United States

Office of Personnel Management

Office of Merit Systems Oversight and Effectiveness

Digest of Significant Classification Decisions and Opinions

August 1994

No. 19-09

Standard:	General Schedule Supervisory Guide (April 1993)

Factor:	Factor 2, Organizational Setting

Issue:	Identifying deputy positions

Identification of the Classification Issue

This issue arose in connection with a request for reconsideration of an appeal decision issued by an Office of Personnel Management region. The appellant's position was located in an organization headed by a position that was recognized as equivalent to the Senior Executive Service level. The appellant reported to a position that was informally designated as "deputy" for a specific portion of the overall organization. The appellant contended that his position should be credited with Level 2-3, since, in his view, the "deputy" position to which he reported represented the same reporting level as the head of the organization.

Resolution

The General Schedule Supervisory Guide defines "deputy" as follows:

A position that serves as an alter ego to a manager of high rank or level and either fully shares with the manager the direction of all phases of the organization's program or is assigned continuing responsibility for managing a major part of the manager's program when the total authority for the organization is equally divided between the manager and the deputy. A deputy's opinion or direction is treated as if given by the chief.

The "deputy" concept used in the General Schedule Supervisory Guide is intended to cover a limited number of positions that fit one of two very specific situations. The first situation is the traditional organizational arrangement where a position is designated as a full assistant to the organization head and shares in the management of the entire organization. This "alter ego" arrangement requires that the deputy be authorized to make management decisions affecting the organization without prior clearance by the chief. The second situation describes an organizational arrangement where the chief and the deputy have responsibility for management of an equal (or nearly equal) portion of the total organization.

Only one position in an organization can meet the General Schedule Supervisory Guide definition of "deputy." Positions which do not share fully in the direction of the entire organization or direct an equal half of the total organization do not meet the guide's definition of "deputy."

For work direction and performance appraisal, the appellant reported to a position referred to as "deputy.' However, the day-to-day management responsibilities of this position extended to only a portion of the organization. The chief of the organization retained full authority for managing the total organization, and another subordinate position served as a full assistant to the chief, sharing fully in the direction of all phases of the organization's work. The appellant's supervisor exercised full managerial authority over the entire organization only in the absence of both the chief and the full deputy. Thus, the position occupied by the appellant's supervisor did not meet the General Schedule Supervisory Guide definition of "deputy."