 No. 2136-IX ‘On the Organisation of Labour Relations under Martial Law’ shall apply:
The employer has the right to transfer an employee to work not specified in the employment contract, without their consent, provided that such work is not contraindicated on health grounds and is necessary to prevent or mitigate the consequences of hostilities or other threatening circumstances.
It is prohibited to transfer an employee to an area where active hostilities are taking place.
Remuneration must not be lower than the average wage for the employee’s previous job.
The employee must be notified of any changes to their essential working conditions before they come into effect (the two-month notice period does not apply during martial law).
Any additional duties assigned under a different post shall be formalised as a combination of posts or concurrent employment, and the actual workload shall be recorded in the timesheet.
Liability of the employee and the employer
For breaches of labour discipline, only a reprimand or dismissal may be imposed on an employee (Article 147 of the Labour Code). Dismissal for systematic failure to fulfil duties (clause 3, part 1, Article 40 of the Labour Code) is only possible provided that disciplinary measures have previously been imposed on the employee, and the duties themselves were set out in a document with which the employee has been familiarised and which they have signed.
| Grounds | Against whom | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Part 1 of Article 41 of the Code of Administrative Offences | Officials of enterprises, institutions, organisations and sole traders | Between 30 and 100 non-taxable minimum incomes (510–1,700 UAH) |
| Part 2 of Article 265 of the Labour Code (breach of other requirements of labour legislation) | The employer (a legal entity or a sole trader) | 1 minimum wage for each breach (8,647 UAH from 1 January 2026 in accordance with Article 8 of Law No. 4695-IX). For a repeat offence within a year — double the amount. The calculation is based on the minimum wage at the time of detection |
Both provisions set out liability for breaches of labour legislation in general. The classification of the absence of a job description as such a breach is based on the official position of the State Labour Service. Sources that cite a financial penalty of only 510–1,700 UAH rely on outdated guidance from 2019.
Person responsible for military registration: requirements of Order No. 1487
The Procedure for the Organisation and Maintenance of Military Registration (CMU Resolution No. 1487 of 30 December 2022) does not contain any specific requirements regarding the job description of the person responsible for military registration. The document is drawn up in accordance with general rules, taking into account the following provisions of the Order:
| Number of persons liable for military service on the register | What the Procedure requires |
|---|---|
| Fewer than 500 persons | Responsibilities are assigned to a member of the personnel department with a supplement of up to 50 per cent of the basic salary (clause 10) |
| 501–2,000 / 2,001–4,000 / 4,001–7,000 people | One, two or three separate persons in charge are appointed accordingly (clause 9) |
The basic salaries of such employees shall be set at the same level as those of human resources staff (clause 12). The employer is obliged to notify the relevant TCC and SP of the appointment or dismissal of responsible persons within seven days (clause 13).
HR vacancies on Injobe
There are 37 active vacancies across all sectors on Injobe, of which 16 are remote roles — 43.2 per cent of all vacancies on the site. These roles are grouped separately under the heading ‘Staff Recruitment, HR’.
