New Law Is an Opportunity To Grow Cyber Experience

With the Federal Rotational Cyber Workforce Program Act (Public Law 117-149) in place, federal employees will have a chance to rotate into cyber-related positions in other agencies. The five-year program will allow personnel in information technology, cybersecurity or other cyber-related positions to apply to a cyber workforce position.

It was a great cyber surprise when I saw in June that President Biden had signed the bill for the Federal Cybersecurity Rotational Program. As a proud product of a federal internship program about a decade ago that is still in existence, I was happy to see this similar program become official.

The program is limited only to the federal government at this time. And it will be some time before it is ramped up from initiation to fully operational. The typical major players like the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), Department of Homeland Security, the Government Accountability Office, the Chief Information Officers Council and others must develop plans, policies and procedures for successful execution within the next nine months. The OPM will develop a list of cybersecurity workforce rotational positions to which personnel can apply. The Government Accountability Office will report on the program’s efforts, assessing, amongst other things, if employees achieved a higher skill level of cybersecurity or learned new capabilities in a different area of information technology.

Multiple lawmakers across the political spectrum in Congress sponsored and introduced the legislation, so there is some strong support for the program. However, the program is set to end after five years. Thus, some view this program as a pilot effort. It also remains only one piece of a much larger puzzle needed to address the mass shortage of cyber and cyber-related talent in the federal government. Hundreds of thousands of such jobs are currently unfilled across sectors. The goals are simpler than the sticky situation: attract and retain cybersecurity workforce members. Like other career fields, this includes offering new and different opportunities for experiences in the federal government both laterally and horizontally.

Broadly, information technology positions are included in this program. I can speak from experience: the rotational opportunities in my federal internship program were superb and major attraction and retention factors as I got to work among greats at the base, headquarters and center levels in a time and place where such rapid rotation was not common. The experiences for both the organizations and my early career were mutually fulfilling. This new cybersecurity program, however, has a bonus perk of being at different federal agencies—an exciting prospect for all levels of personnel. Limitations exist too, such as how some assignments crossing agencies will be limited to a year with extension options. This provision largely mirrors the rotation portion of the programs prior to the Federal Rotational Cyber Workforce Program. Perhaps one of the biggest perks of the new law is eligibility for the competitive and excepted service employees to participate.

For those interested in these rotational opportunities, my recommendations are similar to those embarking on a job search. First, create and/or update your resume following the generic guidance for federal job applicants, but also weave in the particulars of the cyber positions one can currently find amongst the many announcements listed on USAjobs.gov. The OPM also provides a wealth of information about the cyber and information technology career fields and series when it comes to what is considered among the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) areas of the positions, both vertically and horizontally in the career matrix.

While scouring the OPM’s webpages, you will probably find many other resources within the Classification & Qualifications section, Human Capital Management and Training and Development. Those are just three of my and my human resources and teammates’ places to ‘favorite.’ Further, don’t forget the cover letter, letters of recommendation and/or reference and even a list of references ready to provide the program point of contact at request. I’d be remiss if I did not encourage you to also engage an existing or new mentor to aid in the process of creating a rotational program application package, potentially conducting mock interviews and giving the gift of feedback (the constructive kind and the congratulatory).

Finally, consider getting a head start with refreshing and tapping into your networks, KSAs and potential. Join a professional association or two relating to the cyber rotational areas and organizations you might pursue. If you’re a member, update your profiles and perhaps volunteer at a national or local level. KSA gaps discovered from your resume creation or refresh efforts will reveal where you could use some continuing professional education, certifications, designations and more, so act on those areas accordingly. Act on your potential sooner rather than later. Do not wait, or those chomping at the bit are going to beat you.

It is my hope you enjoyed the information about this cyber surprise, that you find more good news in cyber as time passes and that you work to maximize these recommendations and your future contributions to the field of cyber.

Jennifer Miller is a business operations manager for the Defense Health Agency. She is a certified project management professional, certified government financial manager, a certified defense financial manager with acquisition specialty and a member of the American Society of Military Comptroller’s Washington Chapter.

Opinions, conclusions and recommendations expressed or implied within are solely those of the author. They do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Defense Department or any other U.S. government agency.