State’s Foreign Service promotion process is governed by the Foreign Affairs Manual (FAM), the Foreign Service Act, and the Procedural Precepts for the Foreign Service Selection Boards—referred to as the procedural precepts. The procedural precepts are negotiated each year between State and the American Foreign Service Association (AFSA), and establish the scope, organization, and responsibilities of the Foreign Service selection boards that evaluate candidates for promotion. The procedural precepts cover areas such as the conditions for eligibility for promotion, guidance for boards on evaluating candidates, and the information boards are required to submit to the Director General of the Foreign Service and Director of Human Resources (Director General). The procedural precepts are provided to all selection board members at the convening of the boards and, according to State officials, are made available to all Foreign Service personnel worldwide. The decision criteria for promotion in the Foreign Service, also known as the core precepts, provide the guidelines by which selection boards evaluate Foreign Service personnel for promotion. At least every 3 years, State and AFSA negotiate the core precepts. The core precepts define specific skills and levels of accomplishment expected at different grades and across the core competencies of Foreign Service personnel. These competencies include leadership skills, management skills, interpersonal skills, communication and foreign language skills, intellectual skills, and substantive knowledge—the skills, knowledge, and ability an employee applies to the job. State’s Foreign Service promotion system follows an up-or-out principle, under which failure to gain promotion to higher rank within a specified period in a single salary class leads to mandatory retirement for personnel in certain occupational categories. State’s FAM outlines the time-in-class and time-in-service limits for specific occupational categories. Various offices and entities play key roles in the Foreign Service promotion process. HR, under the direction of the Director General, has authority over the Foreign Service promotion process. The Office of Performance Evaluation, within HR, manages the promotion process, including recommending selection board members and processing final promotion results and other selection board outcomes. The office also provides various types of assistance and services related to the promotion process, such as guidance to employees in preparing their evaluation materials and monitoring of selection board activities. Grievance staff, also within HR, process grievances relating to the Foreign Service promotion process or underlying performance information relied upon by the selection boards or performance standards boards. The Foreign Service Grievance Board provides an appeal mechanism for employees not satisfied with the outcome of grievances at the agency level. The board currently consists of 20 members. Each member, as well as the chairman, is appointed by the Secretary of State for a term of 2 years, subject to renewal. AFSA provides Foreign Service personnel guidance in preparing evaluation materials. In addition, AFSA attorneys provide assistance to staff who file a grievance with State or the Foreign Service Grievance Board. State’s Foreign Service promotion process includes several types of boards that evaluate and rank order candidates for promotion, identify other candidates for possible separation from the Service, and address promotion process-related grievances. Foreign Service selection boards identify certain candidates for promotion, “low rank” others, and make other determinations. Performance standards boards then review low- ranked candidates for possible separation from the Service. There are several mechanisms to resolve grievances relating to the promotion process, including through the convening of reconstituted boards. State carries out several key steps prior to convening the Foreign Service selection boards. Selection boards then evaluate and rank order candidates for promotion. Next, HR officials process board outcomes before announcing promotions. Figure 1 provides information on key steps of the promotion process. State carries out several key steps before convening selection boards. The Director General determines the number of available promotion opportunities, evaluating factors including vacancies, estimated attrition, and projected staffing needs. HR designates selection board members. After the Director General determines how many and what type of boards are needed, HR seeks to fill the boards by soliciting volunteers and recruiting members to meet specific needs in terms of rank or work experience. Each board typically has four to six members of the Foreign Service along with a public, or non-State, member. According to HR officials, public members can offer a different perspective than Foreign Service members, and can act as an additional safeguard over the integrity of the process. All selection board members must be approved by the Director General and cannot serve on a selection board for 2 consecutive years. Selection boards include generalist and specialist Once board members are chosen, State announces them in boards.a cable sent to posts worldwide, which includes instructions on the conditions under which promotion candidates can request certain board members be recused from reviewing their file. Board members can also recuse themselves from evaluating a candidate if they believe they may be unable to render a fair and unbiased judgment. HR office of performance evaluation staff present official performance folders for each candidate eligible for promotion. The Employee Evaluation Report (EER) is a key document used by selection boards to evaluate candidates, and includes sections on the candidate’s work requirements, performance, and areas for improvement. The EER is developed by the employee and the employee’s designated rating and reviewing officers, and is screened by a review panel that is to provide feedback on any technical mistakes that should be corrected before the EER is formally submitted to the office of performance evaluation. The folder also includes information on the employee’s training record and any commendations, official reprimands, or awards, among other information. Selection boards are to evaluate candidates based only on information in official performance folders, along with other employee records specified in the procedural precepts. Selection boards follow a series of steps to evaluate and rank order candidates for promotion and identify other candidates for possible separation from the Service. The boards first screen all candidate files, and sort them into one of three categories: promotion, mid-rank, or low- rank. Those candidates mid-ranked are generally not reviewed again for promotion by that board. Next, each board member ranks each promotable candidate using a forced distribution scale of 1-10. Any time there is a discrepancy between board members of at least four points in the ranking of a given candidate, the members must discuss the case and, if the discussion results in any changes, adjust rankings accordingly to comply with the forced distribution requirement. Each board has a chairperson responsible for leading such discussions and helping to ensure that board procedures are followed. Once all candidates have been considered and ranked by each board member, the board chair consolidates the scores for promotable candidates into one rank-order list. Once a final rank ordering is established, the board submits its final results as part of its official board report, which includes, among other elements: the rank-order list for each competition group of all candidates recom- mended for promotion; an alphabetical list of those mid-ranked; an alphabetical list of those low-ranked; an alphabetical list of any candidates referred directly to a performance standards board to be considered for possible separation; and recommendations concerning policies and procedures for subsequent boards and improvements to the performance evaluation system. According to HR officials, the board report is the only document retained from each selection board. All other documents, such as notes and score sheets, are destroyed soon after the board’s dismissal. HR officials explained that these documents are destroyed to encourage open and frank discussions and note-taking during the board sessions. After receiving the selection boards’ official reports, HR officials undertake several steps before announcing promotions. First, HR officials told us they draw a “cut-line” on selection boards’ ranked lists of candidates recommended for promotion based on the number of available promotion slots. Then, HR officials coordinate the vetting of candidates ranked above the cut line with several entities, including the Office of Inspector General, the Office of Civil Rights, the Office of Employee Relations, the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, and the Office of the Legal Adviser. These offices respond indicating whether there are any outstanding issues concerning individual candidates, such as a pending investigation or other matter, that could lead to their removal from the promotion list. In addition, in response to personnel changes, HR officials annotate the official board reports’ rank-ordered lists of candidates recommended for promotion, indicating which candidates have been permanently removed and lowering the cut line accordingly. Next, according to HR officials, several staff, including the director of HR’s Office of Performance Evaluation, review the revised list of candidates for promotion to ensure it accurately reflects changes due to vetting outcomes. State then publishes the list of promotions. Table 1 provides summary data for the 2011 and 2012 selection boards. Performance standards boards convene each year to assess low-ranked candidates for possible separation from the Foreign Service. According to HR officials, there are typically two performance standards boards convened each year—one for generalists and one for specialists. Performance standards boards are governed by a set of procedural precepts outlined in the FAM.alongside no fewer than 10 randomly selected employee files from the same competition group and decide whether to recommend the employee for counseling or for separation. The board is required to submit a report to the Director General that includes a list of the members designated for separation along with individual statements justifying the board’s findings in each case. In 2011, 11 employees were designated for separation by performance standards boards. In 2012, 14 employees were designated for separation. The boards review each employee’s file Employees selected for separation from the Foreign Service have several remedial options. The Director General first sets a separation date. According to HR officials, employees can, until that date, choose to retire, if eligible; resign; grieve; or request a special review board, where the matter is adjudicated by a judge from outside the Department of State. Foreign Service personnel have several options to seek relief through the grievance process in response to promotion-related matters. Foreign Service personnel are encouraged to first attempt to resolve their concerns about their EERs with their supervisor at the post or bureau level.