RELATED February 13, 2026 Partnership for Public Service’s public comments on OPM’s “Ensuring Consistent and Rigorous Standards for Senior Executive Service Candidate Development Programs” proposed rule January 29, 2026 Trump Posed an Existential Threat. This Nonpartisan Group Pushed Back January 29, 2026 A Culture of Fear: Leadership Deficits at Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement Back to Reports Building the Leadership Bench: Developing a Talent Pipeline for the SES July 22, 2013 In the next five years, nearly two-thirds of the Senior Executive Service (SES)—the elite cadre of civil servants who hold the top managerial and policy positions in government—will be retirement eligible. Given the complex challenges confronting our government, the need for strong leaders to fill these executive positions is critical. Are federal agencies prepared for the potential turnover? Are agency leaders identifying and developing aspiring executives? That is what the Partnership for Public Service and McKinsey & Company set out to understand in the report, “Building the Leadership Bench: Developing a Talent Pipeline for the SES.” The report includes four phases of a cohesive SES pipeline-development strategy and case studies of agencies who excel in their execution of one or more of these phases. Related inforgraphic: Download (3m)
