U.S. Department of Commerce
Office of Human Resources Management
Human Capital Strategic Plan
2023 - 2026
To meet the Department’s mission and support its diverse workforce, the Office of Human
Resources Management (OHRM) is responsible for policies, programs, and activities
covering all aspects of human capital (HC) management and human resources (HR)
administration. OHRM strives to ensure DOC has a world-class capacity to recruit and
retain highly skilled employees and solve complex and emergent talent challenges. In
keeping with this aim, I present the DOC Human Capital Strategic Plan, 2023-2026.
This strategic plan includes a series of targeted goals and objectives to be implemented
and monitored through an accompanying annual Human Capital Operating Plan (HCOP).
This plan is designed to align with the Department’s efforts to advance the President’s
Management Agenda, the DOC Strategic Plan 2022 - 2026, and the Annual Performance
Plan and Annual Performance Report, 2022 - 2024. This plan is also designed to support
the goals of the of the DOC Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) Strategic
Plan, 2022-2024 and to align with the government-wide priorities contained in the Office
of Personnel Management (OPM) quadrennial Federal Workforce Priorities Report, 2022.
Jessica Palatka,
Chief Human Capital Officer (CHCO)
Director, Office of Human Resources Management (OHRM)
The mission of the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) is to create the conditions for
economic growth and opportunity for all communities. Nearly 50,000 employees from
the Department’s headquarters and 13 bureaus work to execute this mission and
deliver critical services directly to U.S. businesses and the public. This workforce
includes traditional civil service employees from a range of professions as well as
uniformed service officers, diplomats, badged law enforcement officers, and patent
examiners.
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Introduction
The three strategic goals and 12 supporting objectives below are intended to foster a culture of
customer experience excellence and set clear direction for priority investments and initiatives.
Goals and Objectives
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Goal 1: Enhance HC Consultation and HR Operations
Goal 2: Increase Recruitment of Top Talent
Goal 3: Maximize Retention of Skilled High Performers
Objective 3.1: Expand available continuous learning and health and wellness resources
To improve the health and wellness of the workforce and ensure DOC is viewed as a model employer
Objective 3.2: Assist employees in navigating career progression, including internal moves
To boost the retention of mission critical skills and foster multi-job careers across DOC organizations
Objective 3.3: Revitalize department-wide leadership development offerings
To develop the next generation of agency leaders capable of addressing increasingly complex mission challenges
Objective 3.4: Provide tools to facilitate workforce and organizational analyses
To assist organizational leaders in diagnosing talent challenges and planning for succession in critical roles
Objective 2.1: Intensify multi-channel outreach, including to targeted populations
To generate interest in DOC job opportunities with a larger and more diverse pool of talent
Objective 2.2: Offer more early career opportunities, including paid internships
To increase the use of multi-year career paths aimed at maintaining and increasing organizational expertise
Objective 2.3: Emphasize demonstration of skills in hiring, including through expert input and assessments
To guarantee confirmation and efficient acquisition of critical skills with greater mission leader involvement
Objective 2.4: Encourage economies of scale, including sharing prospective talent
To build collaborative relationships across organizations and reduce duplicative recruitment activities
Objective 1.1: Optimize flexibility and processes by establishing and refreshing polices
To facilitate organizations addressing talent challenges with creativity and efficiency
Objective 1.2: Leverage information technology to increase efficient automation
To reduce manual work and errors, while increasing the speed of customer service
Objective 1.3: Use data to drive organizational and workforce health improvements
To enable mission leaders to make data-driven decisions to improve the future state of the workforce
Objective 1.4: Adjust HR professional hiring and training to target impactful skills
To ensure that all employees, including mission leaders, are supported by a world-class HR workforce
