PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE (PHS) COMMISSIONED CORPS (CC) OFFICERS
SENIOR EXECUTIVE SERVICE (SES)
SENIOR BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH SERVICE (SBRS)
The competitive civil service
is a “rank in position” system. The
vast majority of competitive civil service positions at CDC are covered by the
General Schedule (GS), which are graded from GS-01 to GS-15. A position is assigned a grade based on the
level of the duties and responsibilities assigned and the qualifications
required to perform the work. All 15
grades have a 10-step salary
range. See attached year 2001 General
Schedule salary charts for positions in the various CDC locations. GS salaries
vary slightly based on geographic locality.
In most cases, employees may only be paid at the first step of the grade
to which they are appointed. Under
certain circumstances, appointments may be made above the minimum step, based
on superior qualifications of the appointee.
Special salary incentives are
provided for certain hard to fill positions. This includes either Physicians
Special Pay (PSP) or Physicians Comparability Allowance (PCA) for positions
that require a medical degree(MD) or a Recruitment or Relocation Bonus for very well qualified
candidates in a variety of professional and administrative occupations.
HRMO website at http://www.cdc.gov/hrmo/hrmo.htm
Many of the top officials at CDC, especially many high ranking medical professionals, are officers of the PHS Commissioned Corps. U.S. citizenship is required. Currently, CDC employs about 900 CC Officers, about 500 of whom are Medical Doctors. The mission of the PHS Commissioned Corps is to provide highly-trained and mobile health professionals who carry out programs to promote the health of the Nation, understand and prevent disease and injury, assure safe and effective drugs and medical devices, and deliver health service to Federal beneficiaries, and furnish health expertise in time of war or other national or international emergencies.
As one of the seven Uniformed Services of the United States, the commissioned corps is a specialized rank in person, career system designed to attract, retain, and develop health professionals who may be assigned to Federal, State, or local Agencies or international organizations to accomplish its mission. The Commissioned Corps provides a variety of employment opportunities for health professionals at CDC, where officers are employed in ranks O-1 through O-8. Officers are generally appointed at ranks O-2 or O-3.
Commissioned Officer salaries are based on a variety of factors including rank, years of
service, and professional speciality. Salaries generally compare very favorably with comparable civil service
positions.Additional information about the Corps, including how to make application, may be found at the website
http://www.hhs.gov/phs/corps.
The SES is a small group of senior level civil service employees.CDC is limited to 30 SES positions. Like other competitive service appointees, the SES requires U.S. citizenship. The SES is a combined "rank in position" and "rank in person" system. Therefore, SES positions require a very high level of duties and responsibilities, and members of the SES must have extensive experience in management and/or policy setting. Grades for SES employees range from ES-1 to ES-6, and salaries in Atlanta range from $114,335 to $130, 200. Some SES employees are eligible for additional methods of compensation, including Recruitment or Performance
bonuses or Presidential Executive Rank Awards. Vacant SES positions are filled through competitive announcements and
competition is keen.SES vacancy announcements may be accessed through the CDC website at
http://www.cdc.gov/hrmo/hrmo.htm
The SBRS was established to attract and retain outstanding scientific researchers to the Federal Service. CDC/ATSDR has been allocated 73 SBRS slots. SBRS appointments are excepted from normal competitive civil service procedures, but CDC searches extensively to identify the best candidates. Only U.S. citizens may be appointed permanently, but non-citizens from allied countries may receive term appointments in the SBRS. Applicants for SBRS positions must possess a Doctoral degree and be identified as outstanding in his/her field by the CDC/ATSDR SBRS Credentials Committee. SBRS is a "rank in person" system with salary based largely on the appointees professional credentials. Salaries of SBRS members may range from $83,559 to $157,000. SBRS vacancy announcements may be accessed through the CDC website at http://www.cdc.gov/hrmo/hrmo.htm