What Are Staff Positions?
Staff Positions represent the roles your organization needs filled, whether someone is in the seat or not. Think of them as your org chart in Argenta. Each position holds details like job title, department, full-time or part-time status, and pay category. Staff members are then assigned to these positions.
This separation matters. A position exists even when no one fills it. That means you can track open roles, plan for hiring, and see your full organizational structure at a glance.
Where to Find Staff Positions
From the main menu, go to Staff & HR > Staff Positions. This opens the All Positions list, showing every position in your organization along with its current status (Filled or Open).
How to Add a New Staff Position
- Navigate to Staff & HR > Staff Positions.
- Click the Add A New Staff Position button.
- Enter the Staff Position/Job Title. This is the only required field.
- Set the Number of Positions if you have more than one of the same role (for example, three Case Managers).
- Fill in the organizational details as needed:
- Chapter - if the position belongs to a specific chapter
- Division - if it sits under a particular division
- Department - assign it to a department
- District & Precinct - for political organizations tracking geographic areas
- Click Add This Staff Position.
After saving, you land on the position workspace where you can add more details, notes, files, and permission settings.
Position vs. Staff Member
This is the most common question about staff positions, so here it is plainly:
- A Position is the role itself (e.g., "Development Director").
- A Staff Member is the person filling that role.
Organizational details like Chapter, Division, Department, District, and Precinct are set on the position, not the staff member. When you assign a staff member to a position, they inherit those details. You cannot change them at the staff member level.
Tracking Open and Filled Positions
The Staff Positions list shows the status of every position. Use the All Positions dropdown to filter by:
- All Positions - everything in your organization
- Filled - positions with an assigned staff member
- Open - positions that need to be filled
You can also sort by Staff Position name, and export the full list to CSV for reporting or budget planning.
Full-Time vs. Part-Time
Each position can be marked as full-time or part-time. This is set on the position record and carries over to whichever staff member fills it. You will also set the Payroll Category (such as Salary or Hourly) at the position level.
Staff Position Levels
Each position can be assigned a Staff Position Level. Levels let you group positions into tiers that make sense for your organization. You might use them to define seniority (Level 1, Level 2, Level 3), pay grades, or responsibility tiers.
To set a level, open the Staff Position Workspace and look for the Staff Position Level dropdown on the Position Details tab. It sits right next to the Full Time or Part Time field.
Argenta comes with a few default levels (Level 1, Level 2, Level 3), but you can create your own. Click the Add New link next to the dropdown to add a custom level like "Entry Level," "Mid-Career," or "Executive." Your custom levels will then appear in the dropdown for all positions.
When a staff member is assigned to a position, the level carries over to their record automatically. You can see it on the staff member's details page, labeled as the position level. This is useful for reporting, filtering staff by tier, and keeping pay structures consistent across similar roles.
How to Assign a Staff Member to a Position
You assign positions from the staff member's record, not from the position itself. Here's how:
- Go to Staff & HR > Staff Members and open the staff member you want to assign.
- On the Staff Member Details tab, scroll down to the Staff Position section.
- In the Staff Position field, start typing the position title. A dropdown will appear with matching positions.
- Select the correct position from the list.
- Click Save All Changes.
Once assigned, the position's Chapter, Division, and Department automatically carry over to the staff member. You will see these listed as "Assigned from position" and they cannot be changed on the staff member record. To update them, edit the position itself.
Secondary Positions
Some staff wear more than one hat. Argenta supports a Secondary Staff Position field on the same page, right bel