Management Response_Internal Audit_Recruitment Process

Extracted text

Memorandum
DATE: August 31, 2026
TO: Audit Committee, Finance Committee, Governing Body
VIA: Brian Moya, Interim City Manager
FROM: Andrea Phillips, Deputy City Manager
Monica Acevedo, Human Resources Director
RE: Management Response to Internal Audit Project on Recruitment Process
_____________________________________________________________________________________
The purpose of this memorandum is to provide a Management Response to the Internal Audit report
regarding the city’s human resources recruitment process. Baker Tilly, the city’s Internal Audit firm,
conducted an operational review of the recruitment and hiring process in the spring and summer of
2026. The results of the report, including recommendations, were provided to the Audit Committee
on July 28 and the Finance Committee on August 24th.
Per the Municipal Code Chapter 2, the City’s Internal Audit program is an independent office that
reports to Audit Committee and the Governing Body (through the Finance Committee). The internal
audit function is overseen by the City Manager’s Office, which helps to coordinate projects with the
internal auditor and appropriate departments. Tracking the implementation of these items is also
assisted by the City Manager’s Office and Baker Tilly, along with key departmental contacts.
The following is the management response to each recommendation in the report. “Management”
includes Human Resources Director and City Manager/Deputy City Manager input.
ATTACHMENTS:
Management Response to Recommendations
Recruitment Process Review Final Report (June 29, 2026), Baker Tilly Advisory Group LLP
City Internal Audit Ordinance (City of Santa Fe Municipal Code

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Management Responses to Recruitment Process Review Final Report
Commendations:
Management agrees wholeheartedly. The Human Resources team has made significant strides in
recent years in updating city processes, analyzing needs, and utilizing available software and other
tools to maximize efficiencies.
#1: Staffing Capacity and Workload
Observation:
HR operates with relatively lean staffing levels while supporting a decentralized recruitment
process that relies heavily on manual coordination and analyst involvement. As a result, staff
capacity for process improvement, system optimization, training, and other strategic recruitment
initiatives are often limited.
Recommendation:
To maximize the effectiveness of its current staffing resources, the City should prioritize reducing
manual recruitment activities, increasing automation, and streamlining administrative workload
before reevaluating long-term staffing needs.
Management generally agrees with these findings and recommendations. In 2026 the team
experienced some transitions in leadership roles. In the fall of 2025, the city’s prior Human
Resources Director retired, and the current Assistant Director stepped in to serve in this key
role through the interim period. Monica Acevedo was hired as the Director of Human
Resources in June of 2026. Director Acevedo is analyzing the team’s capacity and future
staffing needs and may make requests for additional FTEs in the next fiscal year.
In the FY27 budget, an additional position was added to assist Human Resources with
information technology. The position, an HRIS Manager, will help implement tools for human
capital management in the city’s Enterprise Resource Planning system (ERP)-Munis-and
implement city information technology processes. Manual screening and tracking of
applicants, as well as manual work flows in Munis need to be analyzed. Additional software
and other tools may be utilized to help streamline information and workflows.
Management agrees that the Munis system needs some additional understanding and build-
out in order to streamline workflows. In addition to system fixes, the city will analyze how
communication could be improved between analysts, budget office, and departments. Due to
the decentralized nature of the recruitment/hiring process where human resources, budget
office (Finance Department) and the hiring departments all play roles, there needs to be better
regular communication on staffing needs, budget for positions, and who is completing which
roles in the hiring and onboarding process.

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#2: Training and Communication
Observation:
While HR has established several tools, resources, and communication forums to support
recruitment activities, training on the recruitment process is not standardized or consistently
implemented across departments and HR staff. As a result, recruitment activities and system usage
can vary by department, role, and individual experience level, leading to inconsistent process
execution, communication gaps, and delays throughout the recruitment lifecycle.
Recommendation:
To improve consistency, communication, and understanding of recruitment processes across the
organization,
HR should:
• Establish a more structured and standardized recruitment training program for
both HR and department staff involved in recruitment activities.
• Establish a centralized repository for recruitment-related resources.
• Formalize transition and onboarding
Management generally agrees with these findings and recommendations. The city has been
updating its Intranet site to serve as a repository of internal documents, policies and
procedures, forms, and other information. This is a work in progress across the city. Human
Resources Department – City of Santa Fe Intranet. Forms and SOPs such as the Recruitment
Planning Checklist/Worksheet, Recruitment Closeout form, and other documents will be
reviewed with an emphasis on reducing manual process and utilizing software tools as much
as possible.
Human Resources has implemented monthly Human Resources User Group (HUG) meetings
that invite human resources personnel and departmental staff across the city to learn about
current topics, receive training on specific HR topics, and serve as a forum for live questions
and answers. This practice has received a positive reception from across the city.
The Department is committed to providing ongoing training, documentation of workflows, and
assistance. As HR analyst assignments change, the department will prioritize notifications to
customer departments. Assigned HR Analysts will set up regular meetings with customer
departments to review concerns, questions and upcoming needs.
The Department will ensure that a formal transition and onboarding process is captured,
documented and shared with all departments. This includes onboarding of all aspects of
bringing on a new employee (IT equipment, where to get parking passes, training needs,
badge, where to report, etc.).
Human Resources will continue to seek customer department input and feedback as tools are
implemented to ensure clear understanding of processes and opportunities for continuous
improvement.

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#3: Recruitment Process Opportunities
Observation:
The City’s recruitment process is generally functioning effectively, and recruitment timelines
appear comparatively reasonable overall. However, opportunities exist to further formalize
workflow expectations, clarify ownership of process steps, and improve coordination between HR,
departments, and other stakeholders involved in recruitment activities.
Recommendation:
To improve consistency and coordination throughout the recruitment process, HR should finalize
its recruitment workflow documentation and continue strengthening role clarity, communication
protocols, handoff management, and accountability
Management agrees that this is an area of ongoing improvement. The workflows of
recruitment process have been documented in the Baker Tilly report. Human Resources will
continue to build out role clarity and task assignment through documentation and training.
Some departments are better equipped than others to handle administrative tasks pertaining
to recruitment activities. Therefore, attention to hiring departments with newer
administrative staff will be necessary.
The city continues to refine its recruitment process workflow, which is documented in the
Baker Tilly report. As Munis system workflows are streamlined, the process mapping may be
updated to reduce steps, especially those that are manual or duplicative (where an Adobe form
or other approval is also needed outside of the system). Human Resources will further
delineate tasks and roles between hiring department, Human Resources, budget office, IT, and
other city departments/divisions involved in the hiring and onboarding process. This will be
documented and shared across the city. Communication timelines and protocols throughout
the hiring process are important to clarify against expectations of the hiring department. At
times, there is a lack of understanding about hiring status and who is supposed to do what
task. Attention to key “hand-off” points in the process will be necessary. Proactive outreach on
the part of Human Resources staff and the hiring department’s key point of contact will be
critical to keep the process moving in a timely manner, and to quickly identify any pain points
that are causing delays.

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#4: Munis System Limitations
Observation:
Recruitment workflows within Munis, the City’s Human Resources Information System (HRIS), are not
optimized or consistently used across HR and departments, resulting in manual workarounds, limited
workflow visibility, and additional coordination outside the system that contributes to communication
gaps and recruitment bottlenecks.
Recommendation:
Continue coordinating between HR, IT, and the Munis system vendor to evaluate opportunities to better
utilize existing Munis functionality and implement enhancements.
Management agrees that the Munis system has been a challenge within the recruitment process. The
system is not fully functional for the 21st century needs of a complex municipality. The city is exploring
additional software tools that may assist Human Resources in performing key functions. A new
position in Human Resources of HRIS Manager (see observation #1) will be added to assist with
information technology analysis and deployments to ensure better deployment of human capital
management processes. The Munis system has some capabilities that are not fully built-out or tested.
Staff will explore these options, while considering other tools to better meet the needs of the city. Staff
will coordinate with the Information and Technology Department, city leadership and Human
Resources to communicate needs with the Munis vendor contacts to ensure that city needs are
considered. The applicant-facing side of Munis has been challenging and staff is seeking improved
functionality in the near term.

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#5: Change Management
Observation:
HR analyst department reassignments were implemented without clear transition planning,
communication, or knowledge transfer practices, creating temporary confusion regarding roles,
responsibilities, and department points of contact.
Recommendation:
To improve continuity and reduce disruption during future analyst reassignments or similar staffing
transitions within the recruitment function, the City should establish a more structured transition
process.
Management agrees and will ensure better communication among Human Resources and
departments on analyst changes. Analysts will also seek more proactive communication and regular
meetings with customer departments to ensure better ongoing communication, familiarization with
departmental/division staffing needs, understanding of processes, and more.