In a new blog post, White House National Cyber Director (NCD) Harry Coker is pleading with the American people to rise to the occasion of a new opportunity to serve the country by defending cyberspace.
There are currently half a million open cyber jobs in the United States, and the NCD plans to close that gap with a new hiring sprint – dubbed “Service for America” – in partnership with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
“In an increasingly digital and interconnected world, all cyber jobs are vital to our national security and serve our public interest,” Coker wrote on Sept. 4.
The sprint – which will last through the end of October – is a Biden-Harris administration effort that aims to connect more Americans to good paying, meaningful jobs in cybersecurity.
“These are not only good paying jobs, they are meaningful jobs. These jobs work with our economic prosperity, our technological innovation, and our national security,” Coker said as he announced the new hiring sprint with OMB and OPM during the opening session of the Billington CyberSecurity Summit in Washington on Tuesday.
ONCD launched a new landing page for the “Service for America: Cyber is Serving Your Country” hiring sprint, which highlights available Federal jobs in cybersecurity, technology, and AI.
The new website also highlights events that will be held throughout the sprint – including a military spouse virtual hiring fair; a webinar on navigating USAJOBS; and a recruitment fair at the National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week Conference.
“There is a perception that you need a computer science degree and a deeply technical background to get a job in cyber,” Coker wrote in the blog post. “The truth is, cyber jobs are available to anyone who wants to pursue them.”
OPM announced in April that it is overhauling the Federal government’s hiring process for the 2210 IT job series – transitioning to a fully skills-based approach by the summer of 2025.
“Choosing a cyber career means choosing service to our country. We are grateful for all the cyber workers who keep us safe every day,” Coker wrote. “Service for America will help our country prepare for today’s and tomorrow’s challenges (and opportunities!) in cyberspace.”
