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Date of Department Notice: August 21, 2006

Implementation of a Pilot Civil Service Mid-Level Rotational Program

The Director General is pleased to announce the implemenation of a pilot Civil Service Mid-Level Rotation Program. HR has been working closely with the Foggy Bottom Society to develop a career development rotational program. The pilot Civil Service Mid-Level Rotational Program (MLRP) is designed to provide developmental assignments for employees at the GS-12 and GS-13 grade level in order to broaden their skills, gain knowledge, and enhance their personal and professional growth. The MLRP will provide a formal and systematic process for offering temporary professional development assignments to all eligible employees. Participants will gain a broader understanding of the State mission through assignments that cross State organizational lines. The program will develop competencies among our future leaders to meet the challenges and accomplish the mission and goals of State. This program is designed to allow participants to gain additional knowledge and experience of all major functions and the interrelatedness of the agency components. The Civil Service Mid-Level Rotation Program fosters a shared understanding of our agency and its mission, vision and objectives. The philosophy is to develop a culturally diverse group of highly qualified visionary and strategic thinking individuals as future Department of State leaders. The future leaders must be adaptatble, able to lead change, and manage a multicultural workforce, while being results driven.

ELIGIBILITY:

-- To participate in this pilot program, candidates must be tenured State Department Civil Service employees.
-- Participation will be limited to GS-12 and GS-13 Foreign Affairs Officers or those who hold equivalent positions.
-- Those individuals hired under either the Presidential Management Fellows (PMF) or Career Entry (CEP) programs and those individuals who participated in other one-year developmental programs must have completed the program at least two years prior to applying for the MLRP.

PROCESS:

The pilot program is designed to provide a "replacement" for each candidate selected to participate in the pilot program. Once the pilot participants are identified, each of their home bureaus will have the opportunity to fill the newly created temporary vacancy with one of the other pilot participants.

Application: September 1 - September 30

-- Each Assistant Secretary may identify up to three (3) potential participants from within his/her bureau.
-- For each nominee, the bureau will submit the candidate's resume along with a written recommendation from the appropriate Deputy Assistant Secretary or Assistant Secretary. The candidate should also prepare a statement of interest discussing his/her long term career goals and interests, and how the program will contribute to their career development.
-- Applications must be submitted to HR/CSP no later than close of business on September 30.

Candidate Selection: October 1 - October 20

-- Through a vetting process, the MLRP comittee will recommend candidates to the Director General who will make the final selection. The committee will be made of senior level managers selected by the Director General.
-- The DG will announce the pilot participants no later than October 31.

Bureau Positions: October 23 - November 3

-- By November 3, the MLRP candidates' home bureau will provide the MLRP committee with a brief description of the rotational opportunity.

Matching Candidates and Positions: November 6 - November 15

-- The selected participants will review the job descriptions and identify their preferences of assignments. At the same time, bureaus will review candidates' resumes and identify their preferences. Both participants and bureaus will make their preferences known no later than November 15.

Notification of Assignments: November 16 - December 1

-- In making the assignments, the MLRP committee will take both the selected participants and bureaus preferences into consideration. Final decisions will be made no later than December 1.
-- Upon final selection, all candidates will be notified by HR of the intended placement at least 30 days prior to the beginning of the rotational assignment. The host and home bureaus, with the assistance of HR, will coordinate arrangements for the start of the rotational assignment. It is anticipated all rotational assignments will begin during January 2007.

This pilot is vital to the future development of tomorrow's Civil Service leaders here in the Department. Assistant Secretaries are encouraged to nominate high performing employees to participate in the pilot.