What is the Senior Executive Service?
The Senior Executive Service (SES) was established by the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 as a unique executive corps that would be separate from other Federal personnel systems. It covers most senior managerial, supervisory, and policy positions in the Executive Branch above the GS-15 except for those filled by Presidential appointment or those that are specifically excluded by law. Within Treasury, SES positions are found in all bureaus except the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Office of Thrift Supervision, which have their own executive personnel systems. The SES includes both career and noncareer (political) appointees, but almost all of Treasury’s SES members are career.
The career SES is characterized by members who share a core set of executive skills, a commitment to public service, and a broad perspective of government. Within this "corporate culture," individual agencies are free to select and develop their own executives, but executives are also free to move among agencies. The result is a governmentwide cadre of highly competent leaders who carry out the complex and diverse missions of the Federal government.
What is the SES / Membership Benefits / Becoming a Member / Pay Scale
What can membership in the career SES offer me?
Challenging Work - The career SES covers many of the most critical, visible, and influential positions in the Federal government. Within Treasury, these range from project directors, to top advisors, to heads of bureaus.
Varied Occupations - The SES covers executives from virtually all occupations. Within Treasury, occupations include, but are not limited to: Law Enforcement Officers; Auditors; Economists; Financial Managers; Tax Specialists; Information Technology Specialists; Production Managers; and Attorneys.
Varied Locations - Although most agency headquarters positions are located in Washington, D.C., a fair number of SES positions are found in field locations. Within Treasury, these include such positions as District Directors, Special Agents in Charge, and Service Center Directors.
Special Pay and Benefits - In addition to basic leave, retirement, and insurance benefits and recruitment, retention, and relocation incentives available to other Federal employees, SES members have a separate salary range and enjoy certain benefits not available to other employees:
-- SES members do not have "grades," but are paid at one of six salary rates currently ranging from $102,300 to $118,400, plus additional locality pay that varies by location.
-- Although they earn leave at the same rates as other employees, SES members are permitted to "carry over" much more leave, up to 90 days (720 hours) each year.
-- Employees who experience a geographic move as a career SES member are, in many cases, entitled to reimbursement for a "last move home" upon retirement.
-- Career SES members who are removed from the SES for other than disciplinary reasons are, in most cases, guaranteed placement in a GS-15 position.
Additional Performance-Based Rewards - Career SES members are eligible for performance awards (bonuses) ranging from 5% to 20% of base pay, and for two types of Presidential Rank Awards equal to 20% and 35% of base pay. In addition, SES members may receive awards for inventions, suggestions, superior accomplishments, or productivity gains, in amounts determined by their agencies.
What is the SES / Membership Benefits / Becoming a Member / Pay Scale
How can I become a member?
There are two basic ways to enter the career SES: successful competition for a specific SES vacancy or successful competition for a formal SES Candidate Development Program. Within Treasury, announcements for individual SES vacancies and formal SES Candidate Development Programs are both found at http://www.usajobs.opm.gov/a3.htm
Individuals who apply for a specific vacancy must demonstrate that they meet both the technical and executive qualifications specified in the announcement. An agency Board then considers the qualifications of all eligible candidates and determines the "best qualified." Once a selection is made, the agency must submit the individual’s application to an independent "Qualifications Review Board" for certification of the individual’s executive qualifications. The function of the independent Board is to ensure that individuals entering the career SES possess the five basic executive core qualifications that are required for all SES positions. After certification, the individual is appointed to the SES vacancy specified in the announcement.
Individuals who apply for formal SES Candidate Development Programs must also demonstrate that they meet both the technical and executive qualifications specified in the announcement, but if selected, they are placed in a developmental program instead of an SES position. In addition to considering the candidates’ qualifications and determining the "best qualified," the agency Board works with each selectee to assess his or her executive strengths and weaknesses; assign an SES mentor; develop an Individual Development Plan; monitor performance over a prescribed developmental period; and certify successful completion of the program. The agency still must submit the individual’s application to an independent "Qualifications Review Board" for certification of the individual’s executive qualifications, but certification does not automatically result in an SES appointment. Instead, individuals who are certified in this manner become part of a "pool" who can later be noncompetitively appointed to any SES position for which they qualify. This includes positions in other agencies, regardless of where the individual completed the formal SES Candidate Development Program.
What is the SES / Membership Benefits / Becoming a Member / Pay Scale