Aug. 28, 2023

When it cut the ribbon on its new Sioux Falls office in 2019, Citibank positioned the move as one that reflected a futuristic workplace.

Months later, the future came roaring in. A building designed without many assigned workstations, for “hoteling” as the approach to hybrid work is called, suddenly became immediately built for the time.

Four years later, Citibank’s approach to work-from-home opportunities has further evolved to the point where many employees now work in the building three days each week, leaving one floor unused for now and positioning the company for what it anticipates is further growth in Sioux Falls.

“We’re really looking for those talented individuals who are interested in a job in financial services,” said Jamie Dooley, who leads the Sioux Falls site.

“Once you get in our doors, you really have the opportunity to go anywhere in the world.”

Dooley is a 28-year Citi veteran who has grown his own career without leaving Sioux Falls. Along the way, he has worked in transaction service, credit initiation, financial support, accounting and customer service. In addition to his site leadership responsibilities, he supports the areas of risk and control.

He took over as site head in May.

“It has been an absolute pleasure and just a privilege to be in this environment,” he said. “There is a tremendous amount of opportunity, and if you want to stay in Sioux Falls, we have that ability.”

The four-story, 150,000-square-foot building at 5800 S. Corporate Place in southwest Sioux Falls stayed at least somewhat occupied throughout the pandemic with a few critical in-person workers, Dooley said. Today, “by and large, most of our employees are hybrid and work through that hybrid model,” he said.

Approximately 1,300 people work for Citi in Sioux Falls. While some are in the office full time and others are fully remote, the majority follow a schedule that allows them to work off-site up to two days per week.

“People enjoy that flexibility but still being able to come in and collaborate and see their peers,” Dooley said. “There’s certain things you get when you’re here on-site, specific for those roles where you need collaboration and you’re working on a project with your peers.”

The office is set up with multiple conference and collaboration spaces and without assigned desks, though most teams tend to sit in “neighborhoods” when they’re in, Dooley said.

The third floor was left vacant for purposes of efficiency at this point, he said.

“At this time, we’re hoping we can fill it with internal resources, but we’re leaving options open.”

While many in Sioux Falls might think of Citi jobs as supporting classic call center functions, that’s not necessarily the work being done here today, Dooley said. The Sioux Falls site supports 21 diverse functions.

“What we’re finding is more professional jobs, whether it’s fraud, in credit, in legal, in treasury,” Dooley said. “Not to say that if you’re interested in customer service we don’t have those positions because we certainly have similar types. But when you think about the ‘call centers,’ that’s really not the line of business that we have here within Sioux Falls.”

Citi is actively hiring, he added, with more than 30 open positions specific to Sioux Falls and others that would be options through a broader search. While there are some internship opportunities, the company is working on partnering further with area colleges.

“We’re making sure we have those connections with the campuses and trying to extend the welcome mat even more than we are today, whether it’s job fairs or just getting connected with the campuses,” Dooley said.

Some of the more unique employee benefits include paid paternal leave and reimbursement of up to $30,000 for adoption and surrogacy expenses, support with care options for those with children or aging parents, coaching and financial support for those continuing their education and a 12-week sabbatical program for those with at least five years of tenure.

Part of the company culture is rooted in volunteerism, he added. Citi Sioux Falls employees volunteered 1,000 hours in June, and “they get paid for that (one volunteer day a year), so that’s a huge benefit, and it’s something that keeps us engaged and involved in our community,” he said.

Other benefits include an on-site gym and bank, and a campus that invites walking and biking, and also features electric vehicle chargers.

“We certainly see opportunities for individuals to continue to come in, and we’re going to continue to advocate for positions to be here in this market,” Dooley said. “I don’t see that changing any time soon. We’re certainly positioning ourselves for growth.”

The former Citibank campus in north Sioux Falls continues to be on the market, but there are some leases in place. Avera is leasing one of the buildings, though it’s on the market for sublease as the health system has moved to more hybrid work options and consolidated teams in other locations.

Victory Life Church is leasing about 18,000 square feet in building one — a large conference center is now the church sanctuary, said Gregg Brown of NAI Sioux Falls, who has two of the three former Citi buildings for lease.

“And they created classrooms, so it’s a good makeshift use,” he said. “For now, the campus is for lease, but all offers will be considered. There’s a lot of surrounding land. There’s parcels that could be developed. There’s just so much opportunity.”