OPM adds cybersecurity jobs to Tech Force hiring program - Federal News Network

HIRING/RETENTION OPM adds cybersecurity jobs to Tech Force hiring program The new cybersecurity recruitment expansion comes after the loss of thousands of federal tech experts under the Trump administration's workforce reductions. Drew Friedman@dfriedmanWFED April 15, 2026 5:52 pm           The Trump administration is widening its lens for recruiting technologists to work across federal agencies, at least temporarily. The Office of Personnel Management announced this week that it will be expanding its Tech Force hiring program to include opportunities for agencies to hire cybersecurity specialists. That’s on top of the program’s existing recruitment efforts for software engineers, data scientists and product managers. The newly added cybersecurity roles will focus on “protecting critical systems, strengthening federal cybersecurity capabilities and safeguarding the digital infrastructure relied on by millions of Americans,” OPM said in a press release. “The federal government depends on strong cybersecurity to protect critical systems and maintain public trust,” OPM Director Scott Kupor said Monday. “Through Tech Force, we’re recruiting highly skilled cybersecurity professionals to take on real challenges and strengthen the government’s defenses where it matters most.”         Join us July 21 – 23 for Federal News Network's Space & Satellite Exchange where government and industry leaders will discuss advancing connectivity, resilience and mission reach. Register today! It’s not yet clear how many cybersecurity hires will be made through Tech Force. An OPM spokesperson said the recruitment numbers will depend on agency need. More broadly, agencies have already started making initial offers for other Tech Force roles, and will be onboarding candidates on a rolling basis, according to the spokesperson. Some tech hires are expected by the end of this month. The Trump administration’s Tech Force initiative seeks an initial cohort of about 1,000 temporary hires across various tech specialties. Since launching the program in December, OPM has conducted the initial hiring assessments for Tech Force and created shared certificates of qualified candidates, which agencies can review to make final hiring selections. Selected candidates will move into temporary, two-year roles to work on federal tech projects. OPM’s cyber hiring expansion this week comes amid limited federal job opportunities for early-career employees in the cybersecurity field. Many recent participants in the CyberCorps Scholarship-for-Service program have struggled to find roles in the federal government since the start of the Trump administration. During last year’s hiring freeze, some CyberCorps scholars saw their internships and job offers revoked. More recently, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency announced that, for the second year in a row, it will not offer internships to CyberCorps scholars, citing challenges from the Department of Homeland Security shutdown. OPM said this week that it will work with agencies “to recruit a broad range of talented cybersecurity professionals, including individuals participating in programs such as the CyberCorps Scholarship for Service.” Federal employees across various cyber, tech and data disciplines have left their jobs, either voluntarily or by force, since President Donald Trump took office. For instance, the government’s 2210 job series for IT managers has lost more than 18,500 employees — making it one of the federal positions that saw the biggest staffing losses in 2025, according to OPM data.         Sign up for our daily newsletter so you never miss a beat on all things federal Governmentwide, more than 400,000 federal employees have left their jobs under the Trump administration. In that same time, agencies hired about 131,000 employees, resulting in a net loss of nearly 272,000 employees. The recent federal workforce reductions disproportionately impacted younger employees, causing the share of federal employees under age 30 to drop from about 8.6% in 2023 to about 7.3% in 2025. OPM’s Tech Force hiring initiative, in part, aims to hire early-career employees — a demographic that agencies have struggled to recruit and retain for years. If you would like to contact this reporter about recent changes in the federal government, please email drew.friedman@federalnewsnetwork.com or reach out on Signal at drewfriedman.11 Copyright © 2026 Federal News Network. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.           Drew Friedman Drew Friedman is a workforce, pay and benefits reporter for Federal News Network. Follow @dfriedmanWFED Sign up for breaking news. 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