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() The U.S. Office of Personnel Management announced an overhaul of the Senior Executive Service (SES) performance evaluation system Tuesday, implementing new measures to increase accountability and address what officials describe as a pattern of inflated performance ratings.
Acting OPM Director Charles Ezell issued a memo to all federal department and agency heads after President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 20 called “Restoring Accountability for Career Senior Executives” and “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing.”
The 21-page OPM memo outlines the new government-wide appraisal system and performance plan that will take effect in fiscal year 2026, beginning Oct. 1, 2025.
OPM’s new performance system
The reformed system introduces a 30% cap on top performance ratings, limiting the number of executives receiving “Outstanding” or “Great” ratings unless the president issues a waiver certifying exceptional agency performance.
According to the memo, government data shows 96% of SES members received “Outstanding” or “Exceeds Fully Successful” ratings in fiscal year 2023, with less than 0.5% rated below “Fully Successful.”
“This indicates that senior executive ratings are systematically inflated, and poor performers are not being held accountable through a rigorous appraisal process,” Ezell wrote.
OPM’s performance standards
The new system will evaluate senior executives on five critical elements:
- Faithful administration of the law and the president’s policies
- Government efficiency
- Merit and competence
- Holding others accountable and treating them fairly
- Achieving organizational goals
The first element, weighted at a minimum of 25%, requires executives to “demonstrate specific results that align with and advance the President’s specific policy agenda.”
OPM’s implementation timeline
Agencies must adopt the new performance system by Oct. 1, 2025, with all senior executives to be appraised under the new system by Sept. 30, 2026.
The memo also directs agencies to immediately begin implementing other changes, including reconstituting their Executive Resources Boards and Performance Review Boards with new leadership “committed to full enforcement of SES performance standards.”
