Code of Federal Regulations Title 5. Administrative Personnel § 5.317.502 Qualifications Review Board certification

(a) A Qualification Review Board (QRB) convened by OPM must certify the executive/managerial qualifications of a candidate before initial career appointment may be made to an SES position. More than one-half of the members of a QRB must be SES career appointees.

(b) Agency requests for certification of a candidate by a QRB must contain such information as prescribed by OPM, including evidence that merit staffing procedures were followed and that the appointing authority has certified the candidate's qualifications for the position.

(c) Qualifications Review Board certification of executive qualifications must be based on demonstrated executive experience;  successful completion of an OPM-approved candidate development program;  or possession of special or unique qualities that indicate a likelihood of executive success. Any existing time limit on a previously approved certification is removed.

(d) OPM may determine the disposition of agency QRB requests where the QRB has not yet acted if the agency head leaves office or announces an intention to leave office, if the President has nominated a new agency head, or if there is a Presidential transition.

(e) An action to convert a “noncareer-type” employee to a career SES appointment in the employee's current position or a successor to that position will not be forwarded to a QRB. A “noncareer-type” employee includes a noncareer SES appointee, a Schedule C appointee, or equivalent.

(f) A new QRB certification is required for an individual to be reappointed as an SES career appointee following separation of the individual from an SES career appointment if: