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The project management job series OPM is now hiring for has faced the second-highest number of federal employee separations out of any job series in government.
April 1, 2026 12:19 pm
3 min read
The Trump administration is opening up yet another federal hiring opportunity, this time in search of about 250 project managers across government.
Aiming to combat what it says is a critical, governmentwide skills gap, the Office of Personnel Management has launched a cross-agency recruitment initiative seeking experienced project managers. OPM’s effort will let various agencies recruit project managers from a shared list of pre-approved job candidates.
More than 15 agencies have already expressed interest in the opportunity, a senior administration official told Federal News Network. Candidates selected for the open positions will lead projects in areas including AI, health care, defense, energy, financial technology and infrastructure development.
“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.”
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The hiring announcement builds on several other recruitment efforts underway from OPM. That includes an ongoing Tech Force initiative, as well as a new “early-career talent network” that OPM launched earlier this week.
The recent expansion of hiring opportunities is a sharp contrast to the sweeping reductions across the federal workforce over the last year. More than 400,000 federal employees have left their jobs, either voluntarily or by force, since President Donald Trump took office.
Notably, the “management and program analysis” job series that OPM is now hiring under has faced the second-highest number of employee separations out of any job series in government. According to OPM data, agencies have lost about 20,600 employees in the 0343 job series since January 2025.
Critics of the Trump administration’s new recruitment efforts have argued that the broad workforce reductions over the last 14 months will likely deter job seekers and cause them to question the stability of federal jobs — especially considering other converging overhauls of civil service protections and performance assessments.
During a House subcommittee hearing last week, Kupor pushed back against concerns over the government’s ability to send a positive message to job seekers.
“Come solve the hardest, most complex problems that there are — be in an environment where you can do your best work, an environment where tenure, quite frankly, does not determine your performance, but your actual merit determines your performance,” Kupor said.
The Trump administration’s latest hiring announcement seeks candidates for project management roles at the GS‑13 level. Salaries for the competitive service, permanent positions range from about $108,000 to $158,000. OPM is accepting applications until April 8.
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Once applications close, OPM will evaluate applicants based on project management and writing assessments to determine their skill levels. The agency will then create a shared certificate of qualified candidates within a few weeks, a senior administration official told Federal News Network. Once OPM’s shared certificate is finalized, agencies can begin making selections immediately, and for up to one year.
Using shared certificates has been a priority in federal recruitment for several years. The process is commonly considered a way to speed up the hiring process by reducing the amount of front-end work for HR specialists.
The Trump administration has set an ambitious goal of using shared certificates in 60% of all federal hiring announcements within the next couple years.
OPM is also expected to soon post a second cross-agency job announcement seeking early-career candidates for project management positions at the GS-9 level.
Story updated Wednesday afternoon to clarify details on the 0343 job series.
If you would like to contact this reporter about recent changes in the federal government, please email drew.friedman@federalnewsnetwork.com or reach out on Signal at drewfriedman.11
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