The Office of Personnel has for the past year instituted a series of changes aimed at modernizing the federal government and is now seeing results of its labor.
In a blog post announcing the 1-year anniversary of the President’s Management Agenda, OPM acting Director Margaret Weichert highlighted the various initiatives to transform the government and build a 21st-century workforce.
Among them: using “a multi-hurdle process” that uses reviews and interviews subject matter experts to find the best candidates for technical roles, and providing agencies with direct hiring authorities to help them hire hard-to-find talent in areas such as cybersecurity and acquisition.
OPM has also been working on new pay systems for critical positions where the General Schedule falls short in meeting the agency’s demands. Working with interagency partners, OPM is testing an alternative system for economists, an occupation where the government is facing hiring and retention hurdles.
In addition to these examples, Weichert said there is work underway in reskilling and upskilling federal employees and creating other policies to make the federal government more efficient and accountable.
“All of this work is geared towards Mission, Service, and Stewardship,” Weichert wrote. “The Workforce of the Future will be built around work that focuses on Mission and providing the greatest Service possible. This process will allow us to become greater stewards of taxpayer dollars.”