How People Technologies Can Change the Direction of Government, and How One Developer Can Impact the Lives of Thousands
Over the last few months we have been piloting our new hiring solution and, at this stage, have received over 3,000 applications across 30+ jobs.
It has been incredibly exciting to see live users use the new system and starting small has provided us with valuable feedback which in turn has allowed us to:
- Make changes to our configuration
- Collect valuable information that will inform how we conduct trainings moving forward
- Prioritize feature requests of SmartRecruiters and custom tools
As we shift our attention to launching to all users over the next few months, we are also looking to grow our small but mighty team (and, as Anne Marie likes to say, the coolest team at the Department of Human Resources). We are currently hiring for a full stack developer to partner with us so if you are interested or know anyone please don’t hesitate to reach out!
So what are we actually doing?
People Applications
People applications is a new term encompassing all of the systems and applications that people and people leaders use throughout organizations, from job application, to getting paid, record-keeping, and improving work-life balance. All of these tools can be used to directly impact the way an organization does business, the quality of life of their employees and ultimately their clients, the constituents. The HR Modernization Program has been charged with delivering a completely reimagined suite of People Applications to improve and enrich the lives of our career applicants, our citywide teammates, and, ultimately, our constituents. Happy people do better work and deliver more efficient services to our communities.
Our philosophy has been to build better and to never stop building, leading us to procure and develop systems that are never truly “done”. The team is constantly seeking feedback from users of all walks; applicants, employees, recruiters, and community members alike. We have realized that there is no one application that can solve all of our problems, especially not in a way that can be a foundation for future growth.
On the Leading Edge, at least in the Public Sector
This project is leveraging cloud native and serverless technologies (specifically AWS) in a way that is brand new for the City. Being on the leading edge of this new way of solving problems is allowing the team to shepherd the way AWS and cloud technologies are adopted across the City.
Impact at Scale
One of the things that stands out about this project is the sheer impact you get to have. Every City team at every City department is intimately affected by hiring. In other words, in order for the City to be able to deliver any of its services or run its operations it needs to be able to hire the employees it needs across the 1,100 different job classifications. We have seen this firsthand through our pilot recruitments which have included hiring crucial roles to staff the City’s Covid Command Center, to hiring community liaisons to support housing initiatives, not to mention other technology roles. The HR Modernization Program provides a unique vantage point with insight into the incredible diversity of roles that exist that allow this incredible City to run.
Where do you Fit in?
Like we mentioned before, we are beginning to build out our startup-style development and engineering team and are looking for a creative problem solver to join us as our senior developer. This is a pivotal role that will help us to identify, acquire, and build out our system and to explore all of the possibilities. We have a foundation and a framework, and are looking to build the house, with your help.
Interested in applying? Join us.
