The Obama administration has drafted an executive order to revamp many policies affecting the Senior Executive Service, including a new emphasis on rotation of execs within and among agencies.
The order would set a goal of having 15 percent of the roughly 7,100 career SES members serve at least a 120 day rotation by the end of 2017. Other elements of the draft being circulated among agencies would boost career development and succession planning and revamp hiring and rating practices.
The order also would call on agencies to better recognize top performers and to assure that execs are paid at least as much as their subordinates. SES members are paid in a range currently about $122,000-$183,000, while in most localities the top ranks of the GS scale exceed the lower figure and range up to $157,800. The average SES salary was $168,200 in 2014, the latest year for which that figure is available.
The order would be the latest in a series of White House initiatives focused on the SES, starting with an announcement this time last year of a new development and rotational program—which recently started with a small initial cadre—and an advisory group on revamping hiring, career development and retention. Also, OPM recently issued rules partly aimed at making SES performance ratings more consistent across agencies, which would help clear the way for more movement.
OPM data show that in 2014, agencies rated 48 percent of career execs at the highest of the four levels and another 42 percent at the second-highest, with performance awards averaging about $11,800 for the former group and $8,900 for the latter, and pay raises of about $3,800 and $3,000, respectively. However, there was wide variation in ratings patterns among agencies.
