With broad strategic oversight and high-level responsibilities, the Senior Executive Service (SES)—the federal government’s elite cadre of leaders—provide key insights into an agency’s workplace culture and the unique pressures of federal leadership. How do these senior executives view their jobs and workplaces? Do their opinions differ from other federal employees?

According to the Partnership and Deloitte’s Best Places to Work in the Federal Government® analysis, members of the SES are more satisfied with their jobs than their employees. The 2012 government-wide score for senior federal executives was 82.6 out of 100, compared to a score of 64 for all other employees. The analysis includes actions that agency leaders can take to help diminish this 18.6-point satisfaction gap.