Apply to Be a 2025 Fellow
Thank you for your interest in becoming a Presidential Innovation Fellow! Now accepting applications for the 2025 fellowship class.
Not the right time for you? Sign up for PIF updates and stay in touch.
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About the Fellowship
Presidential Innovation Fellows are mid-to-senior career technologists, designers, and strategists.
Each fellow is paired with a federal agency to complete a one year project as a senior advisor. Fellows may be eligible to be renewed for up to one additional year. Learn more about projects that have been completed by past fellows and the values that guide our work.
As a fellow, you’ll gain senior-level exposure in a federal agency. Behind the walls of government, you’ll tackle some of our nation’s biggest challenges.
Making government work better for the people we serve is our top priority. And you have the experience we need to drive that mission home. Together, we can have an incredible impact on how the government delivers to the public at every interaction, each and every time.
After you complete your fellowship, you’ll join our alumni community of more than 250 technologists and innovators in advancing mission-driven solutions at local, national, and international levels.
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Requirements
To be eligible for the Presidential Innovation Fellows program, you must be a United States citizen or a resident of American Samoa or Swains Island.
Additionally, all fellows must be based in the Washington, D.C. area for the duration of the fellowship.
There are no education requirements.
All fellows will be required to complete a Public Trust background investigation, and may be required to complete additional higher-level background investigations depending on the agency and project where they are matched.
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Expertise
Basic Requirements: You must also have IT-related experience demonstrating EACH of the four competencies listed below:
IT Competencies:
- Attention to Detail - Is thorough when performing work and conscientious about attending to detail.
- Customer Service - Works with clients and customers (that is, any individuals who use or receive the services or products that your work unit produces, including the general public, individuals who work in the agency, other agencies, or organizations outside the Government) to assess their needs, provide information or assistance, resolve their problems, or satisfy their expectations; knows about available products and services; is committed to providing quality products and services.
- Oral Communication - Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.
- Problem Solving - Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations.
Specialized Experience: In addition to the basic requirements listed above, you must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-14 in the Federal Service. Specialized experience for this role is defined as experience:
- Leading or advising executive leadership on the launch of new technology initiatives, providing recommendations that influence policies, projects, or programs, and/or securing leadership buy-in or stakeholder consensus; AND
- Deploying user-centered and iterative development methodologies; AND
- Applying advanced technical knowledge to products or service delivery in one or more of the following: artificial intelligence, machine learning, data strategy, design (service, human-centered, user experience), product, software engineering, cloud infrastructure, digital transformation or digital strategy AND
- Experience in at least one of the following areas:
- Leading data science, engineering, product, or design initiatives focused on technical products, platforms, or solutions; OR
- Leading cross functional teams, which may include designers, product managers, data scientists, or software engineers, to meet program or project goals, objectives, and priorities OR
- Leading the development or implementation of digital strategy and policy
Please refer to the USAJOBS job announcement for more detailed information regarding Qualifications.
In addition to the criteria indicated in the Qualifications section, you will be scored on multiple hurdles which will measure your possession of the competencies or knowledge, skills and abilities required for the position. The assessment hurdles for this position will include resume review, written assessment and structured interview. You can find more information about these hurdles in the Selection Timeline section.
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Benefits
All Presidential Innovation Fellows are hired at the GS-15 Step 1 pay grade. Learn more about the GS system that defines federal salaries.
As of January 2024, the GS-15 Step 1 salary for the Washington, D.C. locality is $163,964.
All fellows receive federal employee benefits. This includes medical, vision, and dental insurance, FSA accounts, life insurance, paid leave, and the Thrift Savings Plan (the government version of a 401K) with up to five percent matching.
PIFs also receive a $5,000 individual professional development budget administered by TTS.
For more on leave policy, (including paid parental leave, applicable after 12 months) visit the TTS Handbook.
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Get Ready to Apply
As part of your application, you’ll need to submit a federal-style resume. If you don’t already have one, it can take some time to put together. You'll want to make sure that your resume clearly reflects your experience related to the qualifications listed in the job announcement. We strongly suggest reviewing these tips on writing a federal resume and an example of what a federal resume might look like.
In addition to the resume resources, we strongly encourage people to register for an upcoming virtual info session.
Once your resume is ready for submission, apply to the job announcement on USAJOBS. All applications must be received by 11:59 pm ET on September 30, 2024.
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Selection Timeline and Process
Here is a tentative timeline so you can know what to expect.
Be sure to apply before the application deadline! Late applications will not be accepted. All applications submitted before the application deadline will be considered equally.
Qualification
Once the application window closes, our multi-hurdle qualification process will begin. Only candidates who move through all hurdles and are deemed qualified will be considered for conversations with agency partners.
Resume review
The first hurdle of qualification is the GSA HR team conducting eligibility and resume review. Please review the specialized experience and IT competencies listed above. Candidates who make it past initial review will move on to the written assessment stage of qualification.
Written assessment
All candidates who meet initial qualification will receive one week to complete a written assessment consisting of scored and unscored questions. Submissions will be reviewed and scored by subject matter experts.
PIF interviews
As the final hurdle in our qualification process, candidates who score highly on the written assessment will advance to PIF interviews which include questions regarding skills (your self-identified area of expertise), core competencies (behavioral questions, leadership, and/or navigating ambiguity), and core values (including diversity, equity, and inclusion). The PIF team will provide questions in advance of interviews to allow candidates time to prepare.
All interviews occur virtually and are typically scheduled for 1 hour. We offer live captioning and other accessibility assistance to all candidates upon request.
Accessibility: If you are selected to interview, a member of our Talent Team will be in touch to ensure any accessibility considerations are covered. We typically conduct interviews as video calls, however, we realize that this option may not accommodate everyone’s needs. Throughout the hiring process, please don’t hesitate to let us know if you have a preferred method of communication and we will work with you to create a positive experience. If you require accommodations, please contact us directly at pif-application@gsa.gov at least 24-48 hours in advance of your scheduled interview.
Once interviews are completed, our HR team will review all qualification scores and issue a certificate of qualified candidates who can be considered for agency projects.
Only qualified candidates (see above) may have an opportunity to speak with PIF host agencies and project teams based on mutual interest and alignment of skill sets. Candidates at this stage will receive additional information about specific agency projects. Please note: NOT all qualified candidates will receive the opportunity to speak with agencies due to volume and skill alignment.
Upon consultation with host agencies, we will finalize agency placements and offers. As PIF operates within the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), the GSA HR team will make tentative offers to selected candidates. Tentative offers are contingent on passing a background check.
The PIF team will also set up calls with each incoming PIF to welcome them into our program and community, and answer any questions!
Once you accept your tentative offer, you will receive an email from the HR onboarding system. You will need to login and accept your tentative offer. You will be asked to complete a series of forms and receive a USAaccess email requesting you to schedule a time to provide your fingerprints for your security clearance and complete a security questionnaire.
Once security has been initially cleared, a GSA HR specialist will call you with a final offer. At this stage, GSA HR and the PIF team will confirm your start date.
Note: We do not recommend you give notice or resign from your current employer (if applicable) until you receive your final offer with a confirmed start date from HR.
We are targeting a June 2025 start for Fellows. The exact start date will be announced during the selection process.
PIF augments GSA onboarding with PIF-specific programming during the first week of employment, followed by each PIF onboarding at their respective agencies.
Public service has always been a dream of mine. Seeing the team that the President assembled and the Administration’s mandate for racial justice and equity inspired me to apply to join the PIF program.
