1. The purpose of the Presidential Management Fellows (PMF)
Program is to attract to the Federal service outstanding men
and women from a variety of academic disciplines and career
paths who have a clear interest in, and commitment to, excellence
in the leadership and management of public policies and programs.
Since 1977, the PMF Program has helped Agencies meet their workforce
and succession planning needs by attracting outstanding masters,
law, and doctoral-level students to the Federal service.
2. This is the Department of Justice’s (Department or DOJ) plan
for the Presidential Management Fellows Program, in addition
to and consistent with the requirements set forth in 5 CFR Part
362.
3. Roles and Responsibilities
a. Responsibilities of the Director, Justice Management
Division (JMD), Human Resources (HR):
(1) Appointing and supervising the Departmental PMF Coordinator.
(2) Issuing guidance as necessary.
b. Responsibilities of the Departmental PMF Coordinator:
(1) Acting as liaison and program facilitator for DOJ
with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) PMF Program
Office.
(2) Keeping Bureau PMF Coordinators up-to-date with monthly
e-mail newsletters and access to online PMF database and
resume system.
(3) Facilitating reimbursement of the PMF participant
fee to OPM upon appointment of a Fellow.
(4) Working with the Bureau Executive Review Board (ERB)
or DOJ ERB, as applicable, to certify each Fellow’s completion
of the program and assist in notifying the OPM PMF Program
Office of ERB decisions.
c. Responsibilities of the Bureau Human Resources Officer:
(1) Appointing a Bureau PMF Coordinator.
(2) Preparing Bureau policies and criteria for the promotion
of PMF participants.
(3) Processing personnel transactions upon initial appointment,
reappointment, promotion, or conversion.
d. Responsibilities of the Bureau PMF Coordinator:
(1) Working with Bureau managers, hiring officials, and
supervisors to identify positions and post jobs on the
Projected Positions System (PPS) and to recruit Fellows
for the Bureau.
(2) Verifying that Fellows complete all graduate degree
requirements.
(3) Acting as a resource for Fellows and their supervisors.
(4) Providing the DOJ PMF Coordinator with current information
on the Bureau program, the status of participants within
the Bureau, and complying with reporting requirements
as specified in this Order Chapter.
e. Responsibilities of the Hiring Official/PMF Supervisor:
(1) Developing an Individual Development Plan (IDP) that
addresses the target position, developmental requirements,
and recommended activities.
(2) Establishing a performance plan and annual evaluation
for each Fellow with performance elements and standards
for competencies expected for duties assigned.
(3) Arranging for at least 80 hours of formal classroom
training during each year of the fellowship.
(4) Arranging for Fellows to have at least one developmental
assignment for a period of at least four to six months
in duration.
f. Responsibilities of the Fellow:
(1) Working with his/her supervisor to prepare an IDP
that identifies specific developmental activities designed
to impart the competencies of the occupation or functional
discipline in which the Fellow is being placed.
(2) Successfully completing the program, position, and
performance requirements.
(3) Informing the OPM PMF Program Office of current contact
information by updating the Information Worksheet on the
forms webpage of the PMF website.
4. Starting Grade for Fellows. Bureaus may
appoint Fellows, at a minimum, at the grade GS-9 level (or equivalent).
Bureaus may also appoint Fellows at the grade GS-11 or GS-12
level (or equivalent), if qualified. Qualification determinations
for appointing Fellows are based upon the standards contained
in the Qualification Standards for General Schedule Positions.
At their discretion, Bureaus may develop their own qualification
standards for appointing Fellows and Bureaus must submit the
qualification standards to JMD HR, for approval, prior to implementing.
5. Eligibility for Fellows. Graduate students
who complete or expect to complete an advanced degree program
from a qualifying college or university by August 31st of the
academic year in which competition is held, are eligible to
become Fellows. OPM will select Fellow finalists based on experience,
accomplishments, and a successfully completed assessment process.
6. Graduate Degree Requirements. A Bureau may
not appoint a Fellow until all graduate degree requirements
are met. If a Fellow does not complete all degree requirements
by August 31st of the year in which the Fellow is selected as
a finalist, the Fellow’s finalist status is terminated.
7. Appointment Authority for Fellows. Fellows
are appointed to an excepted service position under Schedule
A in accordance with 5 CFR Part 213. Bureaus may make appointments
under this authority for two years.
8. Note to Excepted Service Bureaus. Participation
in the PMF Program is open to DOJ excepted service Bureaus and
they must adhere to the guidance set forth in this Departmental
policy. Responsibility for interpreting and applying these policies
and procedures rests with the Bureau PMF Coordinator with guidance
as needed provided by the Departmental PMF Coordinator.
9. Veterans’ Preference. Veterans’ preference
should be applied in accordance with the requirements of 5 CFR
Part 302.
10. Entrance on Duty Date. Bureaus must appoint
Fellows no later than 12 months after their selection as finalists.
The Department may request an extension from OPM. Bureaus must
submit all requests for extensions to JMD HR, no later than
45 days prior to the deadline.
11. Training and Development for Fellows. The
Bureau must work with each Fellow to develop and approve an
IDP. The Bureau must provide:
a. A minimum of 80 hours of formal classroom training per
year related to the core competencies of the job.
b. At least one developmental assignment of at least four
to six months in duration, during the two-year fellowship.
The developmental assignment must be consistent with the
IDP and must prepare the Fellow for the occupation or function
in which he/she is likely to be placed.
Note: Bureaus may elect to require rotational assignments
of one to six months in duration, to other occupations or
functional areas as part of the development program.
12. Performance Management. The immediate supervisor
must develop each Fellow’s performance plan based on the individual’s
current position description. Each Fellow must receive an annual
performance evaluation in accordance with the performance management
program, DOJ Performance Management Order, 1200.1, Chapter 2-15.
13. Promotion of Fellows. Bureaus may promote
Fellows up to the GS-13 (or equivalent) while participating
in this program. Fellows, as excepted service employees, are
not required to meet one-year time-in- grade requirements but
Fellows must meet qualification requirements for the next higher
grade. On a limited basis, Fellows will be eligible for promotion
to the next higher consecutive grade level, i.e., GS-9 to GS-11,
and GS-11 to GS-12, in six month intervals. They must meet all
requirements for promotion as identified in their IDP. (The
target level cannot exceed the GS-13 or equivalent.) The IDP
must indicate the competencies required for each level as well
as provide a benchmark identifying the successful acquisition
of the needed competencies. The Department’s ERB is the approving
official for all promotions that do not meet the one-year time-in-grade
requirement. Bureaus must forward requests to the Department’s
PMF Coordinator, JMD HR, for review and submission to the Department’s
ERB for approval.
14. Certification of Completion for Fellows. At
some point prior to 30 calendar days before the expiration of
the fellowship period, the Bureau’s ERB or, where the Bureau
does not have its own ERB, the Department’s ERB must determine
whether and certify that each Fellow has satisfactorily completed
his/her performance plan and IDP. It is the joint responsibility
of the Bureau’s human resources office and the Fellow to ensure
the accuracy of the provided documentation. The responsible
ERB shall forward the certification to OPM through JMD HR. The
ERB shall notify the Fellow of its decision no later than 30
calendar days prior to the expiration of the appointment. The
time periods for certification may only be extended if the Bureau
has not previously used its one time 120-day extension authority
or a waiver of the time period is obtained from OPM. (See Section
17.) When OPM grants a waiver, the ERB must still certify that
any requirements that are not subject to the waiver were met.
If the Fellow is not certified by the ERB, the Fellow may request
reconsideration by the Director of OPM or the Director’s designee,
in writing, within 15 calendars days of the ERB’s decision.
The Bureau PMF Coordinator shall notify the Department PMF Program
Coordinator of any instances where a Fellow is not certified.
15. Placement Upon Conversion. Each Bureau
must appoint, without further competition, an ERB-certified
Fellow who successfully completed all program requirements,
to a full-time, permanent position in the competitive or excepted
service. All Fellows must meet the appropriate citizenship requirements
at the time of conversion. Appointment is effective on or before
the expiration of the individual’s PMF appointment, including
extensions.
16. Conversion to the Competitive Service from an Excepted
Service Bureau. After completion of the program,
a Fellow initially appointed to a permanent position in a
Bureau excepted from the competitive service may, one time
only, receive a subsequent appointment to an equivalent full-time
permanent position in the competitive service without further
competition. However, a Bureau must clear its Reemployment
Priority List (RPL), Career Transition Assistance Program
(CTAP), and Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan
(ICTAP) before appointing a PMF graduate of an excepted service
Bureau to a competitive service position. www.opm.gov/deu/handbook_2007/DEO_Handbook.pdf
17. Appointment Extensions. Fellows are appointed
for two years and Bureaus may extend the appointment, if needed,
for up to 120 days. Extensions of greater than 120 days to one
year require OPM approval. Extensions in excess of one year
are not permitted. To obtain an OPM extension, Bureau PMF Coordinators
should submit a request, in writing, through JMD HR, to the
Chair of the ERB, at least 120 days before the end of the two
year appointment. The Chair of the ERB will submit a written
request to the Director of OPM (or designee) at least 90 days
prior to the end of the initial appointment.
18. Reemployment. If a Fellow held a career
or career-conditional appointment immediately before entering
the Program, and withdraws from the program for reasons not
related to misconduct, poor performance, or suitability, at
the Bureau’s discretion, in accordance with the Bureau’s merit
promotion plan, the Bureau may place the Fellow in a career
or career-conditional position, as appropriate. A decision not
to place a Fellow in a career/career conditional appointment
may not be appealed.
19. Readmission. If a Fellow withdraws from
the Program for reasons not related to misconduct, poor performance,
or suitability, he or she may petition the employing Bureau
for readmission. The petition must be in writing and include
an appropriate justification for readmission. Upon consideration
of the petition, the employing Bureau, at its sole discretion,
may submit a written request through JMD HR, to OPM for approval
to readmit and reappoint the individual to the program.
20. Appeal Rights. Fellows are Excepted Service
employees within the meaning of Chapters 43 and 75 in Title
5, United States Code (U.S.C.). They have appeal rights as provided
therein. For systems not covered by 5 U.S.C., Chapters 43 and
75, Fellows have appeal rights as provided by the equivalent
authorities under their system, if any.
C. Documentation for Reports and Records.
DEFINITIONS FOR THE PRESIDENTIAL MANAGEMENT FELLOWS PROGRAM (To
Be Included in the DOJ, HR Order 1200.1, Appendix I, HR Dictionary)
CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (CTAP): A program designed
by an agency to actively assist its surplus and displaced employees
by providing selection priority for competitive service vacancies.
Under the career transition assistance plan (CTAP), you must notify
employees who are surplus or have been displaced from your agency
of vacancies that your agency plans to fill in their local commuting
area.
INTERAGENCY CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (ICTAP): The Interagency
Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) is a process by which
employees who have been involuntarily separated may receive selection
priority for jobs in agencies other than the one in which they
were previously employed.
REEMPLOYMENT PRIORITY LIST (RPL): A list of employees within the
local commuting area who have been separated from your agency due
to reduction in force (RIF) or work-related injury. If an employee
on the RPL is qualified for a vacancy that exists within his or
her local commuting area, you must (with few exceptions) select
that employee before hiring anyone from outside the agency.
