Roadmap to the Senior Executive Service, 2nd Edition

How to Find SES Jobs, Determine Your Qualifications, and Develop Your SES Application

Barbara A. Adams, Lee Kelley

• Publisher: Career Pro Global Inc
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9780982322284
• Topic: Personal Development
• Subtopic: Careers

Learn how to find Senior Executive Service (SES) government jobs, determine your qualifications, and develop your application. As a new generation of leaders steps forward to transform the federal government, will you be among them?

Check Point 1

Understanding the Senior Executive Service

UNDERSTANDING THE SES

What is the SES?

There is a great deal of information available on the Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) website about how and why the Senior Executive Service (SES) was formed, but here’s what you really need to know: The SES was created in 1979 as part of the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 to streamline disparate hiring practices across 75 government agencies and to provide an added level of leadership above the GS-15 level.

Since then, the SES has grown, and oversight of the federal government’s most critical functions and programs has grown with it. Today, SES members oversee almost all of the missions taking place within about 75 federal agencies. Their positions include Executive Branch supervisory, policy, and managerial positions classified as higher than General Schedule (GS)-15 or equivalent positions.

Behind only the President of the United States (POTUS) and Presidential appointees, SES members are among the highest-level leaders in our nation’s government.

Serving within Executive Branch federal agencies, SES members lead the way in transforming Presidential policies into the missions and daily activities carried out by thousands of personnel employed by the federal government.

Even while Presidents and their appointees change and move on, SES members remain. They are the link between administrations and federal workers. The nature of their roles demands a commitment to public service and the democratic ideals of our Constitution.

It is no exaggeration to claim that those who make up the SES Corps are among the best leaders in our country, and persons deemed qualified enough to join these ranks can be certain that they, too, are considered “best of the best.” Although more than one person has scoffed at this perhaps over-the-top description of the SES, it really is a level of leadership, management, and oversight reserved for the most elite, high-performing federal executives.

According to OPM, there are close to 9,000 SES positions across the federal government. As with much of the federal government, it is estimated that as much as 90% of current SES members will retire within the next 10 years, and that approximately 75% of all SES positions are located in Washington, D.C.; Maryland; and Virginia. As SES members depart and new positions are created, there will be increased demand for new leaders to join the ranks around the nation.

Learn more about how and why the SES was formed, OPM offers an in-depth history at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/senior-executive-service/overview-history/#url=History.

In addition, this link provides answers to some of the most frequently asked questions: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/senior-executive-service/faqs/.

What Types of SES Positions Are There?

Within the SES, there are two types of positions—Career Reserved and General. Career Reserved positions are those that can be filled only by career appointees. Most SES applicants fall in the category of General, and these positions can be filled through any of the four types of SES appointments described below:

Career Appointments. This is by far the most common type of SES appointment. Individuals hired under Career Appointments must be selected by the hiring agency as “Best Qualified” and then have their executive qualifications approved through OPM.

Non-Career Appointments. Positions filled under Non-Career Appointments must be approved by OPM on a case-by-case basis and are not intended to be long term. Once individuals in these positions leave, appointment authority reverts to OPM, meaning agencies have to once again obtain OPM’s approval to fill the position with another Non-Career Appointment.

Limited-Term Appointments. As the name implies, positions filled under this type of appointment authority are temporary. Limited-Term Appointments cannot exceed three years and the terms are not renewable. Limited-Term Appointments are intended to fill SES positions that are not expected to be needed indefinitely, such as positions created to oversee special projects. At the end of the three years—or sooner if the need ends—the Limited-Term Appointment authority expires, so agencies cannot appoint another individual to the position.

Limited Emergency Appointments. Like Limited-Term Appointments, Limited Emergency Appointments are non-renewable. However, Limited Emergency Appointments have additional, stricter requirements. These appointments last for no more than 18 months and OPM’s authorization for such appointments is granted only when an agency can demonstrate an urgent, unanticipated, and justifiable need for such a position.

Other SES Positions. While SES positions are primarily executive leadership roles, other categories for high-level positions do not fall within the purview of the SES. Since they don’t fall within the SES, they will not be covered in detail. However, to gain a complete understanding of high-level roles in the federal government, it is important to be familiar with these positions.

Scientific or Professional Personnel System (ST)

While previously discussed SES positions focus on executive leadership roles, there are also senior-level positions that are non-executive in nature. These are referred to as Scientific or Professional (ST) positions, and they include senior-level (above GS-15) positions involved in research and development (R&D) fields such as medicine, engineering, and biology.

ST positions are those primarily involved in using or performing experimentation, systematically testing theories or conducting studies, and documenting findings or developing end products. For example, a senior-level cancer researcher would fall under this categorization.

Because these positions emphasize scientific/professional skills over executive abilities, the criteria for working in these positions are different. Usually, ST members:

• hold advanced degrees in their fields;

• are recognized nationally and/or internationally for their expertise;

• have significant research experience;

• have authored works that are regularly cited and used within their fields;

• are regularly sought to serve as advisors for scientific and technological issues; and

• have received important honors and recognitions from the leading organizations in their fields.

How Much Can You Expect To Make in the SES?

Federal agencies have a certain degree of flexibility in terms of pay. Below is the 2020 SES pay scale, and the average pay is approximately $165K annually. You can find this and other related information by conducting an online search for “current SES pay scale” or browsing OPM’s official website.

Salary Table No. 2020-ES
Rates of Basic Pay for Members of the Senior Executive Service (SES)

Effective January 2020

All ST positions are Competitive Service, and, like SES, agencies must have allocations for these positions. While ST members may also perform management or supervisory duties, these do not constitute the majority or focus of their roles.

In fact, ST members are restricted from having more than 25% of their duties fall within supervisory or management responsibilities. If these duties do exceed 25%, these ST members will typically meet the qualifications for classification as SES.

SENIOR-LEVEL POSITIONS (SL)

Prior to 1990, the federal employee pay grades included the grades 16, 17, and 18. However, the Federal Employees Pay Comparability Act of 1990 (FEPCA) eliminated these grade levels, capping General Schedule (GS) positions at 15 and creating the core of positions that comprise Senior-Level positions (SL).

As with ST, the SL category is for non-executive, high-level positions that would not qualify for SES. However, since these positions do not involve significant amounts of scientific research and development, they would not qualify for ST. Instead, SL positions require a great amount of field specialization, but they do not encompass supervisory or management roles as primary functions. A senior attorney is an example of the type of position that would fall under SL.

SL positions are always Competitive Service unless they are specifically “excepted” by regulations or statutes. Similar to ST, SL positions must be allocated by OPM, and members are limited to no more than 25% of their duties in management or supervision. Any amounts over that would likely qualify them for SES.

EXCEPTED SERVICE POSITIONS

OPM provides “Excepted Service” hiring authorities to fill special jobs or to fill any job in unusual or special circumstances. These authorities enable agencies to hire when it is not feasible or simply impractical to use traditional competitive hiring procedures, and can streamline hiring.

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Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• Symbols
• Introduction
• Check Point 1: Understanding the Senior Executive Service
• Check Point 2: Finding SES Jobs and Navigating the Hiring Process
• Check Point 3: Developing an Effective SES Resume
• Check Point 4: Writing Your ECQs and TQs
• Check Point 5: Submitting Your SES Application Materials and Preparing for the Interview
• Roadmap to the SES Checklist
• Executive Toolbox