What are the Types of appointments?
There are various types of presidential appointments, but the four most common are as follows:
Presidential Appointment Requiring Senate Confirmation (PAS)
These are top-level, senior positions that include the heads of most major agencies. This includes cabinet secretaries, agency leadership (such as employees at the deputy secretary, undersecretary, and assistant secretary levels), the heads of most independent agencies, ambassadors, and U.S. attorneys.
Some positions within the Executive Office of the President, including the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, also fall into this category. These positions require a congressional hearing and a confirmation vote in the U.S. Senate.
Presidential Appointment Not Requiring Senate Confirmation (PA)
This category covers hundreds of positions, including most positions within the Executive Office of the President. These include most senior White House aides and advisors, as well as their deputies and key assistants. These appointments do not require a Senate hearing or confirmation vote.
Non-Career Senior Executive Service (SES)
Members of the SES serve in key positions just below the top presidential appointees. Designed to be a corps of executives charged with running the federal government, these positions include senior management positions within most federal agencies that serve as the major link between top political appointees and the rest of the federal workforce. While the SES largely consists of career officials, as of 2016 up to 10 percent (or about 680 positions) can be political appointees. Unlike presidential appointments, non-career SES appointments tend to be made within each agency and then approved by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the Presidential Personnel Office (PPO).
Confidential or Policymaking Positions (Schedule C)
These positions consist of political appointees in policymaking roles or jobs that require a close working relationship with the incumbent officeholder or key political officials. Schedule C positions may be designated by the Office of Personnel Management or the Executive Office of the President at the request of an agency.
