Job Titling Guidance in Alignment with Executive Order 14,170 & the Merit Hiring Plan

This memorandum, addressed to Chief Human Capital Officers (CHCOs), directs federal agencies to use descriptive, functional, or plain-language job titles in all job announcements and outreach materials. Per the memo, this replaces the traditional official federal title and series designations that have historically appeared in public-facing postings. Official titles established by OPM under 5 U.S.C. § 5105 remain required in personnel documentation, position descriptions, and personnel actions. However, for job announcements and working titles, agencies must use titles that accurately convey the nature of the work and align with private-sector terminology. The memo provides a table of examples: "IT Specialist, GS-2210" becomes "Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning Engineer," "Cloud Engineer/Cloud Architect," or "Digital Services Designer" depending on the role; "Human Resources Specialist, GS-0201" becomes "HR Business Partner" or "Recruiter"; and "Attorney-Advisor, GS-0905" becomes "Appeals Litigation Lead" or "Senior Appeals Counsel." Agencies are directed to audit and revise existing job announcement titles and review working titles for current employees to ensure consistency.