Team & permissionsFor recruiters3 min read

Creating a custom role

When none of the four built-in roles fits, you can build a custom one. Common use case: hiring managers who need read access plus interview-feedback write access.

Key takeaways

  • Settings → Roles → *Create role*. Name it, pick a base role to start from, toggle granular permissions.
  • Most common custom role: *Hiring Manager* — read jobs + candidates, add interview feedback, no invitations.
  • Custom roles can be edited or deleted at any time. Changes apply immediately to anyone assigned.
  • If you're toggling more than 4–5 permissions on top of a base role, you probably want a different base.

Built-in roles (Owner / Admin / Recruiter / Viewer) cover most teams, but some jobs don't fit. The classic example: a hiring manager who should read candidates and add interview feedback, but should not be able to send invites or close jobs. Custom roles handle this.

How to create one

[@portabletext/react] Unknown block type "undefined", specify a component for it in the `components.types` prop

Common custom-role recipes

Hiring Manager

Base: Viewer. Add: Add interview feedback, Comment on candidate. Do not add: invite, edit job, change candidate decision.

Result: hiring managers can read every interview the AI evaluated, add their human take, but cannot influence the official decision or send new invites.

Junior Recruiter (training)

Base: Recruiter. Remove: Delete candidate, Reject candidate, Edit job. Optionally remove Send bulk invite — single invites only.

Result: junior recruiters can do most of the work but irreversible actions (delete, reject, bulk-invite) require a senior to confirm.

Read-only Observer (board / leadership)

Base: Viewer. No additions, no removals. Just rename it (e.g. Board Observer) to make the audit trail more readable.

Billing-only Finance

Base: Viewer. Add: Manage billing, Buy credits, View invoices. Do not add: anything related to candidates.

Result: your finance person can top up credits and view invoices without seeing any candidate data — clean privacy boundary.

Editing or deleting a custom role

Custom roles can be edited or deleted at any time:

  • Click the row in Settings → Roles to edit.
  • Click the overflow menu → Delete role.
  • If a role is in use (people are assigned to it), the platform asks you to reassign those people to another role before deletion.

TIP

If you find yourself toggling 6+ permissions on top of a base role, the base is probably wrong. Try starting from a different base — your toggles often disappear.

Frequently asked questions

Can I make a custom Owner-level role?

No. Owner is a system role and cannot be replicated. Billing access and role-assignment access can be granted via custom role permissions, but the *promote to Owner* action specifically is gated to existing Owners.

Can I take permissions AWAY from someone, not just add?

Yes. A custom role can be more restrictive than the base role you started from. Common case: start with *Recruiter* as base, then remove *Delete candidate* and *Reject candidate* — useful for junior recruiters in training.

Next steps

Related articles