CDO Council Publishes Data Science Hiring Toolkit

On Oct. 30, the Federal CDO Council announced it had published the Data Science Hiring Toolkit (PDF) to provide agencies with valuable guidance on recruiting and hiring stronger data science talent. The announcement was made on the CDO Council’s website by Dan Morgan, CDO of USDOT, and Chris Alvares, CDO of USDA, who co-chair the Council’s Data Culture for the Workforce Working Group.

According to the announcement, “this toolkit focuses on several key considerations within the hiring process for Federal data scientists. It is well-positioned to assist both candidates and hiring managers in the recruiting and hiring processes.”

The Data Science Hiring Toolkit covers:

• hiring of a diverse workforce
• appropriately scoping skills and responsibilities in position descriptions
• choosing the suitable job series for a data science position
• developing substantial interview questions
• effectively preparing candidates and hiring managers for the hiring process

The toolkit will be updated as the field of data science evolves. Contributions to the toolkit came from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), and the Excellence in Government Fellows Program (EIG). Through their work on the EIG, primary authors of the tookit include William Berry, DOT; Grace Lee, VA; Kasey Martin, USDA;
Wendy Peterson, DOD; Bryan Reed, IH; and Kimm Richards, NARA.