The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is launching a hiring push to recruit project managers for roles across federal agencies, which will include overseeing initiatives in artificial intelligence (AI) and financial technology.
In announcing the government-wide hiring focus, OPM said project management “has long been identified as an area where the federal government faces a critical skills gap.”
The agency said its hiring action will address that gap, selecting candidates to lead major initiatives in areas such as healthcare, defense, energy, and infrastructure, in addition to AI and financial technology. This will increase on-time, on-budget delivery of services through professionalized project management practices, OPM said.
Ultimately, the agency hopes to bring on board about 250 professionals in project management and data science roles.
A job posting for a project manager role, which various federal agencies can hire from, said the GS-13 level position will pay $108,001 – $158,322 per year to “lead cross-functional initiatives that enhance program performance, strengthen accountability, and drive operational efficiency.”
The government has “many vacancies” for project managers in locations such as the Washington, D.C., metro area, Denver, Atlanta, and Chicago, the posting said.
The OPM initiative is the latest effort to fill those vacancies, which resulted from the White House’s sweeping campaign to downsize the federal workforce.
Overall, a total of 348,219 people quit, retired, were laid off, or otherwise left federal employment last year, shrinking the federal workforce by 10.3%, according to a March 13 Pew Research Center report.
The exodus included the shedding of much of the Trump administration’s tech talent. The General Services Administration (GSA) last year shuttered its 18F digital consulting office, and President Donald Trump transformed the U.S. Digital Service – which was designed to bring tech experts into the government – into the U.S. DOGE Service.
In December, as the emphasis swung to rebuilding the federal workforce, OPM unveiled the US Tech Force, a new effort to hire early-career technologists. They will serve two-year employment terms across the federal government, building “the next generation of government technology.”
The announcement of the new push to hire project managers cited the tech force program as a model.
“Delivering on complex national priorities requires strong project management at every level of government,” OPM Director Scott Kupor said. “This effort helps agencies identify and hire professionals who can drive execution, manage risk, and ensure results for the American people.”