Stronger Emphasis on Performance for Execs

Another of the government-wide provisions of the DoD bill instructs the Office of Personnel Management to reform the way pay is set for Senior Executive Service members. The measure calls for abolishing the current six-level SES pay system and replacing it with individualized pay for execs “based on individual performance, contribution to the agency’s performance, or both, as determined under a rigorous performance management system.” The minimum rate would remain at the current level of 120 percent of that for GS-15, step 1. The top pay rate would range up to Executive Schedule Level II (currently $154,700) for agencies with rating systems certified by OPM as making “meaningful distinctions based on relative performance.” For other agencies, the cap would remain at the current Executive Schedule Level III (currently $142,500), which applies to combined SES basic pay and locality pay.