Holly is modernizing government hiring with AI. By automating job description optimization and approval workflows, Holly helps local governments streamline hiring, reduce bias, and improve efficiency. Their AI-powered platform ensures that job postings are clear, inclusive, and aligned with agency needs. Holly is pre-seed stage company.
I worked directly with the co-founders to define product strategy and design the full MVP workflow. I led product design, ensuring seamless user experiences, and collaborated with the agency engineering team for QA support. Additionally, I built Holly’s marketing site in Webflow, refined the product pitch, and developed a comprehensive brand identity, including a logo, style guide, and social assets.
Government hiring processes are notoriously slow and inefficient, burdened by outdated systems and bureaucratic workflows. Agencies struggle to craft job descriptions that are both clear and inclusive, often leading to postings that fail to attract the right candidates. Additionally, the approval process for job postings is fragmented and inconsistent, requiring multiple layers of review that delay hiring decisions. When I joined the team, Holly had recently signed with a pilot partner and needed to build (and ship!) a streamlined, AI-powered solution without adding complexity for HR teams.
I worked closely with the co-founders to design an intuitive "job designer" tool that addressed these hiring challenges head-on. The tool ingests existing job descriptions, analyzes their content, and suggests AI-driven optimizations to improve clarity, inclusivity, and alignment with agency needs.
To kick off this process, we mapped out the current paper workflow as well as a proposed software solution in FigJam.
We realized quickly that we needed multiple permission structures - it was important for our government customers that internal and external personnel could provide feedback on suggested changes during the approval process.
A key focus of the design was usability—government agencies often work with rigid, legacy systems, so it was essential to create an interface that was both powerful and easy to navigate. By integrating feedback loops with the pilot partner and iterative improvements, the "job designer" became a tool that HR teams can rely on to make better hiring decisions with minimal friction.
The MVP successfully launched with the pilot partner, receiving highly positive feedback for its ability to simplify job description creation and approvals. As a direct result of the MVP's success, Holly secured two additional pilot partners, validating the need for AI-driven hiring tools in government. Since the initial launch, I have continued to collaborate with Holly to refine workflows, enhance automation, and incorporate additional AI capabilities based on real-world usage and feedback.
The momentum generated by the MVP has positioned Holly as a promising solution for modernizing government hiring, with ongoing iterations ensuring continuous improvement and scalability.
Beyond product, Holly needed a strong public-facing identity. I worked on multiple aspects of branding and marketing to establish a cohesive and professional presence.
I collaborated with a logo designer to create a distinctive brand identity that reflects Holly’s mission. From there, I developed a comprehensive style guide, outlining typography, color schemes, and design principles to ensure visual consistency across all materials. I also customized the chosen Ant design system to fit this visual brand language.
To establish Holly’s digital presence, I designed and built their marketing site in Webflow. This involved refining the product pitch to resonate with government agencies, structuring the content for clarity, and ensuring a seamless user experience that effectively communicates Holly’s value proposition.
In addition to the core branding and website, I created a full suite of brand assets, including social media templates, LinkedIn backgrounds, and business cards. These materials help Holly maintain a strong and professional presence across multiple channels, including in-person conferences and webinars.
My work with Holly spanned product strategy, design, branding, and marketing—helping them establish both a functional and visual foundation for success. By designing and launching the MVP, I enabled Holly to prove the value of AI-driven job optimization, secure additional pilot partners, and set the stage for continued growth. The branding and marketing efforts ensured that Holly’s mission and product were effectively communicated to their audience, reinforcing their position in the market. With a solid foundation in place, Holly is now equipped to scale, iterate, and continue transforming government hiring for the better.
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