Following up on its January guidance to identify gaps in cybersecurity and information technology positions, the Office of Personnel Management wants agencies to designate a contact to measure their progress.
As part of the Federal Cybersecurity Workforce Assessment Act, agencies are tasked with developing procedures to identify and code IT and cyber-related positions to more accurately track those skills gaps.
Agencies had until April 4 to establish a procedure for the coding and have another year to complete the process.
In an April 10 memo, OPM Associate Director for Employee Services Mark Reinhold directed agencies to name a point of contact to assist in monitoring the progress of the coding effort.
"As agencies work toward assigning the new cybersecurity codes to positions, our team would like to check in with you periodically to ask about any assistance needed as well as progress made in cybersecurity position coding," he said in the memo.
Reinhold added that OPM would be following up with agencies next month to ensure that their coding procedures are in place.
In January, then-OPM Director Beth Cobert issued guidance that updated Cybersecurity Data Standard Codes to track nine categories and 31 specialty areas of cybersecurity functions, aligning with the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education and Cybersecurity Workforce Framework.
"It is important for agencies to participate in the process to standardize the cybersecurity workforce terminology and concepts promoted by NICE across the public, academic and industry sectors," Cobert said in the guidance.
The guidance redesigned the Cybersecurity Data Standards Codes from a two-digit structure to a three-digit one to improve the tracking of skills gaps for IT, cybersecurity and cyber-related functions.
Agencies have until April 21 to report their point of contact and should email it to
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