379: Joe Ambrosini: Are We Hiring for the Future or Protecting the Past?

Are local governments hiring for the workforce of the future, or are outdated hiring systems keeping great people out? In Episode 379 of The HaltingWinter Podcast, Seth Winterhalter sits down with Joe Ambrosini, Director of Human Resources for Placer County, California, to explore local government hiring, public sector recruitment, and the barriers standing between talented people and careers in public service. Before entering local government, Joe built a successful career in healthcare HR. But when he tried to move into public service, he repeatedly made it deep into hiring processes only to be passed over for candidates with one qualification he didn't have: government experience. Years later, Joe would find himself helping the City of Long Beach confront a 109-year-old civil service hiring system while the organization faced nearly a 25% vacancy rate and an average hiring process of seven months. So how much government experience is truly necessary? What can be taught? And are some of the systems designed to protect public organizations now preventing them from finding the people they desperately need? Seth and Joe also discuss the strategic role of HR, organizational culture, leadership, collaboration, burnout, and why a lack of alignment can make even a manageable workload exhausting. In this conversation: • Breaking into local government from the private sector • Rethinking government-experience requirements • Local government recruitment and workforce challenges • Reforming Long Beach's century-old civil service hiring system • Why vacancies become a service-delivery problem • HR's role in organizational transformation • Why culture and alignment change how heavy the work feels • Leadership, boundaries, and avoiding burnout in public service SPONSORS This episode of The HaltingWinter Podcast is supported by: Tyler Technologies Technology solutions built to empower the public sector. Learn more about Tyler Technologies → https://www.tylertech.com/winter The Municipal Leadership Development Circle (MLDC) Leadership development built specifically for the people leading local government. Learn more about MLDC → https://haltingwinter.com/mldc ABOUT JOE AMBROSINI Joe Ambrosini is the Director of Human Resources for Placer County, California, with nearly two decades of HR leadership experience across healthcare and local government. His public-sector career has included leadership roles with Butte County, Cosumnes Community Services District, and the City of Long Beach. ABOUT THE HOST Seth Winterhalter is a national keynote speaker, leadership strategist, and host of The HaltingWinter Podcast. Through conversations with leaders across the country, Seth explores the people, leadership, and stories shaping the future of local government. THE HALTINGWINTER PODCAST Conversations with the people leading America's cities, counties, and public organizations. Subscribe for conversations about local government leadership, organizational culture, workforce, public service, and the people making our communities work. America Runs on Local Government. #LocalGovernment #PublicService #Leadership #HumanResources #GovernmentJobs