Manage HR roles

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated July 31, 2025
  • 4 minutes to read
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    Summary of Manage HR roles

    Manage HR roles in the ServiceNow HR Service Delivery Scoped app controls user access to HR features, data, and modules. Scoped roles restrict HR data visibility to authorized HR personnel and clients (employees, contractors, alumni, etc.). Only users assigned HR scoped roles can access HR cases, profiles, and sensitive HR information. The HR Administrator role [snhrcore.admin] is central to assigning these scoped roles and must be managed carefully to protect sensitive data.

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    Key Features

    • Role Management: The HR Administrator role can assign all HR roles, manage HR profiles, cases, tasks, and access HR dashboards and reports.
    • Role Hierarchy: Roles can contain other roles, granting access to all contained roles. System Administrators [admin] inherently have broad access but should have the HR Administrator role removed post-configuration to limit sensitive data exposure.
    • Delegated Developer Role: Adding this role to HR Administrators enables them to manage HR application objects and configurations, including skills, knowledge base, surveys, reports, and integrations.
    • Client Roles: Control employee access to HR functionalities, allowing licensing and service provision at group or location levels.
    • HR Groups and Skills: Define user groups with common job skills and manage HR skills to facilitate automatic assignment of HR agents to cases and tasks.
    • Escalation Rules: Configure rules to automatically route HR cases between tiers based on agent skills and workload to ensure timely case resolution.
    • Performance Analytics: Assign the Performance Analytics Administrator [paadmin] role to HR Administrators for configuring HR dashboards. Only System Administrators can assign PA roles.
    • Scoped Admin Minimum Counts: System properties enforce minimum numbers of scoped admins for various HR application areas to maintain proper administration coverage.

    Practical Guidance for ServiceNow Customers

    • Log in as a System Administrator [admin] to configure HR roles and assign scoped roles properly.
    • After initial setup, remove the HR Administrator role from the System Administrator role to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive HR information.
    • Ensure scheduled jobs related to HR run under a user with the HR Administrator role, while viewing and on-demand execution remain restricted to System Administrators.
    • Add the Delegated Developer role to HR Administrators to enable platform customization and management tasks.
    • Use client roles to license and control employee access to HR services efficiently.
    • Define HR groups and skills to streamline case assignment and improve HR service delivery.
    • Leverage escalation rules to automate case routing based on workload and skills, enhancing responsiveness.

    Security Considerations

    To maintain data security, restrict HR Administrator role membership to authorized personnel only, and carefully manage role assignments. IT System Administrators can impersonate users but cannot access HR scope-protected features unless explicitly granted those roles. Follow recommended practices to segregate HR administrative duties from broader system administration.

    Roles control access to features and capabilities in modules in the HR application.

    The HR Service Delivery Scoped app can help prevent users outside of the HR organization from accessing HR data.

    Scoped roles for both HR case workers and HR clients (employees, contractors, alumni, and others) grant access to HR services. Users without an HR scoped role typically cannot view HR cases or HR profile information. For information on all the roles installed with Case and Knowledge Management plugin, see Components installed with Case and Knowledge Management.

    Only the HR Administrator [sn_hr_core.admin] can assign scoped HR roles.

    To configure your system, you must log in as a System Administrator [admin]. The HR Administrator [sn_hr_core.admin] role is contained in the System Administrator [admin] role. The combination of these two roles allows a user to perform all tasks associated with configuring your system.

    After system configuration, ensure that only the HR Administrator [sn_hr_core.admin] role has access to sensitive information. Remove the HR Administrator role from System Administrator [admin] role to help prevent the System Administrator from viewing sensitive HR information via forms, lists and UI.

    After granting access to a role, all the groups or users assigned to the role also have access. Roles can contain other roles, and grants access to any role that contains it.
    Note:
    IT System Administrators (admin) can still impersonate ServiceNow users. When impersonating a user with an HR scope-protected role, an admin cannot access features granted by that role unless the admin already possesses those HR scope-protected roles. For more information on impersonating a user, see Impersonate a user.

    HR Performance Analytics

    To configure the Performance Analytics (PA) dashboard, assign the Performance Analytics Administrator [pa_admin] role to the HR Administrator [sn_hr_core.admin] role.
    Note:
    Only the System Administrator [admin] can assign PA roles to employees.
    Table 1. Roles
    Role Description
    System Administrator [admin] Also known as admin and IT admin.

    Within the global scope of the application, has access to all system features, functions, and data, regardless of security constraints.

    • Grant users with the delegated developer role [delegated_developer].
    • Build export sets, move content between instances (development to production), and clone instances.
    • Run guided setup or modules to manage:

      Company-wide objects like user, departments, and locations.
    HR Administrator [sn_hr_core.admin]
    This role can:
    • Assign users any of the HR roles.
    • View and access the HR Service Portal.
    • View, create, and edit HR cases in HR Case Management.
    • Access and create HR tasks inside an HR case using the Add Task related link.
    • View, create, and edit HR profiles including sensitive information like salary.
    • Create HR profiles and generate for multiple users through custom criteria.
    • Associate any user to HR roles, groups, and skills.
    • View and access HR Administration.
    • View and access HR Dashboards & Reports.
    • Run Application View to manage:
      HR objects like HR roles and profiles.
      Note:
      When the Human Resources Scoped App: Core (com.sn_hr_core) and Lifecycle Events (com.sn_hr_lifecycle_events) plugins are active, the Lifecycle Admin (sn_hr_le.admin) role is part of HR Admin (sn_hr_core.admin).
    Delegated Developer [delegated_developer] When added to the HR Administrator role, can:
    • Access, and manage HR objects like HR profile, cases, groups, roles, service catalog objects, and Service Portal.
    • Modify HR application-related objects like skills, Knowledge Base, chat, notifications, surveys, reports, integrations, and SC.
    • Modify application structures like tables, business rules, and client-side validation,
    User with HR role There are specific HR roles that allow users access to specific areas of the system. For example, the HR profile reviewer [sn_hr_core.profile_reader] role can read profiles, but not edit them.

    After system configuration, to help prevent the System Administrator from accessing sensitive information:

    • Remove the HR Administrator [sn_hr_core.admin] role from System Administrator [admin].
      • The base system requires a user with the System Administrator role to run scheduled jobs. For details on HR scheduled jobs, see Components installed with Case and Knowledge Management.
      • To ensure the scheduled jobs run, change the user in the Run as field for each scheduled job to a user that has the HR admin role.
        Note:
        Changing the user allows the scheduled jobs to run, but only a user with the System Admin role can view and run a scheduled job on demand.
      • Change the scope of the application to Human Resources: Core application. For information on changing the scope, see Contextual development edit messages.
      • Reveal the Run as field. For information on revealing hidden fields on a form, see Configuring the form layout.
    • Log out and log back in to ensure that the changes take effect.
      Note:
      Ensure that you have completed setup before removing the HR Administrator role.
      Minimum number of scoped admins required
      System properties determine the minimum number (default is two) of scoped admins that must be active for an application.
      To list the properties, enter sys_properties.list in the filter navigator and search for the property to configure.
      The list of system properties and what scoped admin can access:
      System properties
      Table 2. Properties
      Property Name Scoped Admin
      sn_hr_core.min_admin_count HR admin [sn_hr_core.admin]
      sn_hr_ef.min_admin_count Employee Document Management admin [sn_hr_ef.admin]
      sn_hr_integrations.min_admin_count HR Integration Admin [sn_hr_integrations.admin]
      sn_hr_le.min_admin_count HR Lifecycle Event Admin [sn_hr_le.admin]
      sn_hr_le_pa.admin_count HR Lifecycle Event Performance Analytics Admin [sn_hr_le_pa.admin]
      sn_hr_pa.min_admin_count HR Performance Analytics Admin [sn_hr_pa.admin]
      sn_hr_pj.min_admin_count HR Parental Journey Admin [sn_hr_le_pj.admin]
      sn_hr_sp.min_admin_count HR Service Portal Admin [sn_hr_sp.admin]
      sn_hr_va.min_admin_count HR Virtual Agent Admin [sn_hr_va.admin]
      sn_templated_snip.min_admin_count Response Template Admin [sn_templated_snip.admin]
      sn_hr_ws.min_admin_count HR Agent Workspace Admin [sn_hr_ws.admin]