# Job Duties > Job duties are the tasks, functions, and responsibilities an employee is required to perform in a role, set out in a job description or contract duties clause. **Term:** Job Duties **Last updated:** 2026-07-10 ## Definition ### Definition 1 ## Where job duties appear in a contract In an employment or consultancy agreement, job duties usually sit in a dedicated duties or scope-of-work clause. That clause states the primary role, references the job description, and often reserves the employer's right to assign other reasonable duties. Naming the essential functions here gives both parties certainty about what the employee is required to perform and where the edges of the role sit. ### Definition 2 ## Writing clear job duties Good job duties are specific, measurable, and tied to the skills the role requires. Each duty should describe a task the employee will actually perform, using an action verb, so a reader in a job search understands the work and a manager can assess performance. Vague duties ("handle various tasks") invite disputes; precise duties ("prepare and issue customer invoices weekly") reduce them. When you draft or review a duties clause, it helps to include a short list of the essential functions, a note on who the role reports to, and any reference to the wider policy documents that govern the work, such as a privacy or data-handling policy. Keeping this content consistent between the job description and the contract gives both sides a single, reliable guide to the role. GenieAI can review an [employment contract](https://www.genieai.co/en-us/template/employment-contract) and flag where a duties clause is too vague against your own playbook. ## Context ### Relevant circumstances - When an employer wants to hire a new employee or consultant into a role and needs to define the tasks they will perform. - When writing or reviewing a job description or the duties clause of an employment contract. - When a business contracts with another business for services and needs to set the scope of work. - When assessing an employee's performance against the responsibilities of their role. - When a dispute arises over whether a task falls within an employee's required duties. ### Relevant sectors - Retail - Healthcare - Technology - B2B SaaS - IT consultancies - Construction - Real estate - Energy - **Definition.** Job duties are the responsibilities, tasks, and functions an employee is required to perform in a role. - **Where they live.** They're usually set out in a job description or the duties clause of an employment or consultancy contract. - **Essential vs. marginal.** Essential duties are core to the role; marginal duties are secondary and can often be reassigned. - **Who sets them.** A hiring manager or supervisor develops them with HR, often through a short job analysis. - **Why they matter.** Clear duties support recruitment, training, performance reviews, pay classification, and dispute resolution. - **Duties vs. responsibilities.** Duties are the specific tasks performed; responsibilities are the broader outcomes the employee is accountable for. ## What are job duties? Job duties are the specific tasks, functions, and responsibilities an employee is required to perform in a given role. They describe the actual work someone does day to day, from the core activities the position exists to deliver to the smaller tasks that support them. In a contract, job duties define the scope of what the employer can reasonably ask the employee or consultant to do. Most job duties are recorded in a job description, and the more important ones are often repeated in the duties clause of an employment or consultancy agreement. A well-written set of duties tells a candidate what skills, knowledge, and expertise the role requires, tells a manager how to measure performance, and tells both sides where the boundaries of the job sit. The duties also inform the job title, since a title should reflect the level of responsibility the work carries. ## Why job duties matter Clear job duties do more than describe a role. They run through the whole employment lifecycle: - **Recruitment and job search.** Candidates read the duties in a job posting to decide whether their skills and experience fit the role and to plan their career path. Well-defined duties help a business find the right professional for the position. - **Onboarding and training.** Duties tell a new employee which functions they need to learn and help managers plan training programs and resources. - **Performance reviews.** Managers and supervisors assess how well an employee performs against the duties in their job description. - **Legal clarity.** When a dispute arises over what someone was required to do, the recorded duties are the starting point. ## Essential vs. marginal job duties Not every task carries the same weight. Employers often separate **essential duties** (the core functions the role exists to perform) from **marginal duties** (secondary tasks that could be reassigned to someone else). This distinction matters in the United States because it affects reasonable-accommodation decisions under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Guidance from the [U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission](https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/guidance/ada-your-responsibilities-employer) explains how essential functions are identified and why the wording of a job description matters. ## Who defines job duties Job duties are usually developed by a hiring manager or supervisor together with human resources, often with input from the person currently in the role. A common approach is a short job analysis: list every task, decide which are essential and which are marginal, then confirm the reporting line and any interaction with staff, clients, or the wider office. The finished description becomes a shared reference the whole management team can use. ## Job duties in an employment contract In an employment or consultancy agreement, the duties clause sets out what the worker is required to do and how far the employer can vary those tasks. A tightly drafted clause protects both sides: the employee knows what's expected, and the employer keeps the flexibility to adjust duties as the business changes. If the duties are vague, disputes tend to follow, especially around whether a new task falls within the role. For roles governed by federal wage law, how duties are described also affects classification. The [U.S. Department of Labor](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/overtime/salary-level) uses duties tests to decide whether an employee is exempt from overtime, so the functions listed in a job description carry real consequences for pay and benefits. ## How job duties work in practice Take a sales operations coordinator at a B2B SaaS company. Their employment contract references a job description that lists the duties they're required to perform. Broken down, it might look like this: - **Essential duty.** Manage the CRM and keep pipeline data accurate for the sales team. - **Essential duty.** Prepare quotes and route contracts for approval and signature. - **Essential duty.** Produce weekly sales reports for the head of commercial. - **Marginal duty.** Help onboard new hires with CRM training when needed. - **Marginal duty.** Support ad hoc projects using available resources. The essential duties define what the role is measured on at performance reviews. The marginal duties give the employer room to reassign work without renegotiating the contract. If the coordinator were later asked to run the company's finances, that task would fall outside the recorded duties, and the contract would likely need to be updated. ## Job duties vs. job responsibilities The terms are often used interchangeably, but there's a useful distinction: duties are the specific tasks you perform, while responsibilities are the broader outcomes you're accountable for. | Job duties | Job responsibilities | | --- | --- | | Specific tasks and functions performed in the role | Broader outcomes and areas the employee is accountable for | | Concrete and often listed as action items | General and outcome-focused | | Example: prepare quotes and route contracts for signature | Example: ensure the sales pipeline runs smoothly | | Used to measure whether required work was completed | Used to measure overall performance against goals | ## Relevant contract types - [Employment Contract](https://www.genieai.co/en-us/template-type/employment-contract) - [Consultancy Agreement](https://www.genieai.co/en-us/template-type/consultancy-agreement) - [Supply of services agreement](https://www.genieai.co/en-us/template-type/supply-of-services-agreement) --- This is the Markdown representation of [https://www.genieai.co/en-us/define/job-duties](https://www.genieai.co/en-us/define/job-duties), provided for AI agents and crawlers. 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