Hiring & Talent Development for the Senior Executive Service

This memorandum from the Office of Personnel Management instructs agencies on updated policies around Senior Executive Service (SES) hiring and training. It changed the SES hiring process by requiring that candidates be evaluated on new criteria, including "commitment to American ideals"; mandating a "resume only" initial application process, and requiring that political appointees or their designees be involved with SES hiring. The memorandum announces the creation of a training program for GS-14 and GS-15 employees who may wish to apply to the SES called "Leadership for an Efficient and Accountable Government," which will provide training on the "Founding ideals of our government, and . . . President Trump’s Executive Orders." The memorandum further requires that political appointees serve as chairs and make up the majority of Executive Resource Boards.