
The Senior Executive Service (SES) was created by Title IV of the Civil Service Reform Act (CSRA) of 1978, enacted by President Jimmy Carter. It became effective in 1979, on July 13, and aimed to ensure that the US government's executive management was responsive to the nation's needs and of the highest quality. SES members are selected for their leadership qualifications and serve in key positions just below top presidential appointees, acting as a link between them and the federal workforce. SES positions are considered above the GS-15 level of the General Schedule and offer increased advancement opportunities and performance-linked compensation.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of the law | Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 |
| Year created | 1978 |
| Year went into effect | 1979 |
| Title | Title IV |
| Purpose | To ensure that the executive management of the Government of the United States is responsive to the needs, policies, and goals of the nation and is of the highest quality |
| Type of service | Third, separate from competitive and excepted services |
| Applicability | Managerial, supervisory, and policy positions in the Executive Branch of the Federal Government |
| Pay | Designed to attract and retain highly competent senior executives |
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What You'll Learn
- The Senior Executive Service (SES) was created by the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978
- The Act was passed on October 13, 1978, and went into effect on July 13, 1979
- The SES is a position classification in the US federal civil service
- SES members serve in key positions just below top presidential appointees
- The SES was designed to ensure the US government is responsive to the nation's needs

The Senior Executive Service (SES) was created by the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978
The SES is a classification of positions in the United States federal civil service, equivalent to general or flag officer rank in the US Armed Forces. It includes managerial, supervisory, and policy positions above the General Schedule (GS) grade 15 level in the Executive Branch of the Federal Government. SES members serve in key positions just below top presidential appointees and act as a link between them and the rest of the federal workforce.
SES career appointees have civil service protections and can only be fired or suspended for specific reasons, such as misconduct or neglect of duty. They are also eligible for the Presidential Rank Awards program. SES pay is determined by the agency within certain parameters, with a minimum pay level set at 120% of the basic pay for GS-15 Step 1 employees.
The creation of the SES gave greater authority to agencies to manage their executive resources and assigned the US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) the responsibility for government-wide leadership, direction, and oversight. The OPM's approach to executive resources management has evolved since 1979 to focus more on leadership and providing quality services to agencies and executives.
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The Act was passed on October 13, 1978, and went into effect on July 13, 1979
The Senior Executive Service (SES) was established by Title IV of the Civil Service Reform Act (CSRA) of 1978. The Act was passed on October 13, 1978, and went into effect on July 13, 1979, under President Jimmy Carter.
The CSRA envisioned a Senior Executive Service with members who have shared values, a broad perspective of government, and solid executive skills. The purpose of the Act was to ensure that the executive management of the US government was responsive to the nation's needs, policies, and goals and was of the highest quality.
The SES was designed to be a corps of executives selected for their leadership qualifications, serving in key positions just below top presidential appointees. They act as a link between these appointees and the rest of the federal workforce. SES members operate and oversee government activities in approximately 75 federal agencies.
Since 1979, the approach to executive resources management has evolved from a traditional regulatory approach to one that focuses on leadership, providing expert assistance, and preserving merit principles.
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The SES is a position classification in the US federal civil service
The Senior Executive Service (SES) is a position classification in the US federal civil service, equivalent to general officer or flag officer rank in the US Armed Forces. It was created in 1979 when the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 went into effect under President Jimmy Carter. The SES is a "third" service, completely separate from the competitive and excepted services.
The SES includes managerial, supervisory, and policy positions above the General Schedule (GS) grade 15 level in the Executive Branch of the Federal Government. These positions are considered just below top presidential appointees and are a major link between them and the rest of the federal workforce. SES members operate and oversee government activities in approximately 75 federal agencies.
SES career appointees have civil service protections. They can only be fired or suspended for more than 14 days for specific reasons, including misconduct, neglect of duty, or failure to accept a directed reassignment. SES pay is determined by the agency within certain parameters, with a minimum pay level set at 120% of the basic pay for GS-15 Step 1 employees.
The creation of the SES was intended to ensure that the executive management of the US government is responsive to the nation's needs, policies, and goals, and is of the highest quality. This involves holding senior executives accountable for individual and organizational performance. The SES system aims to provide better management of Federal executives, giving agencies greater flexibility in assigning executives where they are most needed.
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SES members serve in key positions just below top presidential appointees
The Senior Executive Service (SES) was created in 1979 when the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 went into effect under President Jimmy Carter. SES members are leaders who possess well-honed executive skills and share a broad perspective on government and a public service commitment that is grounded in the Constitution. They serve in key positions just below top presidential appointees and act as a link between these appointees and the rest of the federal civil service workforce. SES members operate and oversee nearly every government activity in approximately 75 federal agencies.
SES positions are considered to be above the GS-15 level of the General Schedule and below Level III of the Executive Schedule. Career members of the SES ranks are eligible for the Presidential Rank Awards program. Up to 10% of SES positions can be filled as political appointments rather than by career employees. About half of the SES is designated as "Career Reserved", which can only be filled by career employees, while the other half is designated as "General", which can be filled by either career employees or political appointments.
SES career appointees have civil service protections and can only be fired or suspended for more than 14 days for misconduct, neglect of duty, malfeasance, or failure to accept a directed reassignment or to accompany a position in a transfer of function. These adverse actions may be appealed to the Merit Systems Protection Board. An SES career appointee can also be reassigned within the SES or from the SES into a competitive service position based on performance ratings.
SES pay is determined at agency discretion within certain parameters, and there is no locality pay adjustment. The minimum pay level for the SES is set at 120% of the basic pay for GS-15 Step 1 employees ($150,160 for 2025). If the agency has a certified system, the maximum pay is set at Level II of the Executive Schedule ($225,700 for 2025). If the agency does not have a certified system, the maximum pay is set at Level III of the Executive Schedule ($207,500 for 2025). Total aggregate pay is limited to the salary of the Vice President of the United States ($289,400 for 2025).
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The SES was designed to ensure the US government is responsive to the nation's needs
The Senior Executive Service (SES) is a position classification in the United States federal civil service, equivalent to general officer or flag officer rank in the U.S. Armed Forces. It was created in 1979 when the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 went into effect under President Jimmy Carter.
The SES was designed to ensure that the US government is responsive to the nation's needs, policies, and goals. It is composed of executives selected for their leadership qualifications, serving in key positions just below the top presidential appointees. SES members are the critical link between these appointees and the rest of the federal workforce, overseeing and operating government activities in approximately 75 federal agencies.
The SES was established to be a "third" service, separate from the competitive and excepted services. Its members are expected to have shared values, a broad perspective of government, and solid executive skills. They are accountable for their individual and organizational performance and are subject to removal if their performance does not meet the required standards.
SES positions are considered above the GS-15 level of the General Schedule and below Level III of the Executive Schedule. SES career appointees have civil service protections and can only be fired or suspended for misconduct, neglect of duty, malfeasance, or failure to accept a reassignment. SES pay is determined by the agency within certain parameters, with the minimum pay level set at 120% of the basic pay for GS-15 Step 1 employees.
The SES plays a crucial role in leading America's workforce and ensuring the government's responsiveness to the nation's needs.
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Frequently asked questions
The Senior Executive Service (SES) was created by the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978.
The Senior Executive Service came into effect on July 13, 1979.
The purpose of the SES is to ensure that the executive management of the US government is responsive to the needs, policies, and goals of the nation.
The SES is a position classification in the US federal civil service, equivalent to general or flag officer rank in the US Armed Forces. SES members serve in key positions just below the top presidential appointees and act as a link between them and the rest of the federal workforce.
The US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) manages the overall Federal executive personnel program, providing day-to-day oversight and assistance to agencies as they develop, select, and manage their Federal executives.











































