The over 7,000 public servants comprising the career Senior Executive Service (SES) are critical to the functioning of the federal government. Established as a government-wide executive corps by the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, the SES is at a critical juncture in its history. They are called on to lead the unbelievably complex organizations and programs that deliver public goods and services. They manage a federal budget that exceeds $3.5 trillion annually, and millions of people in and out of uniform--and in and out of government--depend on them for direction and leadership. This book published by the National Academy of Public Administration, Building a 21st Century SES: Ensuring Leadership Excellence in Our Federal Government, brings together the practical perspectives of leaders with substantial experience with the SES. The commentators address such issues as the proper institutional role of SES, the most critical leadership qualities for the 21st Century, the development of the next generation of career leaders, and opportunities to revitalize the SES for future decades.

The Senior Executive Services (SES) Corps for the U.S. Government is hiring. There are currently over 7000 SES employed by the federal government. 80% of these members will retire within the next five years making way for new applicants. The federal SES application is an average of 10 to 20 pages in length and includes a resume, Executive Core Qualification (ECQ) narratives, Mandatory Technical Qualification narratives and a cover letter. The Executive Core Qualifications are: Leading Change, Leading People, Results Driven, Business Acumen, and Building Coalitions. This is the first ever book on how to write the SES Application for private industry executives, Federal government executives, and military officers. It covers both the traditional format application and the new 2011 version with the shorter five-page SES federal resume.