What are the difference between Terms of Reference and Job Description?

Answer 1

A job description typically outlines the specific duties, responsibilities, and requirements of a particular job position within an organization. It includes details such as the job title, job summary, essential duties and responsibilities, qualifications, skills and abilities required, and other important job-related information. The job description is used to attract potential candidates for the job, to communicate the expectations and requirements of the job to the employee, and to evaluate job performance.

On the other hand, a Terms of Reference (TOR) is a document that outlines the objectives, scope, and deliverables of a project or assignment. It includes details such as the purpose of the project, project timelines, expected outcomes, roles and responsibilities of each team member, and other project-related information. The TOR is used to provide a clear understanding of the project and to ensure that everyone involved in the project is on the same page.

Answer 2

Terms of Reference (TOR) normally refer to documents and/ or its

contents that are used as basis for certain transactions (business

or personal, etc.) or relations. When written, these documents can

be any of the following: Contract (employment contract, deed of

sale, etc), Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), Memorandum of

Understanding (MOU), etc.

Job Description (JD) refers to the summary document produced by Job

Analysis (JA). It contains the following elements: Job Content, Job

Context, and Job Requirements.