Deliberate management of the career lifecycle of senior leaders facilitates a more informed and strategic approach to workforce planning and management of key positions in the enterprise. It also allows executives to consider the career options afforded by the organization and plan accordingly. Stages of the lifecycle are integrated throughout an executive’s career - Workforce Planning, Talent Management, Performance Management, Compensation, Succession Planning, Sustainment & Separation and Executive Development.

In October 2007, Deputy Secretary of Defense England signed Department of Defense Directive 1403.03, which:

• Established an overarching policy governing the lifecycle management of Senior Executive Service (SES) positions in the Department of Defense.
• Identified a corps of key SES positions to be enterprise positions.
• Directed heads of Department of Defense components to be responsible for managing the career lifecycle of their SES members, establish a centralized structure to efficiently manage the SES career executive, and select candidates to fill enterprise positions.

To learn more, e-mail the Navy Executive Management Program Office at navy.ses@navy.mil or call the designated point of contact.