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EI-30Federal Employment Information Fact Sheets
Senior Executive Service
The Senior Executive Service (SES)
The SES is a corps of men and women who administer public programs at the top levels of the Federal Government. Positions are primarily managerial and supervisory. The SES is a gradeless system in which salary is linked to individual performance. Basic annual salaries range from $117,787 to $162,900; however, an agency with a certified SES performance appraisal system can set basic pay at rates up to $177,000. Members of the SES are not eligible for locality pay. Additional recruitment incentives may be offered when filling some SES positions. These incentives are described below. The SES web page contains additional information and resources on the SES (www.opm.gov/ses/index.asp).
How SES Jobs Are Filled
Each Federal agency determines the qualifications required for its SES positions, and whether to consider only current Federal civil service appointees or all qualified candidates.
There are two methods of entry into the career SES:
- Apply directly to a Federal agency for a specific SES position.
- Apply for a Federal Agency's SES Candidate Development Program (SESCDP), which can lead to eligibility for a career appointment to an SES position without further competition. (See "Candidate Development Programs" below.)
Qualifications Requirements
An applicant must meet two types of qualifications for any SES position:
- The Executive Core Qualifications, which apply to every SES position; and
- Specific, professional/technical qualifications (if any) for the position being advertised.
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has identified five Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) common to all SES positions. The ECQs are:
- Leading Change
- Leading People
- Results Driven
- Business Acumen
- Building Coalitions
The full text of the ECQs can be viewed at www.opm.gov/ses/recruitment/ecq.asp. They are the mandatory executive qualification standards for every SES position. Agencies may also identify specific professional/technical qualifications for the position being filled. The qualification standards for an advertised SES position are listed in the agency's vacancy announcement. Applicants need to obtain a copy of the agency's vacancy announcement to respond to these requirements.
Examination Process
A Federal agency:
- reviews, rates, and ranks applicants based on the executive qualifications and the professional/technical qualifications (if any) listed in the vacancy announcement;
- makes a final selection from among the best-qualified applicants, and
- submits a case to OPM for Qualifications Review Board (QRB) certification of the selectee's Executive Core Qualifications.
OPM convenes Qualifications Review Boards to determine whether agency selectees have the executive qualifications required for the SES. An agency may not appoint the selectee unless a QRB approves.
Recruitment Area
Agencies decide how to fill a vacant SES position. If they choose to advertise the position (as opposed to choosing a noncompetitive alternative), they also determine the recruitment area. There are two choices: "all groups of qualified individuals within the civil service" or "all groups of qualified individuals". Potential applicants should review the WHO MAY BE CONSIDERED item in a vacancy announcement to determine the recruitment area.
The "civil service" consists of all persons who occupy positions in the executive judicial, and legislative branches, including those in excepted service positions. Experts and consultants who occupy appointive positions and individuals in the Postal Service and the Postal Rate Commission are also included. Positions in the uniformed services (the armed forces, the Commissioned Corps of the Public Health Service, and the Commissioned Corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and the District of Columbia Government are not part of the Federal civil service. A person is considered to be in the civil service only if occupying a civil service position at the time of application. When competitive recruitment for an SES position is limited to the civil service, SES reinstatement eligibles outside the civil service may apply for noncompetitive consideration for that position.
Recruitment Incentives
When an agency experiences exceptional difficulty in recruiting highly qualified applicants for SES positions, it may authorize:
- payment of recruitment or relocation bonuses up to 25% of base pay (or up to 100%, if approved by OPM); or
- waiver of the dual compensation restrictions that apply to civil service retirees; or
- designation of the position for critical pay authority whereby total annual salary may be established up to the Executive Schedule Level I rate (currently $196,700 per annum).
How to Apply
In OPM's USAJOBS system, check the specific job entry for a full text vacancy announcement. If the announcement is not available through the system, call the agency contact for a copy of the vacancy announcement. Ask for additional information about specific application procedures and detailed qualifications requirements.
Submit your application in accordance with the instructions shown on the vacancy announcement.
Be alert to announcement closing dates and apply promptly to meet them. Agencies may issue announcements for as few as 14 calendar days.
Candidate Development Programs
Some, but not all, Federal agencies have SES Candidate Development Programs to identify and develop potential executive talent. Graduates of OPM-approved SESCDPs may be submitted to OPM for a Qualifications Review Board to certify that they possess the Executive Core Qualifications. QRB certified graduates of OPM approved SESCDPs advertised to "all groups of qualified individuals within the civil service" or "all groups of qualified individuals" are eligible for a career appointment to the SES without further competition. However, graduates are not guaranteed an SES position.
Other Opportunities
From time to time, other vacancies will be listed on USAJOBS that are not in the SES, but are in a comparable pay range. These include but are not limited to Senior Level (SL) positions and high level scientific and professional (ST) positions. Contact the organization listed to determine the specific qualification requirements and application procedures.
Electronic Information
Vacancy announcement information is available through USAJOBS:
Internet: World Wide Web (www.usajobs.gov)
Automated Telephone System 1/703-724-1850
The present SES Rates of Basic Pay are (effective January 2009):
| Agencies with a Certified SES Performance Appraisal System |
117787 |
177000 |
| Agencies without a Certified SES Performance Appraisal System |
117787 |
162900 |
Note that, by regulation, rates of basic pay above the rate for Level III of the Executive Schedule (i.e., $162,900) but less than or equal to the rate for Executive Level II (i.e., $177,000) generally are reserved for those newly appointed senior executives who possess superior leadership or other competencies, as determined by the agency.
AS OF: 10/26/2009
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