1. Introduction to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Assessment and Evaluation Branch (AEB)

2. What Does OPM Do?
OPM is the chief human resources agency and personnel policy manager for the Federal Government.
Federal HR Policy and Outreach
Federal HR Audit and Compliance
Federal Employment Investigations
Retirement and Benefits for Federal Employees and Retired Military
HR Solutions Consulting Organization

3. HR Solutions Consulting Organization
What is HR Solutions?
A fully reimbursable consulting organization within OPM
Provides products and services to other Federal agencies on a fee for service basis
Operates under a true consulting model, similar to many private sector consulting companies
Composed of five practice areas including HR Strategy and Evaluation Solutions (HRSES)
HR Strategy and Evaluation Solutions (HRSES)
Provides strategies that help agencies plan and position for maximum performance
Comprised of three groups
HR Strategy provides workforce planning, organization design and classification, succession planning, and performance management
Administrative Law Judge Program Office provides support for the ALJ community
Assessment and Evaluation Branch (AEB) provides measurement expertise for hiring and promotion, surveys, and program evaluation
HR Solutions Consulting Organization

4. What Is the Assessment and Evaluation Branch (AEB)?
Group of approximately 30 personnel research psychologists with advanced degrees in I/O Psychology and related fields
Three sections, with staff working in a matrixed fashion on projects across sections
Leadership and Workforce Development Assessment
Organizational Assessment
Selection and Promotion Assessment
Reimbursable consulting organization
Provide products and services to other Federal agencies on a fee for service basis
Worked with 45 Federal agencies in 2018
Customer service focus
ACSI score: 81.9 compared to Government benchmark of 69.7
Scientist-practitioner model
Delivers products and services informed by research
Conducts applied research to contribute to the I/O field
ACSI=American Customer Satisfaction Index, which is on a scale of 100 and based on three questions regarding overall satisfaction, meeting expectations, and comparison to an ideal organization. This is the FY17 score, because benchmarks for 2018 are not yet available.

5. Why work for AEB?
“Expand your I/O knowledge base and apply your knowledge in real-life work settings”
“Work across nearly every domain of I/O psychology”
“A team of 30+ I/O psychologists to serve as mentors or resources”

6. Leadership and Workforce Development Assessment (LWDA)
Leadership Assessment Solutions
Leadership Assessment Center
Select new leaders or leadership development program participants with a “day-in-the-life” simulation
Leadership Profiler
Measure and provide feedback on personality traits and preferences and their impact on leader effectiveness
Leadership Potential Assessment
Measure and provide feedback on aspiring leaders’ ability and motivation to lead
Customized Assessments
Develop or customize assessments for agencies’ specific selection or development needs (for example, customized supervisory situational judgment test)
Competency Modeling
Gather information from employees and supervisors, using focus groups and surveys, to identify critical competencies for a job or job family
Competency Gap Assessment
Work with agencies to identify current proficiency gaps in incumbents’ ability to apply competencies on the job

7. Organizational Assessment (OA)
Organizational Assessment Solutions
Help agencies measure, diagnose, and understand the factors that lead to organizational effectiveness
Organizational Assessment Survey
Customer Satisfaction Surveys
New Employee and Exit Surveys
OPM Leadership 360
Focus Groups
Program Evaluation
Training Needs Analysis
Organizational Development Solutions
Work with agencies to take action on assessment results to target areas for organizational improvement and intervention
Action Planning
Workshops for Leaders and Employees
Leadership Coaching

8. Selection and Promotion Assessment (SPA)
Assessment Strategy Design
Tailor to agencies and occupations
Focus on the best strategy to assess candidates and meet specific hiring or employee development needs
Customized Assessment Development and Validation
Develop entry-level and promotional solutions
Conduct job analysis, test development, validation, and analysis
Develop assessments that meet legal guidelines and professional standards
Maximize return on investment in employee and leader selection and promotion
Online Assessment Content Management
Evaluate and manage the content in USA Hire, OPM’s online assessment system
Provide guidance to account managers, HR specialists, and clients
Wide-range of assessment tools including:
Traditional knowledge, skill, and ability tests
Biodata & personality inventories
Situational judgment tests
Computer adaptive tests
Simulations and work samples

9. What to expect as an intern at AEB…
Work with a team of talented psychologists
Recognized experts in the field
Interact with customers from a variety of client agencies
Law enforcement, military, scientific, health care, administrative, human resources
Gain valuable technical experience
Assessment development and validation
Statistical analysis
Survey development and analysis
Organizational assessment and development
Program evaluation
Job analysis
Leadership assessment
Build your general competency areas
Written and oral communication
Project management
Customer Service
Build your professional skillset
Participate in internal research and development initiatives
Participate in project management and delivery
Consult with clients and customers

10. Scientist-Practitioner Model: AEB Example
AEB conducted a substantive amount of research focusing on leadership competence and performance in the federal government
Included a literature review, SME panels, and comparisons to private sector models
This research was used to develop the OPM Leadership 360 rating instrument and report
28 Leadership Competencies (Fundamental Competencies and 5 ECQs)
98 closed ended items (at least 3 for each competency)
2 open-ended items - optional
The OPM Leadership 360 is a staple product offering in AEB
Used by over 40 agencies and across multiple levels of leadership
On average, AEB administers between 2,500 – 3,500 OPM Leadership 360 assessments each year
AEB continues to analyze data collected from the OPM Leadership 360 and monitors the literature to identify opportunities for improvement

11. Interested in Learning More?
To obtain more information about AEB, call or
Matt Sigafoose
Noel Jones
Tyler Reck
Apply to join the AEB team
JOA posting:  TBD
Start Date:  May/June 2019
Location:  Washington, DC (TRB)
Length of internship:  6 months to 1 year
Provide your address to receive a notice when the announcement opens