SES RANKS WITHIN FEDERAL AGENCIES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP92-00420R000300050002-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 28, 2005
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: August 8, 1985
• Content Type: MF

Approved Fol 1 b th7r141':` i ' =06~i~R300050002-4C -C J~
ROUTING AND RECORD SHEET
SUBJECT: (Optional)
STAT
SES Ranks Within Federal Agencies
EXTENSION
NO
FRO
.
C PMCD O
DATE 0 8 AUG 1985
TO: (Officer designation, room number, and
building)
DATE
OFFICER'S
COMMENTS (Number each comment to show from. whom
RECEIVED
FORWARDED
INITIALS
to whom. Draw a line across column after each comment.)
1.
DD/PA E
i
Bob,
2.
In conjunction with our discus-
sion last week regarding the ODF1E
eal to the DDCI of their
a
3.
EO-D/OP
.
pp
Associate Director SIS-03 positions
attached is the information that
been able to gather about
h
we
ave
the SUS hierarchy in the government
5.
DD/0P
STAT
6.
7.
D/OP
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
FORM 6) 0 USE PREVIOUS
1-79 6 EDInoNSApproved For R J 2~~5A14 :I~90% 000300050002 4 3 0 - 411-632
 Approved For /t4 T i 3?30 M 300050002-4
0 8 AUG 1985
VIA: Deputy Director for Policy,
Analysis and Evaluation, OP
Chief, Position Management and
Compensation Division, OP
SUBJECT: SES Ranks Within Federal Agencies
1. In response to your question concerning the hierarchical structure
within the Senior Executive Service (SES) in other federal agencies, the
following is provided.
a. We contacted Navy Department and Commerce Department to discuss
their practices. Both treat the SES levels 1 through 6 as pay rates, not
grades. However, there is an informal three-tier hierarchy in both
organizations in which those employees in the lowest executive tier can
move to the Executive Service (ES) 4 level. In the second tier, employees
may advance to the ES-5 level, and in the third tier, they may advance to
the ES-6 level. All movement is based on performance in the position to
which assigned. The practices in these two agencies are typical of
federal agencies covered by Title 5.
b. The Government Accounting Office (GAO) operates in a manner
similar to other federal agencies, except that they have established an
eight-level SES within the same pay range as the normal six-level SES. In
the GAO system, an informal hierarchy has evolved with all officers
eligible to move to the SES-3 level. To move above that level, an officer
generally must be assigned to a position higher in the organization's
pecking order.
c. The Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) has an SES system which is
patterned after the government-wide SES. However, they do maintain a rank
order with all individuals eligible to move to the SES-3 level, and those
in higher level positions within the organization eligible to move to the
SES-4 level. They apparently do not currently have anyone at the SES-5 or
SES-6 levels.
d. State Department maintains within the Senior Foreign Service (SFS)
a formal three-tier hierarchy. The lowest level, Counselor, allows
movement from the ES-1 to ES-4 pay levels. The second level, Minister-
Counselor, allows placement at the ES-4 and ES-5 pay levels. The highest
level, Career Minister, is reserved for the ES-6 pay level.
Approved For Release 2005/07/14: CIA-RDP92-00420R000300050002-4
ADMINISTRATIVE - INTERNAL USE ONLY
 ADMINISTRATIVE - INTERNAL USE ONLY
Approved For Rj&se 2005/07/14: CIA-RDP92-00420R3 00050002-4
SUBJECT: SES Ranks Within Federal Agencies
2. In each of the above cases, it is at least theoretically possible for
an SES supervisor to have a subordinate SES employee at the same or higher pay
level at the ES-4 and below levels. In practice, both Navy and Commerce see
subordinates at equal or higher pay levels than supervisors fairly
frequently. Both.DIA and GAO say that it could happen, but that their
internal administrative practices are set up to minimize their occurrence.
State Department also tries to minimize the pay disparities within its system,
but does have occasional situations in which a Counselor class supervisor may
have a subordinate Counselor at the same or higher pay level.
3. If you require any additional clarification on this information,
please let me know.
STAT
OP/PMCD/CWP/
(7 Aug 85)
DISTRIBUTION:
Original - Addressee
2 - DD/PA$E
2 - PMCD
2
Approved For Release 2005/07/14: CIA-RDP92-0042OR000300050002-4
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Approved For Release 2005/07/14: CIA-RDP92-0042OR000300050002-4