DHS Senior Executive Service Candidate Development Program

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Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• U.S. citizenship is required.
• Current Federal Employees.
• One year supervisory experience at the GS-14 level (or equivalent) or above.
• Must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable.

CONTINUED SERVICE AGREEMENT (CSA): Selectees for the program who are DHS employees will be required to sign a Continued Service Agreement (CSA) to safeguard the Government's training investment. The DHS agreement states the employee will stay with DHS or other Agency of the Federal Government for three years after completion of the DHS SES CDP academic/formal interagency training element of the program.

Employees who voluntarily leave Federal civil service before completing the terms of the agreement may be required to repay the cost of training and related travel expenses, excluding salary or other compensation. This does not preclude an employee from pursuing promotion or reassignment opportunities within the Federal government during the program. Non-DHS Federal employees will also be required to sign a CSA through a Memorandum of Agreement between DHS and their home agency.

Memorandum of Agreement (MOA): Non-DHS Federal employees will be required to sign a Memorandum of Agreement between DHS and their home agency.

LAW ENFORCEMENT APPLICANTS: Applicants for target law enforcement positions must meet the requirements of the Lautenberg Amendment [Title 18, U.S.C., Section 922(G)(9)]. Applicants for target SES law enforcement positions must also meet the requirements for placement in a position with secondary law enforcement coverage, as provided in 5 U.S.C. 8336(c) and 5 U.S.C. 8412(d) or in a Customs and Border Protection Officer position with enhanced retirement benefits.

MOBILITY REQUIREMENT: Willingness to move is a factor that DHS Components seek in their senior leaders due to the geographic dispersion of the DHS workforce. Therefore, applicants should anticipate Developmental Assignments (DA) and/or formal training programs that may require extended travel. Program selectees must uphold a commitment to availability for DAs outside of their home duty location. Some DAs will require a Secret or higher security clearance. If candidates do not have the required level of clearance, he or she will not be eligible for that specific DA.

PROGRAM FUNDING: The cost of travel and additional expenses for training, developmental assignments, and other program requirements, will be funded by the participant's sponsoring DHS Component.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of this announcement 11:59pm EST.

• Applicants do not have to be a current supervisor.
• All qualified individuals within the civil service who have at least 12 months of supervisory experience at the GS-14 level (or equivalent) or above. Supervisory experience includes planning, assigning, and evaluating the work of subordinate employees.
• The supervisory experience does not have to be consecutive; however, you must account for all 12 months in the resume and or SF50.
• Federal employees currently serving in Scientific and professional (ST) or Senior level (SL) positions are eligible to apply to the DHS SES CDP.

Applicants will be asked to indicate their civil service appointment type when completing the Assessment Questionnaire. Civil service appointment type verification is indicated on the SF-50 in block 24.

PLEASE NOTE: To be considered minimally eligible for this program, applicants must meet the supervisory experience requirement above. Additionally, eligible applicants will be assessed through the following assessment phases:

• Situational Judgment Test
• Accomplishment Record
• Structured Telephone Interview

Upon conclusion of each phase, applicants who meet the criteria will advance to the next phase, and those who do not will be notified by OPM that they will not be moving on to the next selection phase. See the How You Will be Evaluated and Additional Information sections for more details on each phase.

Definitions

Civil Service Appointment Type (Status):

• Status Applicants are applicants serving under career or career-type appointments in the civil service. Status candidates are not entitled to veterans' preference.
• Permanent - Career-Conditional Appointment, or Career Appointments
• Block 24 on SF-50 lists tenure as "1" or "2"
• Non-Status Applicants are applicants who occupy other than career or career-type appointments within the civil service
• Temporary appointments, seasonal, term appointments, etc.
• Block 24 on SF-50 lists tenure as "3" or "0"

The Following Applicants will NOT be considered for the program:

• Current or former Career SES members or equivalents including members of the Transportation Security Executive Service (TSES)
• Former SES CDP graduates from any agency.
• Current or former (within the last 5 years) political Schedule A, Schedule C, or Non-career SES employees in the Executive Branch
• Employees who have had their Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) certified by OPM's Qualification Review Board (QRB)

Non-Status Applicants:

Applicants selected for the program that do not hold federal status must accept a full-time Schedule B appointment in order to participate in the SES CDP. The Schedule B appointment does not confer civil service status. These appointments may be located around the country. If an SES CDP participant serving on a Schedule B appointment discontinues participation in the program for any reason, his/her employment with the federal government will terminate because the employment is authorized only for an executive development position established in connection with the SES CDP. Similarly, if a Schedule B participant graduates from the SES CDP, but does not obtain an SES position before the Schedule B appointment expires, his/her employment with the federal government will terminate because a Schedule B appointment cannot exceed or be extended beyond three years.

Occupational Categories

Applicants must select only one of the four occupational categories for which they wish to be considered in this program through the Assessment Questionnaire. They must also certify that their answers are truthful and correct, and ensure they meet the technical qualifications for the specific track they are seeking consideration.

• Core Occupations (CO)- Non-law enforcement positions which require skill in managing complex mission critical programs related to the core mission of the Department.
• Support Occupations (SO)- Skill in managing complex administrative programs. Provides support to the core mission of the Department.
• Law Enforcement (LE) - Core mission positions covered for Law Enforcement or Customs and Border Protection. Skill in managing complex criminal investigation or law enforcement programs related to the core mission of the Department.
• Attorney/Legal (AL)*- Legal positions requiring skill in preparing cases for trial and/or the trial of cases before a court or an administrative body or persons having quasi-judicial power; rendering legal advice and services with respect to questions, regulations, practices, or other matters falling within the purview of the Federal Government.

*To be considered for the Attorney/Legal track a Juris Doctorate (J.D.) is required, and applicant must be an active member in good standing of a State bar. Transcripts must be provided with your application.

Education

Only applicants who select the Attorney-Legal track must provide transcripts. In addition to the transcript, educational information should also be included on your resume, including the name, city and state of colleges or universities you attended, as well as the type and year of any degree received. Report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For more information, you may refer to the following U.S. Department of Education website: DAPIP | Homepage

Additional information

DHS may review an applicant's publicly available social media presence during the hiring process.

Recommendation Letter - Recommended But Not Required

The SES CDP is intended to identify a high-performing, high-potential talent pipeline for DHS executive succession. While not required, applicants may choose to upload a letter of recommendation from a current senior executive to support their application. This letter may be considered by selecting officials only for those applicants who compete through all application stages and are referred to selecting officials on the final certificate of eligibles.

The letter must be from a current and active member of the federal Senior Executive Service (SES) or General/Flag Officer of the US Armed Forces. Recommendation letters from retired SES or General/Flag Officers will not be accepted. Letters should be addressed to: DHS SES CDP.

Recommendation Letter Language

• Applicants may submit only one letter. Please advise recommenders that they may be contacted for further information.
• Letters must be on the official letterhead of the federal agency or military service branch, must be dated, and must be no more than 2 paragraphs in length.
• The first paragraph must begin with the following statement: I am writing this letter as an endorsement for NAME's application to the DHS Senior Executive Candidate Development Program (SESCDP), as I have had the opportunity to (select one): supervise their work formally or in a matrix capacity ... for the duration of (xx weeks/months/years). observe them as a customer ... for the duration of (xx weeks/months/years).
• observe them as a colleague ... for the duration of (xx weeks/months/years).
• other (explain) ... for the duration of (xx weeks/months/years).
• The letter must identify at least one of the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs) that the recommender determines to be a strength that supports their readiness for development to the executive level, and at least one of the ECQs that the recommender identifies as a gap in which they need greater development or exposure. For each, provide a brief explanation on specific experiences or observations that support both conclusions.
• The final sentence of the second paragraph must conclude with the following statement: I strongly and with no reservation endorse (applicant's full name) selection to the DHS SES Candidate Development Program.
• Letter signature must include full name, title, telephone number and email address.

Note: Recommenders are asked to refrain from comments or information that identifies applicant's race, color, gender, religion, age, physical or mental disability, marital status, sexual orientation, national origin, citizenship, medical condition, or political affiliations, beliefs or activities.

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