The placement of structural positions for civil servants in each region has its own dynamics and complexities, one of which is the placement of structural positions in the Makassar City government, which has not fully met the criteria for position requirements in terms of both rank and competency. This study analyzes the factors that influence the placement of structural positions in the Makassar City government. It is a descriptive study with a qualitative approach. Data collection was conducted through interviews with several key informants, who were considered to understand the placement of structural positions and complement them with data and information relevant to this study. The data sources consisted of primary and secondary data, and the data analysis model used is an interactive one. The results of the study indicate that there are several factors that influence the placement of structural positions in the Government of Makassar City – namely the first factor, where political interests are still the main determinant in the placement of structural positions. The second factor indicates that although the objective assessment based on the merit system has been well implemented, the results of the structural position selection assessment are still in the nature of recommendations, and the determination of structural officials is the authority of staffing supervisors who incidentally are political officials, so that the bargaining position to influence the decisions of public officials is still thriving in the nature of local governance.
Keywords: structural positions, civil servants