Office of Personnel Management December 1, 2022 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing final regulations that would allow agencies to make term appointments in certain Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics-related (``STEM-related'') occupations for up to 10 years. OPM is issuing final regulations to provide agencies with greater flexibility to staff foreseeably long-term projects of a STEM-related nature when the need for the work is not permanent. The intended effect of this change is to allow agencies the flexibility and discretion to hire individuals with knowledge, skills, and abilities tailored to a specific project that may not be required on a permanent basis or transferable to other functions of the agency. This longer-term appointment may also assist agencies in recruiting individuals with certain specialized knowledge, who may be interested in acquiring further skills and experience working on a project basis and would be less likely to pursue or accept a career position. This authority is not intended to be a substitute for regular agency hiring but is instead intended to be a supplement to existing hiring authorities that is targeted for longer-term projects that are not permanent in nature. This appointment authority provides no authority for noncompetitive conversion into a permanent competitive service position.