OPM Rolls Out Fresh Guidelines for AI Skills-Based Hiring

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) recently unveiled fresh guidelines for skills-based hiring in AI roles, aligning with the Biden administration's AI executive order. 

At the White House Convening on Good Paying Jobs in Cyber event, OPM Deputy Director Rob Shriver disclosed a project to shift the government's IT Management job series to a skill-focused hiring model.

“The Biden-Harris Administration is committed to recruiting the best talent for in-demand federal positions. Skills-based hiring is a key priority, particularly with the emergence of new technologies like AI and machine learning. Americans with the right skills should have the chance to join the federal workforce, regardless of how they gained those skills,”  Deputy Director Shriver said in a statement.

The aim is to transition to a fully skills-based approach by the summer of 2025.

“In collaboration with our agency partners, we chose to focus on the 2210 series because that reflects the majority of the technical hires across the Federal government, including, of course, a whole lot of cybersecurity professionals. It accounts for nearly 100,000 current Federal employees and it is also one of our most in-demand roles in government, so that 100,000 is growing,” Shriver said.

Earlier this year, OPM announced a survey of professionals working on AI at federal departments to finalize the AI Competency Model. OPM identified 43 general and 14 technical competencies required for work with AI.

The 2020 AI in Government Act mandates OPM to delineate the essential skills and competencies needed for federal employees engaged in AI. This includes establishing new job series or updating existing ones related to artificial intelligence.