Secretary of the Army announces program to aid civilian employees

By Deputy Chief of Staff, G1 Public AffairsApril 10, 2012

Secretary of the Army John M. McHugh announced today the creation of the Senior Enterprise Talent Management (SETM) program, an initiative designed to prepare civilian employees to assume positions of greater responsibility within the Department of the Army through advanced senior-level educational and experiential learning opportunities.

"Creating and maintaining a structured civilian professional development system is essential to the success of our Soldiers on the battlefield and in building a flexible, streamlined and responsive institutional Army," McHugh said. "Meeting the Army's long-term needs in the most productive and efficient manner possible is imperative and SETM will be the means by which the Army prepares its Senior Civilians to assume those duty positions of greatest responsibility across the Department."

Senior Enterprise Talent Management, developed collaboratively as a Civilian Workforce Transformation initiative and administered by the Civilian Senior Leader Management Office (CSLMO), Assistant Secretary of the Army (Manpower and Reserve Affairs), will be open to GS-14 and GS-15 (or equivalent) employees who wish to apply for participation. McHugh encouraged commanders and supervisors to support the SETM applications of candidates who represent the "best of the best."

"We need high-performing civilian leaders with outstanding potential for assignment to positions of increasing importance, responsibility and impact across the Army," he said, "I encourage everyone to learn more about the SETM Program and encourage those employees who are interested in applying."

The SETM Program comprises the following four modules:

• The Enterprise Placement Program is open to GS-15's, or equivalent employees, who apply and are selected as Army Enterprise Employees. Army Enterprise Employees are slated for consideration for placement into positions across the Army that will broaden their skills and prepare them for greater challenges.

• SETM-Temporary Duty is a short-term developmental assignment program for GS-14/15s, or equivalent employees. Participants are temporarily assigned to work on a special command-nominated project as part of a working group or to fill a "critical need" detail for a period not to exceed 179 days.

• Senior Service College is open to applicants in grades GS-14/15, or equivalent employees, who compete for allocated seats at the US Army War College or the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. Attendance at SSC is designed to expand the participants' knowledge of the national security mission, understanding of complex policy and operational challenges faced by senior DoD and Army officials.

• The Defense Senior Leader Development Program is a 2-year program designed to develop the enterprise-wide perspective needed to lead organizations' programs in the joint interagency and multinational environment. This includes attendance at another service's Senior Service College, leadership seminars and a follow-on developmental assignment.

"The challenge for the civilian workforce is to keep pace with the new realities facing an Army winding down after more than a decade of conflict," said McHugh. "We will meet that challenge by being flexible and adaptive with the right person with the right skills, at the right place at the right time -- competent, motivated and educated."

The new SETM policy directive, signed March 19, 2012, marks a starting point for developing Army senior civilians in such a way so as to ensure they stand ready for the challenges of future leadership and greater responsibility. The full launch of SETM will occur on April 9, 2012. For more information please contact CSLMO at csldosetm@conus.army.mil.

Related Links:

Army Directive 2012-09, DA Senior Enterprise Talent Management (SETM) Program

Civilian Senior Leader Management Office

Army Civilian Training and Leader Development

SETM Website (CAC Access only)