5.2 Policy. It is the policy of the Service to establish a program for the training and development of candidates for Senior Executive Service (SES) positions through participation in the Department's Senior Executive Service Candidate Development Program (SESCDP). The Service must also provide for the continuing development of SES members. All employees who are eligible will have equal access to developmental activities without regard to age, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, politics or sex.

5.3 Objectives. The Service participates in Executive Development Programs as a means to:

A. Strengthen the quality of leadership throughout the Service.

B. Foster a comprehensive understanding of the mission and functions of the Service, including how they relate to the overall Department mission and how strategic policy and program matters are formulated and carried out in the socio-political setting.

C. Provide opportunities for career employees to undertake a planned program of individual development leading to greater leadership responsibilities.

D. Provide the Service with a sufficient number of qualified executives to meet its present and future needs.

E. Identify and stimulate the growth of promising employees by exposing them to a wide and diverse range of activities designed to broaden their perspective, sharpen their judgment, and expand their management abilities.

5.4 Responsibilities.

A. The Director is responsible for the overall effective operation of the program.

B. The Assistant Director - Policy, Budget and Administration provides direction to the administration of an effective program and ensures management commitment to its goals and objectives.

C. The Chief, Division of Personnel Management administers the executive development program and assures that executive development is an integral part of the total personnel management operation, and that all activities associated with the program are carried out in accordance with Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and Departmental regulations. The Chief also announces and administers the SESCDP and ensures that necessary paperwork is completed for SES certification of graduates.

D. The Chief, Office of Training and Education is responsible for career development and training of SESCDP candidates once they are selected for the program and announces, coordinates, and administers all other Departmental and OPM executive development programs.

E. The Chief, Office for Human Resources ensures that executive development programs are implemented fairly and equitably.

5.5 Definitions.

A. An Executive is one who occupies a position in the SES or comparable executive system.

B. An Executive Candidate is an individual who is participating in an OPM approved executive development program.

C. Executive Development is a formal, planned process for improving executive effectiveness through participation in developmental experiences, e.g., developmental work assignments, formal training or education, or coaching. Both incumbent executives and candidates may participate in executive development programs.

D. The Executive Resources Board (ERB) is comprised of top-level Departmental officials selected by the Secretary. The Board is responsible for providing the overall direction and management of executive development programs and recommending selection of individuals for participation in the programs. By overseeing preparation and implementation of executive Individual Development Plans, the ERB ensures that there is an appropriate "fit" between the agency's requirements and each individual's career development needs.

5.6 Executive Development Program.

A. SES Candidate Development.

(1) Description. The Service participates in the Department's SESCDP, a 15-month collateral duty program or a 6-month full-time program, which emphasizes training within five SES Executive Core Qualifications: Strategic Vision, Human Resources Management, Program Development and Evaluation, Resources Planning and Management, and Organizational Representation and Liaison. These qualifications are used by the OPM's Qualifications Review Board in certifying the executive qualifications of candidates for career positions in the SES. An SES candidate's record must document experience, training, education, and/or potential to assume leadership responsibilities in these activity areas for successful certification. Certification is valid for a period of 3 years, during which time graduates will be eligible for placement in an SES position without competition. The program is announced throughout the Service by the Division of Personnel Management.

(2) Advisor/Mentor. The SES candidate stage represents a critical period of transition from internal managerial concerns of the Service to a broader policy level focus where the larger Service concerns and external environment of the Service become increasingly important. Experienced executives, acting as senior advisors to SES candidates, can make a major contribution in facilitating this transition. They can use their own experience and insight into executive life in serving as anchor points, facilitators, and sounding boards for candidates in the design and implementation of individual career development strategies that will meet both individual needs and Service human resource requirements. The role of mentors is one of Individual Development Plan (IDP) counseling, career strategy advising, role modeling, monitoring/feedback, and sponsoring/mediating. Candidates are required to be assigned a senior advisor from the SES upon entering an executive development program.

(3) Evaluation and Reporting. Candidates in executive development programs must prepare evaluations following completion of the developmental experiences identified in their IDP's. In addition, candidates are to prepare quarterly reports describing and updating the developmental progress made during the reporting periods. Reports will not be required when developmental activities are not scheduled or when additions or changes have not been made to an IDP during a reporting period. When appropriate, evaluations of a participant's performance during developmental work assignments should be prepared by responsible supervisory officials. All reports and evaluations will be forwarded to the Chief, Office of Training and Education.

(4) Mobility. Candidates are expected to accept temporary developmental assignments which may involve organizational, functional, and/or geographical mobility. Ultimate placement in an SES position may require permanent relocation.

(5) Placement. Upon successful completion of an OPM-approved SES candidate development program, the candidate will be certified as eligible for an SES position and may be placed in such a position without competition. Completion of the program does not ensure the candidate of future advancement; however, program graduates do constitute an excellent source of qualified employees for senior executive positions.

B. SES Forum Series. The SES Forum Series, offered each year by OPM, provides convenient cost-effective training opportunities for top level government officials. The forums cover a wide range of topics relevant to the major missions and programs of Federal agencies. The forums are announced by the Department, with the catalog distributed by the Office of Training and Education.

C. Sabbatical. The Department periodically announces an SES Sabbatical Program for career members of the SES. It establishes a framework whereby senior executives can be approved for sabbaticals lasting from 3-11 months in the private or public sector, or in a college or university. The objectives of the Sabbatical Program are to provide for the continuous development of senior executives to increase their individual and organizational effectiveness, to add a developmental tool to the array of programs available for senior executives, and to focus attention on and make a significant contribution to the advancement of the Secretary's initiatives.

5.7 Individual Development Plan (IDP).

A. Description. The individual development planning process will be used in recording developmental work assignments and formal training (see Exhibit 1). An IDP is an annually prepared schedule of developmental experiences that are designed to meet specific developmental objectives. It should be developed by the executive and the immediate supervisor, with input from the senior advisor. IDP's are required for SES members, probationary executives, and SESCDP candidates.

B. Assessment. The individual development planning process begins with an assessment of the employee's developmental needs in terms of the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for an SES position, the organization's executive work force needs and the individual's career development goals.

C. Executive Abilities and Competencies are developed by gaining executive and managerial skills and experiences in a variety of progressively responsible positions. SES members and executive candidates in development programs should analyze their needs and devise IDP's that emphasize and reflect developmental work assignments as one of the principal means of developing executive abilities and competencies.

D. Developmental Work Assignments may be located within or outside the Department and vary in terms of length. They usually include details, task force and committee memberships, understudy and special assistant roles, rotational assignments and personnel exchanges. Assignments may be Region to Region, Washington to Region, or Region to Washington. They should be prearranged with the appropriate host organization and confirmed in writing. The Intergovernmental Personnel Act of 1970, 370 DM 334, provides for assignments to State governments and universities (see 370 DM 920, 4.5, Detail Assignments). Developmental work assignments should be focused on obtaining the SES Executive Core Qualifications.

E. Formal Training Programs are available from Government and nongovernment sources. OPM sponsors courses or programs of interest to executives through the Federal Executive Institute at Charlottesville, Virginia; Management Development Seminar Centers in Pennsylvania (Lancaster), Tennessee (Oak Ridge), and Colorado (Denver); and their Washington, D.C. training center. In addition, many colleges and universities offer excellent executive and managerial training programs. SES candidates are required to complete a formal development program of from 2-8 weeks in duration during their development period.