| n Competitive Service n Excepted Service n Senior Executive Service (SES) |
The purpose of the SES is to ensure that the executive management of the Government is responsive to the needs, policies, and goals of the nation and otherwise of the highest quality. To achieve this purpose, the CSRA provided greater authority to agencies in managing their executive resources.
The Office of Personnel Management issued an on-line Guide to the Senior Executive Service providing general information and key features on the SES.
Coverage: The SES includes various executive and managerial positions
classified above GS-15 of the General Schedule or in level IV or V of the Executive
Schedule, or an equivalent position, and which do not require appointment by the President
with Senate confirmation. SES members are the
major link between the top Presidential appointees and the rest of the Federal work force.
The SES excludes positions in the foreign service and SES-type systems authorized by law
for certain law enforcement or intelligence programs, and non-managerial positions above
grade GS-15 in the Senior Level (SL) and Scientific and Professional (ST) systems.
Size: Agencies can establish positions, within their allocation of
position spaces from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM),
without further OPM approval. There are approximately 7,000 positions government-wide.
Structure: There are two types of positions. About half are "career
reserved," which must be filled only by career appointees to ensure impartiality, or
the public’s confidence in impartiality of Government (e.g., law enforcement). The
remainder are "general," which may be filled by any SES
appointee, whether career, noncareer, or limited (up to three years for "term"
and up to 18 months for "emergency").
Appointment: For initial career SES appointment, an individual must be
certified in the five executive core qualifications prescibed by OPM. The executive core
qualifications are: leading change, leading people, results driven, business acumen, and
building coalitions/communication. An OPM Qualifications Review Board reviews and
certifies the executive core qualifications of initial SES career apointees. In addition,
each agency sets job-specific technical qualification requirements for its SES positions.
Agencies conduct merit staffing for initial career SES appointments under the direction of
an Executive Resource Board. All SES vacancies are listed in OPM's USAJOBS. Veteran
preference and the "rule of three" as applied to the selection of candidates for
appointment in the competitive service do not apply to appointment in the SES. There is a
one-year probationary period following initial career appointment to the SES. Agencies may
make noncareer and limited SES appointments without competition.
Reassignment and Transfer: SES members may be reassigned to any SES
position in the same agency for which qualified, but career appointees must have at least
15 days advance written notice (60 days if reassigned between commuting areas). They may
be removed from the service for failing to accept a directed reassignment. SES members may
transfer to another agency that agrees to employment, but may not be involuntarily
transferred. Career appointees are entitled to accompany their position in a transfer of
function between agencies.
Compensation: There are six basic pay rates; ES-1 must be at least 120
percent of GS-15, step 1, and ES-6 may not exceed Executive Schedule level IV. The basic
pay rates for 1998 are ES-1 = $99,200; ES-2 = $103,900; ES-3 = $108,600; ES-4 = 114,500;
ES-5 = $118,400; ES-6 = $118,400. SES members in the U.S. (excluding Alaska and Hawaii)
are eligible in 1998 for the same locality-based comparability payments as received by the
General Schedule. Career SES members may receive performance awards from 5% to 20% of
basic pay, based on performance during the annual appraisal period. The President awards
career members the rank of Distinguished Executive (up to 1% annually), with a $20,000
stipend, and Meritorious Executive (up to 5% annually), with a $10,000 stipend for
sustained accomplishments over a period of at least three years. Basic pay and other
compensation (e.g., awards and allowances) during a calendar year may not exceed pay for
Executive Schedule level I ($151,800). Any excess amount is paid at the start of the next
calendar year.
Other Benefits: There is a 90-day (720 hour) limit on
the amount of annual leave an SES member may carry over from one leave year to the next.
Additional leave accumulated prior to October 1994 is protected under a personal leave
ceiling. Agency heads may grant a sabbatical of up to 11 months for career members who
have at least seven years of service (at least two years in the SES), are not eligible for
retirement, and agree to remain in Government for two years after the sabbatical.
Career members are entitled to moving expenses ("last move home") at retirement
if they were previously reassigned or transferred geographically when eligible for
retirement (optional or discontinued service), or within five years of eligibility for
optional retirement.
Performance Evaluation: An agency’s appraisal system must have three
to five rating levels, including a fully successful level, a minimally satisfactory level,
and an unsatisfactory level. The supervisor establishes performance elements and standards
in consultation with the executive. The supervisor proposes an annual rating, which is
reviewed by the executive before it is forwarded to an agency Performance Review Board.
When reviewing a career SES appraisal, a majority of the Board must be career SES. The
final rating is by the agency head or designee.
member may not appeal this removal to the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), but may request an informal hearing. A RIF removal can be appealed to MSPB for agency compliance with competitive RIF procedures. Career SES members removed from the SES are entitled to fallback to GS-15 (unless appointed to the SES from outside Government or from a noncareer-type appointment, and removed during probation). Disciplinary removal procedures and rights are similar to those for competitive service employees.
