Career Paths for IT Program Managers

The Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Personnel Management are looking to former federal chief information officers to help develop a new IT project management career path. FederalNewsRadio.com reports that OMB and OPM held a brainstorming session on Jan. 21 with about 30 industry executives who are members of TechAmerica and IAC.

"They were interested in hearing about the notion of new GS-series and wondering what it should look like, such as the difference between project and program management," one official who attended the meeting told FederalNewsRadio. "It really focused on practical matters. Should it be someone with IT knowledge? Should the person be a mission expert?"

In December, federal CIO Vivek Kundra unveiled a 25-point implementation plan for reforming federal IT, which called on OPM to take steps to significantly enhance the supply of IT program managers, including creating a career path to attract and reward top performers.