Alan Aguirre: A Passion for Helping Public Sector HR Evolve

Alan Aguirre’s public service journey started in California’s Orange County, as a staffing specialist.

Fifteen years later, Aguirre has made his way to the Bay Area, where he is a senior human resources analyst with the City and County of San Francisco; a position he’s held since August 2024.

Aguirre has served in a number of other roles in the public sector in his home state—a human resources analyst with the City of Oakland, and the same title with Contra Costa County, for example.

At each stop, he has been reminded why he first decided to pursue a career in the public sector.

“What drew me to public service was the job stability of local government, along with the potential growth opportunities,” says Aguirre, who holds bachelor’s degrees in psychology and sociology from the University of California San Diego.

Growing up in Southern California, “I have always had a desire to live and/or work in San Francisco,” he says.

“Whenever I visited, I was in awe of the beauty, diversity, and welcoming nature the city had. More specifically, specializing in recruitment, selection, and classification and compensation, I carry an unyielding passion for growing, developing and evolving in public sector human resources.”

In his current capacity with the City and County of San Francisco, Aguirre’s duties include supervising, leading, mentoring, coaching and counseling a team of HR analysts on recruitment, assessment, and classification and compensation matters. He also delivers and updates training focused on recruitment, selection and the merit/civil service system.

As he and the agency’s HR team faces challenges such as recruiting qualified talent and retaining staff, Aguirre and the staff relies on recruiting and data analytics “to provide insight on what is encouraging qualified applicants to apply with the City & County of San Francisco, along with conducting exit survey to gain a better understanding of retention issues.”

A PSHRA member since 2019, Aguirre also appreciates having access to his peers throughout the PSHRA network to help him navigate his daily duties.

“I initially joined PSHRA to expand my knowledge in human resources, specifically in the public sector and government. I was looking to learn more outside my recruitment, assessment, and classification/compensation expertise,” he says. “PSHRA has supported my professional growth my offering relevant diverse and eclectic trainings, webinars and conferences.”