The SES should be split into a local agency or department-specific SES corps and a mobile, national SES corps where rotational assignments and work among multiple agencies at different levels of government or in the private sector would be the norm, the report argues.
Other recommendations include:
OPM and OMB should review all existing SES to determine whether some ought to be re-classified as senior scientific or professional personnel;
OPM should consolidate SES program functions into a single office – something OPM has already announced that it is doing; it should phase out the use of written narratives to evaluate SES candidates in favor of more applicant-friendly tools;
OPM should work with Congress to abolish the centralized qualifications review board;
Congress should sever the link between its pay and SES pay. This linkage can result in subordinates earning more than senior executives. Congress should also establish a program to allow senior leaders to go to private sector jobs on loan and vice versa for the sake of development.
