Labor & Employment Law Daily Wrap Up, OPM NEWS—Overhaul of senior executive service hiring, development emphasizes alignment with Trump executive orders, (May 30, 2025)

By Patricia K. Ruiz, J.D.

The changes remove diversity, equity, and inclusion factors from SES hiring and development.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has overhauled senior executive service (SES) performance plans to prioritize fidelity to the Constitution, ability to carry out the priorities of the administration, and ability to drive a high-performance, high-accountability culture that drives results across the government, according to an OPM memorandum. As part of its overhaul, the memo states, OPM streamlined the formerly paperwork-heavy, consultant-driven process and created training programs to ensure SES are equipped to deliver on key Trump administration priorities. OPM also increased agency Executive Resources Board (ERS) oversight of the SES to ensure long-term planning and management of the SES by politically accountable officials.

Executive core qualifications. The memo stresses that federal executives must be selected based on their merit, competence, and “dedication to our Nation’s Founding ideals—without regard to race, sex, color, religion, or national origin.” While previous qualifications for the appointment of career SES members included diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) criteria, such qualifications are inconsistent with the Trump administration’s direction that federal employment practices “shall not under any circumstances consider DEI or DEIA factors, goals, policies, mandates, or requirements.” To eliminate DEI factors and to align SES hiring with the new SES Performance Plan, OPM provided the following new executive core qualifications: (1) commitment to the rule of law and the principles of the American founding; (2) commitment to efficiency; (3) merit and competence; (4) leadership ability; and (5) ability to align results with goals.

Updated application method. The OPM is discontinuing agencies’ use of 10-page narrative essays in the hiring process, adopting instead a resume-only initial application method, with resumes capped at two pages, to help agencies achieve a robust applicant pool and reduce the burden and delay associated with applying to the SES. Further, the memo states that politically accountable agency leadership, or designees, should be involved throughout the full hiring process, including at a minimum interviewing prospective SES to confirm organizational fit, commitment to American ideals, technical acumen, and alignment with the new executive core qualifications. OPM will require agencies to use validated executive assessments at one or more stages of the SES hiring process and encourages agencies to use validated supervisory and executive assessments to identify highly qualified internal SES candidates. As the assessments “provide an objective measure of an individual’s capabilities, potential, and readiness for executive leadership roles,” their use will ensure executives are hired based on merit and individual excellence, the memo states, not race or sex.

SES candidate training and development. Citing the failure of previous SES training programs to deliver results in alignment with Trump administration priorities, the OPM will provide a fee-based aspiring executive development program, Leadership for an Efficient and Accountable Government. According to the memo, “This 80-hour intensive program is grounded in the Constitution, laws, and [f]ounding ideals of our government, and will provide training on President Trump’s Executive Orders.” OPM will also update its current fee-based federal executive courses to align with the new executive core qualifications and the Trump executive orders and will build a new SES curriculum and program, Senior Executive Development Program, an 80-hour video-based program providing training regarding the EOs “and other matters necessary to ensure that SES officials uphold the Constitution and the rule of law and effectively serve the American people.” OPM instructed agencies that operate SES candidate development programs to ensure alignment with administration policies and the new executive core qualifications by September 30, 2025. By October 31, 2025, the agencies must submit updated policies for review and approval by OPM.

Executive Resources Boards. OPM will require agencies to establish ERBs to oversee SES staffing, planning, and development at the agency. Each agency head must assign non-career SES members to chair and serve on the ERB as a majority alongside career SES members.

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