City of Richmond to Hire First Ombuds After One-Day Search

On Monday, August 7, 2023, the capital of Virginia opened a search for its first Ombudsman. The application window closed the very next day, Tuesday, August 8. The new position will report to the city's HR Director and provide services to over 4,000 employees. According to the posting, the Ombuds will practice to IOA standards (notwithstanding the reporting structure). The position required a Bachelor's degree and at least five years of relevant experience, or an equivalent combination. The position will pay $71,727 to $128,779 per year. (ZipRecruiter.)

Why does this short application window matter? 

It's not impermissible. The city's new hiring policy does not require a specific posting period. Administrative Regulation 5.16, which became effective July 1, 2023, gives the HR Director oversight responsibility for all internal and external recruitment. 

However, most organizations cast a wide net for a position as unique and important as the first Ombuds. For comparison, the Commonwealth of Virginia requires that job opportunities be posted "minimum of five (5) consecutive workdays." (Policy - 2.10 Hiring, effective September 25, 2000.) It is not uncommon to see organizations spend months soliciting applicants for an Ombuds position. 

The short posting period seems to imply that the search was a sham. Clearly, the city did not want to deal with lots of qualified applicants. Whether or not this is true, it will be easy for city employees to believe that the Ombuds had already been preselected by the city's HR Director. This does not align with the new Ombuds' fundamental mandate of impartiality. Even if the new Ombuds is a great choice, they have been tainted by HR's search process.