How Navan saved over 1,000 hours with a custom integration using the Greenhouse Harvest API

3 mins, 32 secs read time

Navan is an all-in-one corporate travel and expense management platform driven by technology. This forward-thinking company has revolutionized this traditional sector by prioritizing the user experience, leveraging artificial intelligence (AI), cloud technology and data science to enhance the processes of booking, viewing and managing business travel and expenses. Like many organizations with dozens – or hundreds – of tools, Navan faced a challenge when connecting two vital platforms: their planning and recruiting software. Navan’s finance planning and analysis (FP&A) team used Anaplan to forecast headcount, while recruiters relied on Greenhouse for their hiring needs.

But without a streamlined way to connect the two and a heavily manual process in place, the FP&A team couldn’t keep up with constant changes, creating challenges with accurate forecasting.

The FP&A and recruiting teams needed to get on the same page. They needed a recruiting integration that would establish a common language between their tools and improve data accuracy.

Connecting teams, data and processes

With an average of 900 new hires each year, an expedient recruiting and hiring process was a must at Navan. But Senior People Systems Program Manager, Olga Kozlov, identified a disconnect between the FP&A and recruiting teams and the tools they used.

Greenhouse, Workday and Anaplan are like the unholy trinity – the three tools that a lot of companies have that don’t intuitively connect well with each other.– Kunal Agarwal, Senior Vice President, Strategic Finance at Navan

That disconnect created a few challenges, like:

• A slowed recruiting process due to data inaccuracies and the need for data reconciliation between disconnected platforms
• A lengthy and complicated approvals process resulting from many teams being involved
• Inaccurate data caused by a highly manual process prone to human error
• Impossible headcount forecasting due to open edit access to crucial requisition metadata and constant changes

A common language connecting tools and teams

The Greenhouse’s Harvest API was the answer Navan needed to create process efficiencies that solved inaccurate workforce planning. Establishing a common language between Navan’s tech stack – Greenhouse, Anaplan and Workday – was paramount to transforming their recruiting and hiring process. The team at Navan created that common language with a custom hiring integration and the Greenhouse Harvest API, which connected data, tools and teams.

This innovative, first-of-its-kind technology solution in partnership with Greenhouse and Anaplan solved our #1 global business pain point. We now have business leaders, finance, recruiting/HR all speaking the same language, with the same consistent accurate data and outlook for optimized workforce planning and reporting.- Amy Dearking, Global Recruiting Leader(interim)/Infrastructure & Operations Leader, Navan

For Navan, connecting Greenhouse to Anaplan would:

• Resolve data accuracy issues
• Speed up the recruiting process by removing the need for data reconciliation
• Bring the job requisition process, from opening to editing to closing, all in one place with more controlled access
• Connect the FP&A and recruiting teams more effectively while streamlining the approval process

Process efficiencies that solved inaccurate workforce planning

Olga and her team piloted their custom hiring integration in a smaller department to ensure a smooth company-wide rollout. After making a few changes, Navan successfully connected Greenhouse to Anaplan through Harvest API. The results are a game-changer.

• Solved key workforce planning issues. Tightening editing access, implementing workflow automations and removing unnecessary stakeholders from the approval process gave teams vital time back and garnered more data confidence.
• FP&A saved over 1,000 hours a year in data reconciliation. Finance can trust the data in Anaplan is accurate and current because Harvest API connects Anaplan and Greenhouse data – they no longer have to spend hours double-checking data.
• A more streamlined approvals process. By tightening edit access and removing unnecessary stakeholders from the approvals process, they created a more efficient process to keep up with their rapid hiring cadence.
• A common language. Harvest API created a common language between finance and recruiting, allowing the FP&A team to input data into Anaplan and lead the rest of the recruiting process. They no longer have to keep up with what recruiting is doing.

If you’re curious about how to successfully set up the Greenhouse Harvest API at your own organization, download this quick one-page guide.

You can also learn more about Navan’s success with the Greenhouse Harvest API by downloading this case study.

Download the case study