New guidance from the
 Office of Personnel Management recommends that federal agencies give “strong” preference to top-level national security job candidates who have performed interagency rotational services.
In the guidance published Wednesday, acting OPM Director Beth Cobert instructed leaders of agencies to ensure that individuals who have completed the National Security Professional Development Interagency Personnel Rotations Program will receive hiring preference for senior executive national security positions.
“Agencies may exercise discretion and flexibility in defining and elaborating upon the technical qualification requirement based on their positions and mission demands,” Cobert added.
OPM and the NSP Executive Steering Committee described a qualified national security executive candidate as someone who hold experience in that field as well as has served in a leadership capacity, cross-agency liaison role or as a volunteer and worked on a multiagency task force.
Cobert asked agencies to conduct a job analysis related to the technical qualification requirement and identify specific occupations to which the policy may apply.