What a Direct Hire Authority (DHA) means for TTS Hiring
This DHA will allow us to have more flexibility in hiring for technical positions and allows hiring for both: (up to) 8 year term limited and permanent career positions. For non-technical positions we will continue to use other hiring authorities, such as Delegated Examining .
DHA positions do not have a Time in Grade[^1] requirement. Anyone can qualify for the announced position if they are able to demonstrate one year of specialized experience, regardless of their current grade level.
How the DHA works
Is this similar to a Merit Promotion?
This new hiring authority is not the same as a Merit Promotion. Merit Promotions allow a current or former federal employee to apply for a job without having to compete with the general public or people with Veterans' Preference. Instead, you only compete with other competitive service employees[^2].
DHA opportunities are open to the general public and all federal employees. They offer a chance to be considered for a career (term or perm) opportunity as long as you have the experience and are otherwise qualified.
Can I apply if I’m currently hired under a DHA?
Yes. You can apply for an upcoming DHA position even if you’re currently on a DHA.
Please note: If you received a permanent competitive[^3] appointment, you cannot move into another position for 90 days (from the start of your current appointment)— that includes transfers, reassignments, promotions, and details. This does not apply to term limited appointments.
Anytime an employee is appointed to a new position, there will always be a one year probationary period for that new appointment.
If I am currently a career permanent employee would moving to a DHA position affect my status?
Some DHA roles will be advertised as permanent, while others will be term limited, meaning after a set number of years, the role will expire. To stay in federal service, an employee in a term limited role would need to apply for and be selected for a different position.
So if you apply for a term limited DHA role and are selected, you would move to term limited status. However, that doesn’t prevent you from applying, in the future, to a role that is permanent.
Do I need a resume to apply?
HR must qualify all candidate resumes, even current TTS employees' resumes, so if you apply, you will need an updated federal-style resume. To be considered qualified by HR, your resume will need to reflect the specialized experience that is listed for the role. See the resume prep page for tips.
Resources
Terms to know
[^1]: Time in Grade: Requirements related to a specified amount of time an employee must spend in a grade level before they are eligible for a higher grade level. [^2]: First-line supervisor: Someone who supervises individual contributors [^3]: Competitive Service: Positions which are openly competed for under the merit system. Also called career. These positions can be permanent or term. If they are term, they are limited to a certain number of years.
