This past October, the Biden administration issued an executive order intended to jumpstart a “governmentwide AI talent search” as part of an ongoing effort to speed up hiring of the AI professionals the American government needs to ensure the U.S. “leads the way in seizing the promise and managing the risks of artificial intelligence.”
That order arrived not quite four months after a U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) memo that outlined more than 50 skills and competencies needed for AI-related positions, to aid agencies in finding and training the AI talent needed to expand AI capabilities across American government.
Now, in support of Biden’s October directive regarding AI, OPM has issued another memo, this one approving direct hire authority (DHA) for a number of governmentwide occupations and grade levels, furthering the effort to increase federal agencies’ AI capabilities.
In the Dec. 29 memo to the heads of federal departments and agencies, OPM Director Kiran Ahuja noted that the federal government’s HR department has identified “a critical hiring need” in these areas:
- Information Technology Specialist – Occupational Series 2210, Grade Levels GS-9 through GS-15)
- Computer Scientist (Artificial Intelligence) – Occupational Series 1550, Grade Levels GS-9 through GS-15)
- Computer Engineer (Artificial Intelligence) – Occupational Series 0854, Grade Levels GS-9 through GS-15)
- Management and Program Analyst – Occupational Series 0343, Grade Levels GS-9 through GS-15)
According to the memo, OPM is authorizing the DHA through the end of 2028, or until OPM terminates it, whichever comes first. The organization will also “continue to explore subsequent occupational series involving AI work requirements to further assist federal agencies with their most pressing hiring needs,” Ahuja wrote.
Effective immediately, agencies may appoint individuals into these occupations at the specified grade levels or equivalent nationwide, with the DHA covering competitive service career, career-conditional, term or temporary positions.
The memo notes that agencies are required to request an applicable pre-employment background investigation at the appropriate tier to establish candidates’ suitability for federal employment.
Candidates may be credentialed in accordance with governmentwide credentialing standards, and they can hold positions that are national security sensitive—including but not limited to those that require eligibility for access to classified information—at the appropriate level, if required for that particular role. Agencies must identify and use proper assessment tools for the positions being filled with these direct hire authorities, “to determine whether an applicant is qualified for a covered position, according to OPM.
OPM also advises that agencies not conduct additional rating to determine relative degrees of qualifications when using this authority, and OPM suggests that federal employers assess applicants in the order in which applications were received, selecting any qualified applicant in an order that approximates order of receipt.
08 January 2024
Category
HR News Article
