How long do the members of the executive branch serve?

It depends on which members of the executive branch the question is asking about. The only elected members (the President and Vice President) serve no more than two, four-year terms (limited by the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution). Top appointed members of cabinet departments and federal agencies serve at the discretion of the President who appointed them. Some previous presidents have even required top appointees to submit an undated letter of resignation. Average service for top appointed officials tends to range from 18 months to two years. Others, however (for example, current Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, have served more than one President over several years, but this is rare. Most top executive branch appointees rarely stay in their positions past the presidency of the one appointing them. Lower-level executive branch employees are governed by civil service employment, often making life-long careers of serving in the federal government