Permissions & Private Roles
Overview
Every role has collaborators - the people who can view candidates and chat with Jill. Each collaborator is either an Owner or a Member.
Roles also have a visibility setting: public (anyone on your team can find and join it) or private (invite-only). On public roles, any teammate can join from the dashboard. On private roles, you have to be added by an Owner or admin.
Permission levels
When you create a role, you're the Owner. Each role has exactly one Owner.
Public roles
Since anyone on your team can join a public role, the Owner/Member distinction is mostly about role settings:
| Capability | Owner | Member |
|---|---|---|
| View candidates, chat with Jill, edit most settings | ✓ | ✓ |
| Remove collaborators | ✓ | ✗ |
| Change listing appearance (public, anonymous, or no listing) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Make the role private | ✓ | ✗ |
Private roles
On private roles the distinction matters more - only the Owner can control who has access:
| Capability | Owner | Member |
|---|---|---|
| View candidates, chat with Jill, edit most settings | ✓ | ✓ |
| Add and remove collaborators | ✓ | ✗ |
| Change listing appearance (public, anonymous, or no listing) | ✓ | ✗ |
| Make the role public | ✓ | ✗ |
Organization admins
Org admins get extra powers across all roles, even ones they haven't joined:
- See any role, including private ones
- Add, remove, promote, or demote collaborators on any role
- Claim ownership of any role
They still need to join a role before they can edit it or see candidates.
Public vs. private roles
Public is the default. Everyone on your team sees the role and can join it themselves as a Member.
Private means only people who've been added (and org admins) can see it. Nobody else can find or join the role. Useful for confidential searches - backfills, executive hires, unannounced projects.
You can switch between public and private any time. Either open the role actions menu (three dots) on the Dashboard and select Make Private / Make Public, or go to Role → Configure → Internal Visibility.
- Going private: non-collaborators lose access immediately. Existing collaborators are unaffected.
- Going public: the role becomes visible to your whole team again.
Managing collaborators
Adding someone - go to Role → Configure → Team Members and click Add member. Pick the person and confirm. They're added as a Member and get notified via email. They need to be in your organization already - if they're not, go to Team in the sidebar to invite them first.
Transferring ownership - in Role → Configure → Team Members, find the person and select Promote to Owner. This transfers ownership to them and demotes you to Member. Only one person can be Owner at a time.
Removing someone - the Owner can remove anyone. Access is revoked immediately.
Leaving - any collaborator can leave. If you're the Owner, transfer ownership first.
Claiming ownership - org admins can claim any role. This makes them the Owner and demotes the previous Owner to Member.
FAQ
What happens to candidates if I make a role private? Nothing. Visibility only controls which teammates can access the role. Candidates, job listings, and Jill's sourcing are unaffected.
What if the Owner leaves or is removed? An org admin can claim ownership at any time.
Do people get notified when added? Yes, by email.
Does visibility affect the Ashby integration? No. Visibility is internal only - it doesn't touch syncing, listings, or integrations.