The Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) Program is considered the federal government’s premiere management development program. This program enables agencies to bring highly qualified candidates into their management ranks through direct hire authority.

Target Audience: The PMF Program is only open to graduate students who applied and were nominated by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).

Program Duration: PMFs receive a two-year Excepted Service appointment starting at the GS-9, 11, or 12 levels of the General Schedule. Upon successful completion of their fellowship, PMFs are non-competitively converted to a permanent position at the GS-12 or GS-13 level. Please note that the Department of the Navy (DON) PMF compensation policy covering accelerated compensation increases is in place.

Learning Activities: As part of their career development, DON PMFs receive at least one developmental assignment that is a minimum of 4 months with significant management or technical responsibilities. Additionally, fellows may be assigned rotational assignments to other functional areas within the DON/DOD or the Federal government to broaden their experiences. The Office of Civilian Human Resources (OCHR) sponsors a PMF leadership curriculum which includes a 5 day PMF Congressional Briefing. Additional information on the PMF Congressional Briefing can be found here.

A member of the Senior Executive Service (SES) or a Flag/General Officer supervises/mentors the PMF and ensures their effective utilization within their organization. These individuals work with the PMFs and OCHR to establish professional development and rotational plans that effectively serve both individual career objectives and the DON’s Human Capital strategic goals. It is also the supervisor’s/mentor’s responsibility to arrange professional development activities to supplement PMF technical development.

Hiring a PMF: Typically most PMFs are hired shortly after the annual OPM Job Fair in the spring, although Navy activities are encouraged to and can hire a PMF at anytime throughout the year. Activities pay the Fellow’s salary, travel and per diem costs, and all functional/technical training and rotational assignments. OPM’s reimbursement fee for the recruitment and formal training services is $7,000 per PMF and must also be paid by the hiring activity.

Navy Presidential Management Fellows Events

2011 PMF Reception

The 2011 reception for Presidential Fellows and upcoming candidates was held at the United States Navy Memorial and Navy Heritage Center in Washington, D.C. on April 20, 2011. The keynote speaker was the Honorable Mr. Juan Garcia, III Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Manpower and Reserve Affairs).