Goal 1: Invest in our Workforce
Continue investing in diverse and skilled talent across all phases of the employment lifecycle
Overview
OPM OCIO is committed to becoming a leading IT organization within the federal government—one that is a value-added partner to OPM program offices through the effective delivery of IT solutions. This is OCIO’s first and most important strategic goal, and it starts with people. To succeed, OCIO must define workforce positions and organizational structure. This includes defining the skills and abilities to perform well in these positions. The OCIO is also focused upon continually investing in attracting and retaining talent, preparing tomorrow’s leaders to continue OPM’s modernization journey. The four primary strategic objectives that support this strategic goal focus on developing a diverse and skilled workforce across the employment lifecycle, from recruiting, training and development, and mentoring, to measuring the effectiveness of these efforts and working to continually improve.
Empower and train supervisors with the tools to hire and retain qualified and skilled talent
Recruiting individuals with the requisite skills and abilities in IT and cybersecurity is challenging. There is substantial competition for this talent in government and the private sector. With well-defined position descriptions, a commitment to the professional development of all OCIO staff, and the adoption of leading technologies and IT business process frameworks, OPM OCIO can attract and retain qualified and skilled talent to meet 21st century challenges.
Initiatives for this strategic objective include:
- Train hiring managers to effectively leverage hiring criteria and job descriptions
- Effectively utilize available programs designed to attract appropriately skilled employees to OCIO
- Align job descriptions to roles and responsibilities
- Track employee turnover at the division level
Establish annual training and certification requirements based on new technologies and business frameworks
OCIO is committed to its staff’s professional development. This includes offering significant training opportunities with the expectation that OCIO staff will pursue job-related education and certifications. This commitment spans all stages of an employee’s career, from newly hired to those with long tenure in the federal workforce. IT and cybersecurity are rapidly evolving. To stay current and leverage new technologies and practices, such as cloud computing, OCIO is committed to helping staff constantly learn and develop relevant IT skills.
Initiatives include:
- Identify a digital transformation training pipeline and communicate to OCIO staff
- Launch classes in the Scaled Agile Framework(SAFe) practices
- Upskill the workforce to support a Cloud First agenda
Formalize an IT mentoring program in conjunction with an OPM mentoring program
Working with a mentor on a career plan is one of the most effective techniques for staff to develop knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs). As part of this plan, employees will develop an individual development plan (IDP) that outlines steps to invest in themselves over a multi-year period. Investment can include a combination of formal education and training, together with informal learning and on-the-job experience. Mentors are invaluable in helping early career talent. As an additional benefit, establishing a mentor program can inform senior leadership as they develop a formal OCIO succession plan, identifying those who can be the organization’s future leaders.
Initiatives include:
- Formalize a career mentoring program across OCIO for employees at all levels
- Establish an OCIO leadership program for succession planning
- Continuously implement and improve the IDP development process
Measure the effectiveness of hiring and training processes, and identify opportunities to improve
As an organization committed to learning, and given the criticality of people to its success, OCIO is committed to improving its practices across all phases of the employment lifecycle. Measuring all facets of recruitment and professional development will allow OCIO to assess and improve, benefitting all OCIO staff and making OCIO an attractive place to work.
Initiatives include:
- Establish IT recruiting and workforce success criteria
- Continue providing a diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible work environment for all OCIO employees
- Align OCIO strategic goals and objectives to individual performance and development plans, including training on new technologies and methodologies
- Assess the current organizational structure and align position descriptions so that they are modern and competitive in the marketplace