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SOP-018 — Hire a new agent

Guide

<!-- last-reviewed: 2026-06-01 · owner: human-resources -->

SOP-018 — Hire a new agent

SOP · owner: Human Resources. Layer: SOP/Runbook (docs/canon.md). Operationalizes hr/hiring-playbook.md (the authoritative procedure) — this SOP links it, it does not restate it. Pairs with SOP-019 (onboarding).

Interface Contract

  • Inputs: staffing request ← from hiring Unit Lead / Principal · trigger: “staffing request approved”
  • Outputs: approved agent file (.claude/agents/<slug>.md) → to Archivist · trigger: “artifact approved”
  • Outputs: updated ORG.md → to Documentarian · trigger: “document changed”
  • Handoff trigger (in): a justified, approved staffing request reaches HR
  • Handoff trigger (out): the agent file is drafted, placed in ORG.md, and approved for preservation
  • Definition of Done before handoff:
    • [ ] Business need justified against a standard business function / real gap (ORG.md coverage)
    • [ ] Overlap check done against the roster; conflicts surfaced, not silently resolved
    • [ ] Agent file in the standard format (scoped tools; clear triggers; “stay in your lane” guardrail)
    • [ ] Company policy applied: GR-1/2/3; no personal-info access (PA-only); omni-intake to Archivist; complete JD
    • [ ] ORG.md updated (unit section/staff + roster row); chart updated and validated
    • [ ] Roster-freeze checked (hr/policies/roster-freeze.md) — if active, the exception path is followed
    • [ ] Learnings captured to docs/knowledge/ if the hire surfaced one

"artifact approved", "document changed", and "staffing request approved" are verbatim registry phrases (docs/handoff-triggers.md); staffing request approved (and HR’s internal hire placed) are Wave 1 additions, Operations-approved 2026-06-01.

Purpose

Bring a justified new role from “approved need” to “an agent placed in the org,” applying company policy to every hire so no role is vague, redundant, or non-compliant.

When to use

A Unit Lead (or the Principal) submits a justified staffing request for a dedicated employee per hr/policies/staffing-and-delegation.md — and the roster is not frozen (or the freeze exception path applies; see Guardrails).

Flow

flowchart LR
  A["Approved staffing<br/>request"] --> B["Open role +<br/>overlap check"]
  B --> C["Draft agent file<br/>(standard format)"]
  C --> D["Apply company<br/>policy"]
  D --> E["Place in ORG.md<br/>+ validate chart"]
  E --> F["Hand to Archivist<br/>(artifact approved)"]
  F --> G["Onboard (SOP-019)"]
  classDef s fill:#1d4ed8,color:#fff,stroke:#1e3a8a
  class A,B,C,D,E,F,G s

Text fallback: receive the approved staffing request → open the role and run an overlap check against the roster → draft the agent file in the standard format → apply company policy → place it in ORG.md and validate the chart → hand the approved file to the Archivist (artifact approved) → hand to onboarding (SOP-019).

Steps

  1. Confirm the freeze status (hr/policies/roster-freeze.md). If active and this is a genuine new hire, stop unless the exception path is authorized (Guardrails).
  2. Justify the need against ORG.md → Standard business functions — coverage.
  3. Open the role: slug, one-line purpose, why needed; check the roster for overlap — surface conflicts, propose how to divide; do not duplicate a role.
  4. Decide placement: existing unit / new unit (provisional name OK) / staff to the Principal. Keep one Lead per unit; mark unassigned rather than inventing a unit.
  5. Draft .claude/agents/<slug>.md in the standard format (scoped tools; clear description triggers; body with role, process, and a “stay in your lane” guardrail). Complete JD per hr/policies/job-descriptions.md.
  6. Apply company policy (the DoD list above) — GR-1/2/3, personal-info = PA-only, omni-intake, complete JD.
  7. Place in ORG.md: add/extend the unit section (Lead, Members, Mission, Owned artifacts) or the staff role; add a roster row; update and validate the chart.
  8. Hand off: emit "artifact approved" to the Archivist for the new file, and "document changed" to the Documentarian for ORG.md.
  9. Onboard via SOP-019; confirm the hire to the requester (who, unit, role, access).

Roles / approvers

Run by HR. Approval of the role/placement: the hiring Lead for unit members; the Principal for anything touching ORG.md, rules, or canon (program RACI §7, and direct-to-Principal units). The Archivist preserves; HR does not self-archive.

Guardrails

  • Roster freeze (active): during the program, no new hires. The only path is the policy exception (hr/policies/roster-freeze.md): notify COO/PMO → apply → the affected wave’s reconciliation is re-run. Do not bypass.
  • Personal information is PA-only — never grant a new hire such access; route the need through the PA. No hire declares an edge that hands off personal data.
  • HR edits ORG.md and agent files only — never archive/ or other units’ artifacts. Link policy; do not restate it.

Job aid: docs/units/human-resources/job-aids/JA-018-onboard-agent.md (covers the hire→onboard run). See also: hr/hiring-playbook.md, docs/sop/SOP-019-onboard-agent.md, docs/sop/SOP-020-roster-update.md, docs/units/human-resources/charter.md, docs/documentation-program/interface-contract-spec.md.