Dear
Bureaupat,
I'm
an aspiring federal worker who is interested in increased responsibilities. I
have risen up the GS ranks fairly quickly and I'm currently a GS-14. Can you tell me more about the Senior Executive Service and if I have a chance
in obtaining an appointment?
Dear
Aspiring Fed,
You
sound like a fast burner, so don't burn out! Your chance will come, as
long as you have the knowledge, skills, experience and background.
The
Senior Executive Service (SES) is comprised of the men and women charged with
leading the continuing transformation of our government. With more than 1.8 million civilian employees in the Federal
Government and only 7,467
career, non-career, and limited-term members of the SES, the competition is
stiff, especially for younger feds.
This
was recently noted by Carol Bonasaro, president of the Senior Executive Association,
who said the SES is facing a number of issues as it
looks to the future, one of them being attracting a new generation to the
group.
Members of the SES serve in the key positions just
below the top Presidential appointees. For a qualitative comparison example,
SES members working in the Department of Defense (DoD) have status
equivalent to general or admiral rank of their uniformed counterparts. In
general, SES members are the major link between the presidential appointees and
the rest of the Federal (civil service) work force. At the executive level,
they operate and oversee nearly every government activity in approximately 75
Federal agencies.
The SES includes most
managerial, supervisory, and policy positions classified above General Schedule
(GS) grade 15 or equivalent positions in the Executive Branch of the Federal
Government.
These positions are
excluded:
- positions requiring appointment by the
President with Senate confirmation;
- legislative and judicial branch positions;
- positions in law enforcement and intelligence
gathering agencies, in the Foreign Service, and in other agencies excluded
by statute or by the President.
Is
it worth the extra responsibility and the job title? I'll leave that for you to judge.
There are many detractors: more responsibility, more risk.
You'll work late hours and telecommute on evenings and weekends for pay
that is not much different than a GS-15. However, if you're saying, "Gee, I really want to do this because it is important work," then it may be
for you.
Yours in Gov,
Bureaupat
Read More Q&A from Bureaupat:
[+] What tenure group does the Senior Executive Service (SES) fall into?
[+] Does my 21 months of federal service count towards a career federal appointment?
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