Class II Overview & Announcement

In the next few years, NOAA is going to be faced with a tremendous challenge of building and retaining a competent, well-prepared, and diverse workforce due to the aging workforce and a rapidly changing technology environment. According to NOAA's Human Resources Management Office, by the year 2005, 32% of NOAA's workforce will be eligible for optional retirement. Further, 39% of NOAA-wide GS-13's and above will be eligible for optional retirement. In addition to losing skilled leaders, NOAA faces losing valuable expertise in many disciplines. Without addressing our workforce issues in the immediate future, NOAA's ability to deliver products and services and quality data will be compromised and our ocean and coastal resources will be at great risk.

The National Ocean Service, National Marine Fisheries Service, and Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (NOS/NMFS/OMAO) have partnered to conduct a Leadership Competencies Development Program. The goal of the program is to identify and develop promising internal candidates for executive and key leadership vacancies -- both current and potential.

Key Elements of the Program

The focus of the program is to provide opportunities for training and development needed for building executive core competencies in our organization's potential leaders. This is not a formal SES candidate program.

The NOS/NMFS/OMAO program is built on the current Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) and the National Environmental Data, Information and Satellite Service (NESDIS) Leadership Program. The program will follow the same design with some modifications to meet our specific needs and objectives.

The Federal Executive Institute will administer the program for NOS/NMFS/OMAO, providing training and consultation services. The program consists of five components:

1. Design of Succession Program

2. Orientation and Assessment

3. Leadership Program

4. Long Term Coaching and Tracking of Participants

5. Post-Program Feedback Options and Alternatives

Each program element and FEI's role is described below.

Program Activities

- Identify Potential Vacancies and Technical Qualifications Needed. Candidates for this development opportunity must exhibit potential for the executive core qualifications (ECQ) which OPM has identified for senior executive positions, and the professional/technical qualifications relevant to NOS, NMFS, and OMAO. The development program, which will cover an 18 to 24 month period, will be open to all NOAA employees. NOS, NMFS, and OMAO will develop the relevant professional/technical qualifications at the beginning of the program.

- Develop Program Participation and Selection Procedures. An internal announcement will be issued in FY 2001 (expected to be issued October 23, 2000) to all NOAA employees at the GS-13 through 15, pay bands IV and V, and CC-04-06 Commissioned Officer level. Candidates will have the opportunity to nominate themselves for this development program. As part of the nomination package, nominees must address the leadership competency qualifications (LCQ) identified in the announcement. In addition, their first line SES manager (or NOAA Corps equivalent), with Deputy Assistant Administrator (DAA) concurrence, would be required to:

1. agree to employee participation if selected;

2. cover the costs of travel and per diem expenses to attend courses and participate in developmental assignments; and,

3. participate themselves in key aspects of the program.

The selection of finalists will be made by a committee including NOS, NMFS, and OMAO senior leaders as well as one senior leaders from another NOAA Line Office.

- Identify Competency Level of Participants A comparison of the identified participants' abilities/aptitude will be made against the desired LCQ's or ECQ's to determine developmental needs. This will be accomplished through use of an assessment tool administered by the FEI which will evaluate/measure, through 360-degree feedback, the candidates' management/technical competencies.

- Foster Development of Participants Identify senior executives and Flag Rank NOAA Corps officers to serve as mentors. NOS/NMFS/OMAO will enlist the assistance of NOAA's Executive Resources Board (OERB) in this process, and will request the members to determine potential advisers from their organizations.  Once potential mentors have been identified, a pairing will be made to ensure a connection is established between the individuals prior to the assessment of the candidates' aptitudes/abilities. Executives will be trained to ensure the understanding of their role and responsibilities as champions is consistent.  Mentors will then be involved in the IDP process, selection of developmental assignments as well as ongoing mentoring of trainees throughout their development experience.

- Use Individual Development Plans (IDP's) to lay the groundwork and plan how each person will gain the appropriate skills and experiences identified as lacking through the assessment mechanism. This IDP is the basis for determining additional training and developmental needs. Mentors and the trainees' supervisor will also be involved in this process.

- Identify developmental assignments including details, job rotation, or Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) at the GS-14/15 and/or SES levels as a means to gain and broaden experience.  It is expected that each participant will be involved in two or three, three to four month developmental assignments. These assignments can be in other part of NOS, NMFS, OMAO, NOAA, DOC or in other agencies. Organizations can offer current senior executives an opportunity for development through mobility, IPA assignment or sabbatical in order that a participant may officially act in an SES position.  Further, organizations can offer shadowing assignments or opportunities to select/rotate program participants into positions as Acting Directors, thereby providing valuable on-the-job training experience.

- Use formal training courses and action learning (participation on organizational working groups, teams, task forces, projects, etc.) To enhance leadership/management skills.

- Provide Ongoing Coaching, Monitoring and Progress Reviews. Mentors will provide ongoing counseling to their assigned trainees. Experts in executive development from FEI will facilitate the development program, monitoring trainees' progress, including scheduled coaching and feedback sessions. Dates will be established for progress reviews in which NOS, NMFS, OMAO and HRMO will receive updates on the program, including any mid-course corrections that may be needed.

- Program Evaluation. An evaluation will be completed at the conclusion of the program. It may include administration of the assessment instruments and interviews with key persons to track changes in the area of the executive/leadership development. At a later date, follow up may track which candidates were selected for senior executive jobs in NOAA. The evaluation will also include advice to NOS/NMFS/OMAO and the OERB on next steps for executive development and lessons learned to be incorporated in future development efforts by NOAA.

Components of the Leadership Competencies Development Program to be completed by the Federal Executive Institute

Design of Succession Program

Ensuring a clear link between NOS/NMFS/OMAO needs/goals, NOAA strategic goals, and program development/specifications.  In addition, the following elements will be part of this service:

• Developing a crediting plan/criteria for rating applications.
• Developing/defining candidate rating, interview and selection processes.
• Identifying the role and responsibilities of executive screening and interview panel participants.
• Identifying an appropriate number of executive screening panel members to include at least one non-NOS/NMFS/OMAO participant to review applications.
• Identifying an appropriate number of executive interview panel members to include at least one non-NOS/NMFS/OMAO participant to review applications.
• Developing standard interview questions.

Three-Day Off-Site Orientation/Assessment

• 360-degree assessment instrument package including scoring.
• Orientation and assessment analysis/feedback sessions.
• Assisting in development of IDP's (formal training, on-the-job-training, shadowing, etc.)
• Assessing trends in data, and outlining overall evaluation of program participants.
• Identifying generic training/developmental needs which should be addressed for all participants.
• Identifying potential formal training options which should be focused upon during the modified Leadership for a Democratic Society program (e.g. communication with the Hill, negotiating skills, the budget process).
• Identifying alternative sources of learning for the group and/or individuals.

Modified Leadership for a Democratic Society (LDS) Program

This program will take place approximately 6 to 8 months after the initial orientation/assessment. It will give program participants an opportunity to have finalized their IDP's, possibly participated in some other formalized training, and hopefully have completed one rotational assignment. The program will be a 2-week session with time built in for NOAA specific topics with FEI suggesting the format of the program based in part upon results of the 2-day off-site. FEI would be responsible for:

• Developing a modified LDS program.
• Identifying the topics to be covered (which should be very similar to that of the LDS program and, in addition, focus upon those areas identified for group training from the 360-degree assessment instrument.)
• Identifying training methods to be used during the program (because the group is smaller than that of an LDS, which teaching methods would be used to accommodate/suite the size of the group to be instructed?).
• Identifying how to incorporate approximately 3 whole days, broken up into several sessions throughout the period, to be used for presentation by various NOAA/NOS/NMFS/OMAO representatives.

Long-term coaching/tracking of participants

Periodic one-on-one coaching and tracking/reporting of progress made by program participants.  This would include where things are, how things are going, how to proceed sessions provided by FEI experts for the length of the program (through completion of the participants' IDP) as well as periodic feedback to NOS/NMFS/OMAO on how their candidates are progressing.

Post program feedback options/alternatives

Post program assessment options/alternatives possibly once the program has been completed and/or a year later.

Last updated: 10/23/07 4:09 PM