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Council presses OHR for hiring timelines and accountability as administration centralizes HR functions
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Summary
Philadelphia's human resources leadership told council it has published a public hiring timeline and is working to standardize HR service delivery while conversations continue about reporting lines and accountability; officials said OHR processing averages 30–45 days but departmental bottlenecks often delay final hiring.
City human resources officials told the city council that they have created public timelines for hiring and are working to centralize some HR functions, while councilmembers pressed for clearer accountability where departments delay hires.
Candy Jones, the city's chief human resources officer, said OHR broke HR managers into ‘CHRO circles’ and is meeting directly with departments to standardize service delivery across the city. “We have the timeline being communicated to candidates … We also publish it on the website,” Jones said, describing a graphic that lists posting, review and selection timeframes.
Jones described OHR’s internal processing times as roughly 30–45 days depending on the exam type, but she said the “majority of the delays are on the departmental side” after an eligible list is established. Councilmembers asked whether OHR can require departments to speed hiring; Jones said conversations about reporting structure and accountability are ongoing and that OHR follows up with departments on time‑to‑hire issues.
Councilmembers also pressed the administration about vacancies and a request to add positions. Camille Dujasse, the chief administrative officer, told council she expects service‑level timelines to be delivered “by the end of this next quarter.” Jones noted several senior vacancies (labor director, airport CEO and commerce director) and said acting leaders and searches are in progress.
A separate question during the hearing concerned CCME fellows and the stipend or salary for those positions; the transcript contains conflicting references during the panel — one official referenced about $40,000 and another referred to $80,000. Council asked for a precise accounting; officials said they would follow up with the exact amounts and vacancy lists.
Why it matters: Delays between OHR processes and departmental hiring decisions lengthen vacancy durations and can slow city services. Councilmembers asked for publicly available SLAs and data by department so they can track and compare time‑to‑hire.
Representative quote: “So on the OHR side, our process takes about 30 to 45 days, roughly, depending on the type of exam,” Candy Jones, chief human resources officer.
Ending: OHR committed to providing council with the published SLA timelines and department‑level breakdowns on time‑to‑hire; the CAO said those timelines will be available by the end of the next quarter.
