OPM Director Kiran Ahuja to Resign
Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director Kiran Ahuja will leave her position in early May, after nearly three years on the job.
Director Ahuja is the longest serving leader of the federal government’s HR agency in a decade, taking office after being narrowly confirmed by the Senate in June 2021.
“Serving in the Biden-Harris Administration, and in support of the 2.2 million federal workers who dedicate themselves to the American people, has been the honor of my life,” said OPM Director Ahuja in a press release announcing her departure.
Director Ahuja told Politico that she’s leaving OPM to deal with an ongoing health concern and the recent death of a family member.
“I was, from the day of being nominated, very intent on wanting to serve the president well through this term, and that was a commitment that I had made,” Director Ahuja said. “But I think at times, as they say, life intervenes.”
Director Ahuja told Politico that she is not leaving for another opportunity.
OPM Deputy Director Rob Shriver will become acting OPM director.
Civil Service Protections
Director Ahuja is leaving OPM with a list of accomplishments and changes that touch all areas of the federal workforce.
Notice of the director’s departure came just two weeks after OPM rolled out a set of rules aimed at protecting the civil service from the threat of Schedule F, the Trump Administration order that aims to make it easier to fire federal employees.
The rules state that an employee’s civil service protections cannot be taken away by an involuntary move from the competitive service to the excepted service. It also clarifies that “confidential, policy determining, policymaking, or policy-advocating” positions mean noncareer political appointees and not civil servants.
Hiring
Over Director Ahuja’s tenure, OPM made numerous changes to improve federal government hiring, particularly among younger workers.
OPM issued rules to promote skills-based hiring, direct-hire authority for certain critical positions, prohibiting federal agencies from asking about criminal history while hiring, prohibiting the use of non-federal salary history in setting pay, as well as numerous changes to promote internships and federal employment among younger workers.
Those changes include expanding eligibility for the Pathways Programs, launching an intern portal on USAJOBS.gov, creating an Intern Experience Program, and increasing the number of Presidential Management Fellows (PMFs).
“We expanded registered apprenticeships and paid internship opportunities to open jobs in the federal government to more communities and to build a federal workforce that looks like America. Kiran made so much possible,” said Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su.
Other initiatives include reinstating the Presidential Rank Awards (PRAs), reinstating the Chief Human Capital Officers Council, hosting a series of government-wide trainings to help employees succeed in a hybrid working environment, releasing a comprehensive data strategy plan, implementing a new health insurance program for postal workers and their families starting in 2025, and launching the first-ever government-wide Chief Diversity Officers Executive Council.
‘“Under Kiran’s leadership, OPM has bounced back stronger than ever and partnered with agencies across government to better serve the American people. Kiran represents the very best of the Biden-Harris Administration, and I am honored to call her a dear colleague and friend,” said OPM Deputy Director Shriver.
Despite the successes, there were some challenges.
Under Director Ahuja, OPM faced criticism from lawmakers over the agency’s hiring of two top officials who faced accusations of harassing behavior at previous positions, as well as the agency’s oversight of federal health benefits.
