The AFSA Leadership and Management Working Group developed a professional competencies framework for FAS FSOs. It defines the skills, attributes, and behaviors FSOs need to be successful in their careers. The framework is based on the SES professional competencies framework developed by OPM, similar frameworks used by the State Department and USAID, and various leadership and management frameworks developed by private companies.

AFSA Comment: The primary benefit of this approach is that it will give employees a better understandings of the skills it takes to be successful in their careers.

Issue: In addition to the ability to perform at the next higher level and the significance of results achieved at the current level, selection boards evaluate FSOs on the basis of the following competencies: leadership, managerial and supervisory skills, technical skills, initiative, and communication skills. While all of these competencies are important, they do not adequately reflect the importance of people skills and a strong results orientation.

Suggestion: To ensure that we are assessing the right skills, revise the criteria to reflect the professional competencies framework. The new promotion criteria would be:

Under this approach, initiative would be captured under leadership and technical skills would be captured under operational effectiveness.

Issue: The Department of Commerce provides selection boards with an assessment tool to help ensure that board members are assessing and ranking employees on the basis of the promotion precepts. FAS FSOs who have sat on the Commerce boards reported that the tool was useful in evaluating employees according to the criteria listed in the Commerce precepts. To date, FAS has not developed a similar tool.

Suggestion: Provide FAS selection board members with an assessment tool to facilitate the evaluation and ranking process.
(click here for a draft version of the proposed tool for FO-2s and below)
(click here for a draft version of the proposed tool for FO-1s and above)

Note that the "other" criteria in the assessment tool are based on our current precepts, which direct the boards to consider performance under dangerous and difficult circumstances, foreign language proficiency, and a willingness to risk criticism and engage in constructive advocacy of policy alternatives.

AFSA Comment: Use of an assessment tool should result in more accurancy and consistency in the promotion process.

Issue: The Presidential Management Agenda (PMA) requires all federal agencies to link individual performance to agency goals. While FAS has put a system in place for Washington-based staff, we haven't developed a workable system for FSOs in the field.

Suggestion: Require all FSOs, regardless of where they are stationed, to develop three to five work objectives and performance measures in consultation with their supervisors at the beginning of the rating period. Guidance on how to develop work objectives and performance measures would be provided by the agency. (Click here for draft guidance on work objectives and performance measures)

Sample Work Objectives and Performance Measures:

WO: Contribute to the development of the FAS trade capacity building strategy in Islandia by identifying trade capacity building needs; coordinate with ICD and stakeholders to create and implement high-quality, results-oriented activities to promote adoption of policies that facilitate sound science.
PM: TCB needs identified by December 31, 2005.
PM: At least two activities implemented by July 15, 2006.

WO: Develop a USDA proposal on export competition for the WTO negotiations in collaboration with other program areas, USG agencies, and stakeholders.
PM: Develop a joint proposal that is supported by a majority of stakeholders by December 31, 2005.

WO: Align the focus of the ag affairs office with the agency's new strategic plan.
PM: Hold a one-day, off-site retreat to discuss the agency's new strategic direction and potential revisions to job responsibilities.
PM: Rewrite job description of at least one staff member while ensuring that the position is not downgraded.

WO: Develop a communication strategy to educate and obtain buy-in from employees regarding the agency restructuring process.
PM: A 5% increase in the percentage of employees responding favorably to the communication-related question in the human capital survey.

AFSA Comment: A system of work objectives and performance measures is the least painful way to meet the requirements of the PMA. On the upside, this approach will foster goal setting and enhance communication between the employee and the supervisor.

Suggestion: Include work objectives on the back of the employee self-appraisal form. This would give board members a better sense of an employee's specific job requirements, major responsibilities, and work objectives for the rating period. (Keep in mind that work objectives can be revised during the rating period based on changing priorities and other factors.)

AFSA Comment: The biggest advantage of this approach is that, by including work objectives on the back of the self-appraisal form, you will have more room on your appraisal form to write up what you did!

Issue: To be eligible for the SFS, an employee must have served as the senior agricultural officer (head of post) at a U.S. Embassy or ATO. (Article 25, Appendix C, B3.b.)There is concern that this requirement discourages FO-2s from applying for Senior Attache positions.

Remedy: Recognizing that many Senior Attaches have significant policy and administrative responsibilities, broaden the language in Article 25, Appendix C, B3.b. to include Senior Attaches. To be promoted into the SFS, an employee would still need to demonstrate significant supervisory skill and experience (e.g. assigns work, develops and sets priorities, monitors goal achievement, counsels employees, evaluates performances, recognizes and rewards achievement, resolves disputes, effects minor disciplinary measures, interviews and recommends candidates for positions within a unit and/or supervisors those that do, and pursues development opportunities for self and others.)

Issue: FAS is the only foreign affairs agency that does not permit FSOs who are retiring or separating to be reviewed for performance pay.

Suggestion: To encourage superior performance during the final year of employment, permit FSOs who are retiring or separating to be reviewed for performance pay.

Issue: Article 27.31 of our contract allows commissioned officers and career condidates to request a second one year extension based on compassionate reasons. If approved by the EAG, this would result in a five-year assignment.

While this provision is applicable to all FSOs, in practice, employees with high-school age children are the most likely to benefit from the compassionate nature of the clause.

Suggestion: Revise the contract language to provide commissioned officers and career candidates with the automatic option to obtain a second one-year extension once during the course of their careers. Requests for compassionate reasons would still be permitted but would be granted only in exceptional circumstances.

Issue: FS employees whose spouses are also FS employees with one of the foreign affairs agencies - State, USAID, Commerce, IBB, FAS, APHIS - are considered part of a "tandem couple".

Suggestion: Include being part of a tandem couple as one of many criteria for international assignments while recognizing that there is no guarantee that such an assignment will be possible and ensuring that other FSOs will receive equal consideration for the position in question.

The other selection criteria are: needs of the agency; managerial/supervisory experience; number of years of continuous domestic service; demonstrated language skills; individual rank relative to the assignment; professional experience relative to the needs of the position; stated assignment preferences; career development considerations; prior service in difficult or hardship assignment; and the individual's TIC/TIS situation.

Issue: Our current contract requires the employee to initiate and complete the language incentive application package and to ensure that HRD has an accurate record of their language proficiency test scores. (Article 30.8) This has resulted in some employees not receiving their language incentive pay.

Remedy: Revise Article 30.8 of our contract to require HRD, rather than the employee, to initiate and complete the language incentive application package and ensure that an accurate language proficiency test score is on file.