DHS Unveils Service for Cybersecurity Talent Recruitment and Management

The Department of Homeland Security has developed a service designed to hire and manage cybersecurity professionals outside traditional civil service requirements.

The DHS Cybersecurity Service is part of the Cyber Talent Management System, which seeks to address the department’s “historical and ongoing challenges” in hiring and retaining professionals with the necessary skills to assist the cybersecurity mission of the agency.

All personnel hired to the DHS-CS will take what DHS calls “qualified positions,” which pertain to excepted service roles with their own qualification requirements and that are not subject to the appointment, pay and classification rules of traditional positions, FedScoop reported.

The DHS announced its cybersecurity service in an interim final rule published in the Federal Register on Thursday.

“The goal of the DHS-CS is to enhance the cybersecurity of the nation through the most effective execution of the DHS cybersecurity mission,” the rule states.

The department’s Cyber Talent Management System will be used to “hire, compensate, and develop” DHS-CS employees to foster innovation, expertise and adaptability within the organization.

Once the rule is finalized, the DHS will be able to hire cybersecurity personnel at salaries based on their skills, with compensation up to $255,800, which is what the vice president currently earns.

However, such a rule can be overridden in special circumstances, with an upper limit of 150 percent of EX-I, which is $332,100 in 2021.

The interim final rule is scheduled to take effect on Nov. 15. Meanwhile, industry can submit comments on the rule until Dec. 31.