SIS CEILING

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP83M00914R002400190012-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 17, 2006
• Sequence Number: 12
• Publication Date: March 5, 1982
• Content Type: MEMO

5011-102 OPTIONAL FORM 41 (Rev. 7-76)
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ROUTING AND TRANSMITTAL SLIP
TO: (Name, office symbol, room number,
Initials
Date
building, Agency/Post)
1. xecutivc
Pegistry
ction
File __
Mote and Return
Approval
s Requested
For Clearance
For Correction
Per Conversation _
Prepare Reply
!
Circulate
For Your Information
See Me
ornment
Investigate
Signature
Coordination
i f Justify
clearances, and similar actions
FROM: (Name, org. symbol, Agency/Post)
 Approved For Release 20
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5 W-pR 1982.
James N. Glerum
Director of Personnel
SUBJECT : SIS Ceiling
1. I am forwarding the following information that supports an
increase in Agency SIS ceiling for your review prior to our meeting on
this important subject. I have subdivided my continents into six categories
for discussion purposes:
a) General observations and arguments that distinguish
Agency senior position requirements from other Intelligence
Community organization senior position requirements.
b) The basis for justifying and controlling our SIS
position structure.
c) A statistical history of our supergrade/SIS positions,
ceiling and on-duty strength from 1976 to 1982. (Tab A)
d) New or expanded Agency programs that will create
additional SIS position requirements.
e) Existing ceiling constraint impact on the management
of the SIS program.
f) Recommended DCI approach to NB outlining new ceiling
requirements and internal management of our SIS ceiling in
relation to SIS position requirements. Suggested draft letter
from the DCI to the Director, CMB. (Tab B)
2. General observations and arguments that distinguish Agency senior
position requirements from other Intelligence Community organizations'
senior position requirements:
SECRET
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SUBJECT: SIS Ceiling
a. CIA is a separate and independent organization responsible
for collection, evaluation and production of a wide variety of national
level intelligence, whereas other Intelligence Community organizations
are subordinate to departmental level entities and have a more
specialized intelligence mission. CIA's management responsibilities
for internal programs as well as programs conducted jointly with other
agencies dictate a higher ratio of executive level positions than other
intelligence organizations who are managed and supported in part from
the departmental level.
b. CIA's sole management of a diverse and complex support
mechanism including administration, communications, legal and cover
considerations on a world-wide basis set Administration executive
position requirements apart from the rest of the Community.
c. CIA by the nature of its mission and programmatic responsibilities
is a multi-disciplinary organization, requiring in-house professional
and academic expertise in an extremel wide range of disciplines and
occupations. There are approximately different professional occupatsl
represented in the Agency and in order to manage this diverse group, 2 x1
of our SIS cadre hold advanced degrees. All of this leads to the
requirement for senior analytical and managerial talent.
d. CIA has a large number of diverse programs spread world-wide
that require senior executive level positions even though program
staffing is relatively small. Therefore, normal ratios of SIS positions
to our total population is not appropriate.
3. The basis for justifying and controlling our SIS position structure.
a. Although exempt from the Classification Act of 1949, the
Agency has historically followed the Government-wide concept of equal
pay for substantially equal work in the classification of positions.
This principle extends to Senior Intelligence Service positions
which we classify through a carefully managed job evaluation process
based on many of the agreed-upon Government-wide evaluation factors
and tailored to our requirements. For example, in the evaluation of
SIS positions, the level and scope of substantive responsibilities
are of paramount importance with organizational placement and managerial/
supervisory considerations representing only a portion of the factors
considered. This approach ensures that marginal managerial positions
which might otherwise qualify for the SIS level are not classified to
that level if they do not contain the complexities and substantive
knowledges typical of our strongest. SIS positions. On the non-manage-
rial side, we have developed strict classification criteria for
application to senior analyst positions within the Intelligence
Directorate, and we are currently working on the same type of criteria
for senior scientific positions within the Science and Technology
Directorate. The above approaches have resulted in a judicious and
deliberate use of SIS positions within the Agency.
2
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SUBJECT: SIS Ceiling
b. The classification system is centrally administered by
the Director of Personnel through a staff of approximately ^ fully 25x1
trained position management officers. All actions pertaining to
SIS positions are personally approved by the Deputy Director of
Central Intelligence. Through a process of cyclical classification
surveys, all Agency positions including those classified to the
SIS level are reviewed at a minimum of every three to five years.
c. In summary, the Agency has established criteria for the
evaluation of SIS level positions which are similar but, in our
opinion, more precise and restrictive than those applied in most
other Government agencies. In addition, we classify positions
.according to SIS level whereas the only SES requirement is to
determine that the position meets SES threshold criteria. Strong
internal controls also are in place which ensure that each action.
is reviewed at the highest levels of the Agency. Therefore, we
believe that sufficient controls exist internally to support the
establishment of SIS ceiling as an internal Agency matter.
4. A statistical history of our supergrade/SIS positions, ceiling
and on-duty strength from 1976 to 1982.
a. Tab A reflects SIS or SIS equivalent positions (supergrade,
Scientific Pay Scale (SPS), EP-5 and EP-4), ceiling, percentage
of ceiling to positions and the on-duty strength from 1976 through
1982. You will notice that the percentage of ceiling to SIS positions
ranges from a high of 106% in 1976 to a low of 89% in 1982, a difference
of 17%. It would be unrealistic to expect a return to 100% or higher;
therefore, I suggest that we consider a mid-point between 89% and 100%,
i.e., a ceiling of 94% of SIS positions. We currently haveE~ppr d
SIS positions on the books and a?projection of0additional SIS 25x1
positions for a total of Applying the 94% formula our SI ingi
would beF an increase o over our current ceiling of 25x1
25X1
b. Please note that on-duty strength has never exceeded 25x1
authorized ceiling. Historically, a portion of that ceiling has
been held in the DCI reserve for new hires and other contingencies,
and I would suggest that we continue this practice.
S. New or expanded Agency programs that will require additional SIS
position requirements.
a. Directorate of Operations: we project a requirement for a
minimum of 4 new positions over the next 12 months. These requirements
result from the emphasis on increasing our intelligence collection
efforts and expanding our covert action capabilities.
.b. Intelligence Directorate: we project a requirement for
12 new SIS positions over the next 12 months. These requirements
are in support of our senior analyst program and a new program
focused on the consolidation of analytical development methodologies
in the computer area into a centralized service.
SE Er
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SUBJECT: SIS Ceiling
c. DCI area: we will experience requirements for 4 additional
SIS positions for the expansion of the National Intelligence Emergency
Preparedness Staff.
d. Science and Technology Directorate: we project a requirement
,for .3 new SIS positions over the next 12 months. These requirements
are reflective of new initiatives and in increased tasking for covert
equipment and to provide senior positions for new highly sensitive
technical analysis projects.
.e. Administration Directorate: we project requirements for
5 new SIS positions over the next 12 months. These requirements are
in support of, a Community-wide information management system (CM.IS)
to provide essential automated support to the Intellicence Community
f. In summary, the near-term requirements that we are currently
aware of are as follows:
r____1 25X1
DDO
DDI
DDSU
DDA
Total
6. Existing ceiling constraint impact on the management of the SIS
program.
a. Limited SIS ceiling creates a continuing juggling act for
each bi-annual SIS promotion exercise. Career Service promotion
recommendations for deserving officers assigned to SIS positions
normally exceed available headroom. Therefore, it is often
necessary to limit the number of promotions from GS-15 to SIS-1
which clearly impacts on morale and level of performance.
'b. More importantly, Career Service SIS ceiling should be
expanded now in order for them to attract or promote officers to
manage new or expanded programs projected through 1985.
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 Approved For. Release 2006S1 1LATRDP83M00914R002400190012-7
SUBJECT: SIS Ceiling
7. Recommended DCI approach to CMB outlining new ceiling
requirements and internal management of our SIS ceiling in relation
to SIS position requirements.
a. I believe it would be appropriate for the Director to
advise OMB that our percentage of SIS ceiling in relation to SIS
position requirements has been declining since 1976 from 106% to
89.5%, and that we must at least return to the 94% level in order
to promote and retain qualified SIS officers to manage or serve as
senior analysts in the successful accomplishment of the Agency's
mission. I also believe that the Director should advise OMB that
he intends to manage Agency SIS ceiling in relation to position
requirements. In other words, a constant percentage of 94% would
be acceptable versus equating ceiling to positions (i.e. 100% ceiling).
Furthermore, ceiling would be adjusted periodically using the fixed
percentage of 94% and, therefore, total SIS ceiling would increase
or decrease in relation to the number of SIS position requirements.
Based on the current number of SIS positions plus projected require-
ments we i Pare aware of, the new SIS ceiling would be l an 25X1
increase over the current Ifigure. I consider this to be 25x1
a reasonable proposal and it would eliminate future SIS ceiling
disparities. The assignment of GS-l5 officers to SIS positions
coupled with SIS retirements during any fiscal year should offset the
difference of 6% between ceiling and SIS positions.
b. As evidenced in Tab A, I would suggest that the Director
point out to OMB that our on-duty SIS strength has never exceeded
the authorized ceiling and that with internal management of our
SIS ceiling this would continue to be the case.
c. Lastly, and as a matter. of routine, we should advise
OMB of ceiling adjustments on an annual basis. Tab B contains
a draft letter from the DCI to CMB outlining our proposed course
of action.
Id J r~r _'o
James.N. Glerum
Attachments
Distribution:
Orig. Adse
Y- D/OP w/atts 1 - ER Watts
1
- Subject w/atts / L?'c~J
1
- Chrono
OP/PA&E/C/SIS/SS
dla (2 Mar. 82)
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