Robert McDermott, the former Philadelphia budget director, has joined PFM as a director for its workforce consulting team.
McDermott is the latest veteran of Philadelphia's finance department to join PFM, part of the firm's ongoing strategy to recruit from the city's leadership.
"My work will ... focus on the state and local governments' largest expenditure and their largest asset: their workforce," McDermott said. "We offer a multitude of services, compensation, studies, interest arbitration, support. That will be the primary focus of my work, and my background experience from City Council and the administration, I believe, offers a lot of value."
McDermott started at PFM in late October.
"I've been able to hit the ground running and I'm really excited to be part of a new generation of senior leaders at PFM with extensive local government experience," McDermott said.
He served as budget director for Philadelphia from January through October of this year. Before that, McDermott was CFO of the Philadelphia City Council. McDermott also spent two years as an adjunct professor of public policy at Temple University.
After spending nearly a decade with Philadelphia, McDermott said, joining PFM seemed like the "natural next step" in his career progression.
"We are excited to have Bob join PFM's consulting practice. As someone who has served in leadership roles for both the executive and legislative branches of local government, Bob brings proven experience to PFM's clients," Stitt said in a press release.
"Bob's expertise in fiscal analysis, public sector pensions, and government operations deepens the level of service we can provide our clients," Gregory C. Butler, director and head of PFM's workforce consulting practice, said in the release. "Bob will support our clients going through the collective bargaining process as well as bolster our fiscal and budgetary advisory offerings to local and state clients."
The cities and towns McDermott will be working with will face difficult questions about spending, especially as American Rescue Plan Act funding runs out. McDermott said he wrestled with many of the same problems in Philadelphia.
"Additionally, as the Federal Reserve continues to attempt to address inflation, bringing down interest rates, the economy in general is in a particularly interesting moment," McDermott said.
