The Public Service newbie guide

The HR framework covering a category of public officers, including appointment, grades, progression and related employment arrangements.

Also heard as: service scheme, scheme

A widely used Civil Service scheme of service covering many policy, administration and management roles.

Also heard as: MX Scheme, MXS, Management Executive

An officer’s placement into a job, which may be within the same agency or part of a structured move across agencies or sectors.

Also heard as: job posting, posted

A variable civil-service payment calibrated to economic and labour-market conditions, with mid-year and year-end amounts announced separately.

Also heard as: mid-year AVC, year-end AVC, variable bonus

An individual variable payment linked to performance under the applicable public-service compensation framework.

Also heard as: performance bonus

Context: PB is highly ambiguous and can also mean Personnel Board.

A feedback exercise drawing perspectives from people who work above, alongside and below a leader to support development against expected competencies.

Also heard as: 360-degree feedback, 360 exercise, 360

A central leadership-development track aimed at developing officers with whole-of-government perspectives and capabilities for senior roles.

Also heard as: AS

An officer appointed to the Administrative Service and developed through multi-sectoral postings and leadership experiences.

Also heard as: Admin Officer

Context: AO is highly ambiguous and also commonly means Action Officer, Approving Officer or Accounting Officer.

A temporary placement in another agency, sector or organisation to gain experience, perspectives or capabilities.

Also heard as: work attachment, external attachment

A process in which managers review proposed assessments together to improve consistency and apply shared standards.

Also heard as: calibration exercise, rating calibration

Context: Calibration does not necessarily imply a fixed quota; the applicable framework depends on the organisation.

The Public Service approach of translating changing business needs into job competencies and using them to guide officer development.

Also heard as: Competency Driven Growth

An assessment of the largest job size an officer is considered capable of handling in future, which may change as the officer develops and demonstrates capabilities.

Also heard as: Currently Estimated Potential

Context: CEP is not a fixed lifetime ceiling, although officers may colloquially joke that it means “career ending point”.

A service-wide movement encouraging officers and agencies to plan proactively for longer careers, skills renewal and employability.

Also heard as: CareerFitness Movement, Career Fitness

A second-level review in which another manager checks, comments on or confirms an assessment made by the reporting officer.

Also heard as: countersigning, counter-sign, CSO

Context: The role and abbreviation vary by agency and appraisal system.

A survey used by public agencies to understand officers’ engagement and workplace experience.

Also heard as: engagement survey

Context: EES can have other system-specific meanings.

Informal shorthand for an approved position or the authorised manpower establishment against which a person may be appointed.

Also heard as: establishment, estab post

Context: The exact shorthand and manpower concepts vary by agency; “establishment” also has a specific constitutional and HR meaning.

An informal label used for a public officer who is not regarded as having entered through the scholar route.

Also heard as: non-scholar, non scholar

Context: This is not an official Public Service classification and can be dismissive or disparaging. Use it only to explain the jargon, not to label people.

A short-term Public Service programme that enables officers to contribute their expertise and experience to cross-agency projects outside their usual role.

Also heard as: public service gig, gig

A structured transfer of duties, information, records, assets, access and outstanding actions from one person or team to another.

Also heard as: handover takeover, hand-over/take-over, handover, takeover

Context: The exact checklist and scope vary by role and agency.

A development plan used to structure career and growth conversations between an officer and supervisor.

Also heard as: individual development planning

The Public Service framework describing leadership competencies and red-flag behaviours at different leadership levels.

Also heard as: Public Service Leadership Competency Framework

Development work and programmes intended to prepare officers for larger leadership responsibilities.

Also heard as: leadership development programme, LD programme

Context: LD is highly ambiguous and can also be the name of an organisational unit or track.

An annual salary increment whose amount is differentiated based on performance and potential under applicable schemes.

Also heard as: merit-based increment

Context: MI is highly ambiguous and the detailed arrangements vary by scheme of service.

The framework used to manage and constrain public-sector manpower growth while allowing agencies to prioritise staffing within their allocations.

Also heard as: Manpower Management Framework cap

The one-month year-end allowance commonly described as the civil service’s 13th-month payment.

Also heard as: 13th month, 13th-month bonus

The Public Service opportunities marketplace supporting access to cross-agency growth and development opportunities.

Also heard as: OneTalent Gateway

A central programme that develops officers for sectoral and other senior leadership roles across the Public Service.

A management panel that reviews officers’ performance or readiness comparatively using the agency’s framework and evidence.

Also heard as: ranking, ranking exercise, performance ranking, ranking panel

Context: The board's composition, process and relationship to final ratings vary across agencies.

A person awarded a public-sector scholarship, usually with a service bond and a planned route into the sponsoring organisation or Public Service.

Also heard as: government scholar, PSC scholar, agency scholar

Context: Scholar is not a formal grade and does not by itself determine an officer’s appointment or eventual progression.

A time-limited move to another organisation or role, with arrangements for the officer’s employment and eventual transition or return.

Also heard as: seconded, on secondment

PSD shorthand for an officer who combines leadership capability with deep expertise in more than one connected field.

Also heard as: X-shaped public officer

The length of time an officer has served in the organisation or Public Service, depending on the context.

Also heard as: years of service