1. BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
As a basic requirement for entry into the Senior Executive Service (SES), applicants must provide evidence of progressively responsible executive leadership and supervisory experience that is indicative of senior executive level managerial capability and directly related to the skills and abilities outlined in the Executive Core Qualifications and Technical Qualifications listed below. Typically, experience of this nature will have been gained at or above the GS-15 grade level in the federal service or its equivalent.
This experience should be sufficiently broad in scope and at a major management level in a large or complex organization. The ideal candidate will have experience supervising a large number of employees through subordinate supervisors and have experience hiring, developing, and evaluating employees. As such, your resume should demonstrate that you have the knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully fulfill responsibilities inherent in most SES positions such as:
- Directing the work of an organizational unit;
- Ensuring the success of one or more specific major programs or projects;
- Monitoring progress toward strategic organizational goals, evaluating organizational performance and taking action to improve performance; and
- Supervising the work of employees, developing policy, and other executive functions.
If your experience does not include these basic qualifications, you will not be determined qualified for this position.
2. EXECUTIVE CORE QUALIFICATIONS (ECQs)
The ECQs were designed to assess executive experience and potential, not technical expertise. They measure whether an individual has the broad executive skills needed to succeed in a variety of SES positions. All applicants will be assessed for executive competency against the following five mandatory ECQs.
- ECQ 1: Leading Change - This core qualification involves the ability to bring about strategic change, both within and outside the organization, to meet organizational goals. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to establish an organizational vision and to implement it in a continuously changing environment.
- ECQ 2: Leading People - This core qualification involves the ability to lead people toward meeting the organization's vision, mission, and goals. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to provide an inclusive workplace that fosters the development of others, facilitates cooperation and teamwork, and supports constructive resolution of conflicts.
- ECQ 3: Results Driven - This core qualification involves the ability to meet organizational goals and customer expectations. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to make decisions that produce high-quality results by applying technical knowledge, analyzing problems, and calculating risks.
- ECQ 4: Business Acumen - This core qualification involves the ability to manage human, financial, and information resources strategically.
- ECQ 5: Building Coalitions -This core qualification involves the ability to build coalitions internally and with other Federal agencies, State and local governments, nonprofit and private sector organizations, foreign governments, or international organizations to achieve common goals.
Additionally, the Fundamental Competencies are the personal and professional attributes that are critical to successful performance in the SES and serve as the foundation for each of the ECQs. They are cross-cutting; experience and training that strengthen and demonstrate these competencies will enhance a candidate's overall qualifications for the SES.
- Interpersonal Skills, Oral Communication, Integrity/Honesty, Written Communication, Continual Learning, and Public Service Motivation
Additional information on the ECQs is available at:
https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/senior-executive-service/executive-core-qualifications/.
3. TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS (TQs)
In addition to the ECQs, all applicants must demonstrate accomplishments that would satisfy the following TQs.
- TQ 1 - Demonstrated ability to manage complex financial management and accounting programs for a large government or business entity, including developing policies, implementing major financial management systems, and building a strong, performance-oriented organization.
- TQ 2 - Demonstrated experience and ability to provide authoritative advice and counsel to senior officials on complex financial management activities, including budget formulation, financial statement preparation, management of audits and corrective action plans, and presentation of periodic financial statements of position to management associated with standard general ledger activity.
- TQ 3 - Demonstrated experience managing efforts to resolve complex financial management issues identified by management personnel.
- TQ 4 - Demonstrated ability to build and maintain relationships with agency or national organizational leadership to effectively communicate complex financial matters and support decision-making, as well as communicate effectively with Executive Officials, Congressional staff, and stakeholder groups.