How City of Durham avoided critical ERP modernization delays
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<2 weeks
between initial briefing and placement -
5 of 5 roles filled
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100% offer acceptance rate
Their story
The City of Durham local government functions as the legislative and policy-making authority of Durham, North Carolina. As its data needs grew, its existing ERP environment was no longer keeping pace with demands across Finance and Human Resources.
To modernize its systems, the City began a significant Oracle ERP transformation to replace outdated technology and ensure its core systems could support the organization’s evolving operational needs.
The challenge
The City knew what capabilities an ERP transformation required, but finding the people who had them was harder. Its internal team didn’t have the specialist IT and ERP knowledge needed to identify the right talent quickly, while a reliance on purely inbound applications meant many of the strongest candidates in the market remained out of reach.
As well as technical capability, their requirements narrowed the field further. Candidates needed the right cultural fit and had to be willing to work fully onsite in Durham. Local government opportunities can also be harder to sell in a competitive technology market, adding another layer to the search.
Speed was also critical. Any delay in hiring holding up the wider transformation program. If the positioned remained vacant for another three to six months, the ERP implementation would slip further, outdated systems would remain in place for longer and pressure on existing staff would grow. With limits on overtime, the team couldn’t simply work longer to recover lost time.
The solution
With years of specialist technology recruitment experience, Talent knew where to look and what the City needed.
Rather than waiting for applications, the team proactively approached passive candidates from Talent’s established network, positioned the opportunity and screened each person for technical capability and cultural fit before introducing them to the City.
The search covered five specialist roles:
- Oracle Data Engineer
- Oracle HCM Consultant
- Oracle Project Manager
- Security Administrator
- HRIS Manager
Working to the City’s urgent timeline and onsite requirements, Talent kept the process focused and moving. Shortlisted candidates progressed through a two-step interview process with the City, with close communication throughout to support fast decisions and offers.
The result
Talent filled all five positions within two weeks of the initial briefing, following 20 interviews and achieving 100% offer acceptance. Each hire brought the niche technical capability the City needed while also meeting its cultural and onsite requirements.
At a point when every hiring delay risked slowing the wider program, the rapid placements gave the City the Oracle, data, security and HRIS expertise it needed to keep its Finance and HR transformation moving.
The value has also continued beyond the original scope. The Oracle HCM Consultant placed is now supporting the City’s Oracle Finance projects, and the initial project-based engagement has evolved into an ongoing trusted partnership with Talent, now spanning roughly 12 months.
