On May 29, 2016, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) issued guidance on the Executive Order (EO): Strengthening the Senior Executive Service (SES), dated December 15, 2015. The EO mandates several reform actions for the SES over the next three years. The actions include evaluation of the Qualifications Review Board process, simplification of the SES application process, and improvements to the SES development process.
Of particular interest to TOC registrants are the provisions on SES development. The EO requires agencies with 20 or more SES to provide a two-year plan for executive rotations to broaden continuous professional development. Rotations must last a minimum of 120 days. The EO sets an annual government-wide goal of 15% of executives on rotations. The EO also requires actions on an annual talent management and succession planning process to assess the needs of SES, SL and ST employees, phased in over a three-year period. Agencies must also update Executive Development Plans and establish SES onboarding programs. The OPM guidance also shows a timeline for implementation for specific departments and agencies.
Please see the text of the EO announcement on the WhiteHouse.gov site and the OPM guidance on Implementing the Executive Rotations Requirement (PDF version).