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Aram Kouyoumdjian
New Director of Human Resources Department and City Manager’s Office of Employee Relations To Focus on Employment Access and Retention
City Manager Jennifer Maguire Appoints Aram Kouyoumdjian
SAN JOSE, Calif. (January 14, 2025) - After a nationwide recruitment, City Manager Jennifer Maguire has appointed, and the San José City Council has confirmed, Aram Kouyoumdjian as San José’s new Director of the Human Resources (HR) Department and the City Manager’s Office of Employee Relations (OER). Kouyoumdjian will assume the Director role on February 18, 2025.
“Aram brings nearly 30 years of broad and progressive human resources, employee relations, and employment law experience to the role and has a strong track record of solving human resources challenges with creative and innovative solutions,” said Maguire. “Aram is committed to employment access and opportunity for not only our current workforce, but also for those who seek to work in our city as public servants to provide the core services and programs that our community counts on day in and day out.”
“As one of the region's largest employers, attracting top talent and expanding growth opportunities for our workers is essential,” said Mayor Matt Mahan. “Aram’s impressive professional background will ensure San José remains a competitive employer and a great place to work.”
Kouyoumdjian began his career as a private sector attorney in December 1995, representing clients in employment matters. He joined the public sector in 2009 and served as both the Assistant and Associate General Counsel to the Los Angeles Unified School District where he worked on labor and employment matters for the nation’s second largest school district. He later joined the City of Los Angeles’ Personnel Department as an Assistant General Manager where he oversaw four operational divisions, including Public Safety Recruitment and Selection, Background Investigations, Medical Services, and the Office of Workplace Equity.
Most recently, Kouyoumdjian served as the Director of Human Resources for the City of Berkeley. He achieved net hiring gains of 12% above attrition during his tenure, launched new staff recruitment marketing campaigns, and drafted a holistic Workplace Equity Policy. He also redesigned the city’s internal training program to align with career pathways and modernized the city’s personnel file system. Kouyoumdjian also oversaw all labor negotiations for the City.
"My commitment to public service is rooted in my personal background as an immigrant who grew up learning English as a second language. I am committed to applying an equity lens to San José’s HR functions – that is, ensuring that public employment practices are equitable for both prospective and current employees, in step with the City’s core values and sense of service to a highly diverse community," expressed Kouyoumdjian. "Employee Relations must always be a place where employees feel comfortable sharing their ideas and voicing their concerns, and I look forward to fostering constructive and productive working relationships with the City’s labor unions in support of a workforce that delivers high-caliber services every day, making a qualitative difference in the lives of all San Joséans."
Kouyoumdjian holds a Juris Doctor from the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law, a Master of Arts in English from California State University, Northridge, and a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of California, Los Angeles. He is a member of the California State Bar.
The combined annual operating budgets for HR and OER are close to $144 million and include 70 full-time equivalent employees. HR is responsible for five core services including employee benefits, employment services, health and safety, training and development, and strategic support. OER is responsible for the city’s overall labor relations, including contract negotiations and administration, employee grievance and arbitration processes, and the union “meet and confer” process. In addition, OER oversees employee discipline, administrative investigations, fair employment issues, and investigation of whistleblower complaints. HR and OER work in partnership with several City departments in the Strategic Support City Service Area to effectively develop, manage and safeguard the City’s fiscal, physical, technological, and human resources to enable and enhance the delivery of City services and projects.
About the City of San José
With almost 1 million residents, San José is one of the most diverse large cities in the United States and is Northern California’s largest city and the 13th largest city in the nation. San José’s transformation into a global innovation center has resulted in one of the largest concentrations of technology companies and expertise in the world.
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