OPM extends direct hire authorities for STEM, cyber, acquisition roles
Federal agency direct hire authorities for STEM, cybersecurity and acquisition positions have been extended through the end of 2028, the Office of Personnel Management said in a memo released Monday.
OPM had previously signed off on direct hire authorities for those positions on Oct. 11, 2018, and again on Sept. 29, 2023. In the Monday memo, OPM acting Director Rob Shriver said the new DHA window will be open through Dec. 31, 2028 or until the personnel agency “terminates this authority, whichever occurs first.”
Government roles in STEM, cybersecurity and acquisition are eligible for direct hiring authorities because they are deemed by agencies to be critical hiring needs, or it has been determined that there is a severe shortage of candidates for those jobs.
OPM also added positions “in the criminal investigation General Schedule (GS) 1811 occupational series at the 12-15 grade levels,” per the memo. New STEM jobs covered under the authority include economist, fishery biologist, general engineer, civil engineer, actuary and mathematical statistician, among others. Newly covered cyber positions include computer engineers, computer scientists, electronics engineers, criminal investigators and IT specialists.
The OPM memo notes that under direct hire authorities, agencies are allowed to appoint individuals to positions that fall under those categories “without regard” to various government provisions on competitive service. “OPM will periodically assess agency use of these authorities as well as the continued need for them and may modify or terminate them as appropriate,” the memo stated.
Last December, OPM said it would permit federal agencies to use direct hire authorities and temporary excepted service appointments to fulfill requirements laid out in President Joe Biden’s executive order on artificial intelligence. The AI positions covered by that OPM memo were for IT specialists, AI computer engineers, AI computer scientists, and management and program analysts.
