The Office of Personnel Management granted NASA permission to expedite the hiring of up to 150 alien (as in foreign-born) scientists among the thousands of exemptions included in the latest consolidated listing of federal hiring exceptions.

Federal Register: Excepted Service Consolidated Listing

The federal hiring process is long and arduous and every agency has certain positions that just have to be filled. To ensure that agencies can meet their missions, OPM allows managers to hire for select positions for temporary or limited terms without having to go through the full competitive process.

For instance, the list of exemptions posted to the Federal Register on Jan. 20 enables NASA to hire:

One hundred and fifty alien scientists having special qualifications in the fields of aeronautical and space research where such employment is deemed by the administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to be necessary in the public interest.

The slate of exceptions are under Schedule A of the Code of Federal Regulations, enabling agencies to hire for specific positions, so long as the employees won't be dealing with confidential information or writing policy. The temporary term hires are not eligible for the Senior Executive Service, either.

The exemptions run the gamut of the federal workforce, from assistants to researchers to advisers.

Five agencies were granted special hiring authority for IT and cybersecurity positions, including:

Office of Management and Budget: Not to exceed 34 positions that require unique technical skills needed for the redesigning and rebuilding of digital interfaces between citizens, businesses and government as a part of Smarter Information Technology Delivery Initiative.

Department of Defense: Not to exceed 3,000 positions that require unique cybersecurity skills and knowledge to perform cyber risk and strategic analysis, incident handling and malware/vulnerability analysis and program management, among other expertise. DoD also received exceptions for alien scientists, though the exact number is not listed.

Department of Homeland Security: Not to exceed 1,000 positions to perform cyber risk and strategic analysis, incident handling and malware/vulnerability analysis and program management, among other expertise.

Veterans Affairs: Not to exceed 75 positions that require unique technical skills needed for the redesigning and rebuilding of digital interfaces between citizens, businesses and government as a part of Smarter Information Technology Delivery Initiative.

General Services Administration: Not to exceed 95 positions that require unique technical skills needed for the redesigning and rebuilding of digital interfaces between citizens, businesses and government as a part of Smarter Information Technology Delivery Initiative.

Under the Schedule B exemptions, NASA is also permitted to hire 40 astronaut candidates to serve for up to three years and the State Department can fill an opening for "one non-permanent senior level position to serve as Science and Technology Adviser to the secretary."

OPM similarly granted exemptions in November for 1,000 cyber professionals to join DHS (which expires in June) and to fill the ranks of Digital Service teams at agencies across the government under an authority granted last May.

The new round of hiring exceptions are valid through Sept. 30.

About Aaron Boyd

Aaron Boyd is an awarding-winning journalist currently serving as editor of Federal Times — a Washington, D.C. institution covering federal workforce and contracting for more than 50 years — and Fifth Domain — a news and information hub focused on cybersecurity and cyberwar from a civilian, military and international perspective.

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