Dear Colleagues,

On behalf of the Extramural MEO Transition Team, I am providing an update on staffing for the Division of Extramural Activities Support (DEAS). You may also be interested in the summary of the Performance Work Statement for DEAS now available on the web site at http://extramuralmeo.nih.gov/documents/DEAS_PWS_Summary.pdf.

DEAS Staffing Update

Management Team
The final two members of the DEAS management team, both Hub B employee supervisors, have been selected. Their appointments will be officially announced soon.

Reminder: ICs can request a meeting with the DEAS management team by sending e-mail to deasmanagement@mail.nih.gov with "Meeting Request" in the subject line.

GS-9/11/12 Workload and Quality Control Specialists
The selection process for DEAS workload and quality control specialists is ongoing; there will be six of these positions.

GS-8 Task Leader Positions
DEAS managers are completing reference checks on the GS-8 applicants for the task leader positions; we expect that candidates will be notified of the selections by June 30.

Indicating Interest in a Voluntary Change to Lower Grade
Shortly after the task leader selections are made, an e-mail will go to in-scope employees in grades 8 and above who did not receive placement in DEAS (because they either didn't apply or weren't selected) asking if they are interested in voluntarily accepting a lower grade to join DEAS.

Reassignment of Staff in Grades 2–7
NIH in-scope employees in grades 2–7 will be reassigned to DEAS positions at their current grade level. During the first two weeks of June, the employees completed questionnaires in which they expressed their preferences for location and hub assignment in DEAS. DEAS managers expect to finalize decisions about placement of in-scope employees in grades 2–7 by the end of July. They will accommodate employees' preferences where possible; however, they must also balance the preferences with the work needs of DEAS and its customers.

External Hires for GS-4/5/6 Positions
As announced previously, NIH received a large number of applications in response to the all-sources vacancy announcement for GS-4/5/6 positions in DEAS. The external hires will supplement, not replace, NIH in-scope employees eligible for the positions. The DEAS management team is now putting together interview panels for the external candidates; they plan to conduct the interviews over a 3-week period beginning in late June. DEAS expects to hire about 250 people recruited from all sources to fill the gaps after in-scope NIH employees are placed.