Career advisors from the Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of the Army visited Aberdeen Proving Ground July 14 to 16 to provide an overview of the Army's Civilian Talent Management Program - a new central management talent pool for senior civilians - affecting GS-15 or NSPS upper pay-band 3 equivalents.

Jennifer Bennett and Troy Perry, career advisors with the DUSA Civilian Senior Leadership Development Office, briefed APG GS-15s and answered questions about the program.

They explained that Civilian Talent Management, CTM, aligns the senior civilian management at the GS-15 level with that of colonels, generals and the Senior Executive Service - providing an enterprise view of leadership positions and the available talent.

Bennett said the alignment translates into an equivalent pay grade, opportunities for assignment in multiple commands, educational enhancement and greater visibility of job vacancies through its Talent Pool.

She said that enrollment in CTM is voluntary and that the Army is encouraging the program because it expects to face mobility and retention challenges at the civilian level as a result of base realignment and closure over the next few years.

She said that most listeners responded positively although some expressed concerns with mobility in regard to the geographic mobility portion of the presentation.

"We explained that management mobility includes functional and command mobility as well," she said. "The program is about career development. Employees identify the specific position they are interested in. We need to know their preferences to develop senior leaders."

What is Civilian Talent Management'

Civilian Talent Management is an initiative designed to fuse the Army's current and projected civilian leadership requirements with the individual employee's desires for reassignment and career growth. Currently, the Army has only limited visibility of its senior civilian workforce and the positions that they occupy.

What are the first steps of the program'

The first major step to the central management of senior civilians is talent pool registrations. Because the number of eligible members of the talent pool is more than 11,000, registration is being phased per location/command. Career advisors will visit the eligible population in 25 central locations, offering program presentations and answering questions. The drive continues through early October.

Why is this important to the Army'

Developing and managing the civilian corps is beneficial to employees, commanders and the Army as a whole. The expected outcomes for employees are greater visibility of opportunities, increased support of professional goals and potential, and improved knowledge transfer between transitioning personnel. Commanders receive timely vacancy forecasting and knowledge transfer, a reduction of lost productivity that accompanies vacancies, and improved succession planning. In addition, the Army optimizes its talent exchange, acquires greater visibility of vacancies and available talent pool, and gains senior leaders with a broad perspective who operate well in complex environments.

How will the Civilian Talent Management Program work'

The Civilian Talent Management Office will collaborate with Army organizations to determine existing or projected vacancies, anticipate succession planning and develop slates of registered members of the talent pool for leaders to consider.

What are the next steps'

The initial focus of the CTMO is on 383 positions identified by Army senior leaders as Army Enterprise Positions. The Army defines AEPs as those leading strategic thought, providing long-term planning and execution

For more information, Department of the Army civilians can sign onto AKO to access the Civlian Senior Leader Development Office Web site, https://www.csldo.army.mil.
The CTM interim policy is also posted on the Web site.