Clarification from the agency

This vacancy announcement is open to Federal employees and other eligible applicants.

As an auditor, you will be responsible for the following:

• Review applicable laws, regulations, and policies to determine audit criteria
• Collect and analyze data to evaluate program performance and compliance.
• Design audit procedures to address identified risks and objectives.
• Evaluate internal controls to determine effectiveness and identify weaknesses.
• Perform audit procedures/steps to support findings and conclusions.
• Document audit work in workpapers to support results and meet standards.
• Apply Generally Accepted Government Auditing Standards or other applicable requirements to ensure audit quality.
• Identify and develop audit findings to answer audit objectives and deficiencies or risks.
• Prepare draft audit reports to communicate findings and recommendations.
• Evaluate the sufficiency and appropriateness of audit evidence to support conclusions.
• Provide technical guidance to team members to support audit execution.
• Lead segments of audit engagements to ensure completion of assigned objectives.

Conditions of employment

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYEMENT:

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• You may be subject to a background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID-compliant cannot be used as acceptable forms of identification for employment.
• You must meet all eligibility requirements within thirty days of the date the announcement closes and continue to meet these requirements throughout the hiring process. Offers can be rescinded if requirements are not met.
• You will not need a clearance to accept this position, but you must be able to obtain a clearance if needed.
• If you are a current federal employee holding a General Schedule (GS) position, you must meet the time-in-grade requirements.

All online applicants must provide a valid email address. If your email address is inaccurate or your mailbox is full/blocked, you may not receive important communication that could affect your consideration for this position.

Qualifications

The 0511 Auditing job series has the following education and/or experience requirements. Below outlines the experience requirements, and the Education section of this announcement explains the degree requirements, including the ability to qualify as a GS-0511-07 or GS-0511-09 with just a degree.

SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE:

To qualify at the GS-13 level, you must have one year of specialized experience at the GS-12 level that includes: applying laws, regulations, and policies to develop audit criteria; performing audit procedures in accordance with Generally Accepted Government Auditing Standards (GAGAS); preparing audit documentation that meets professional standards; assessing internal controls for effectiveness and identifying control weaknesses; analyzing data to assess program performance and compliance; ensuring data reliability by validating sources and testing data accuracy; developing audit findings and recommendations to address audit objectives, deficiencies, or risks; and evaluating the sufficiency and appropriateness of audit evidence to support conclusions.

To qualify at the GS-12 level, you must have one year of specialized experience at the GS-11 level that includes: applying laws, regulations, and policies to support development of audit criteria; assisting in performing audit procedures in accordance with Generally Accepted Government Auditing Standards (GAGAS); preparing portions of audit documentation that meet professional standards; performing internal controls data analysis; analyzing data to assess program effectiveness; assisting in ensuring data reliability by validating sources and testing data accuracy; assisting in developing audit findings and recommendations to address audit objectives, deficiencies, or risks; and evaluating audit evidence for completeness.

To qualify at the GS-11 level, you must have one year of specialized experience at the GS-9 level that includes: assisting with the application of laws, regulations, and policies to audit work; performing portions of audit procedures in accordance with GAGAS under supervision; preparing supporting audit documentation; assisting in assessing internal controls; analyzing data to support program reviews; assisting in validating data sources and checking data accuracy; contributing to the development of audit findings and recommendations; and reviewing audit evidence

To qualify at the GS-09 level, you must have one year of specialized experience at the GS-7 level that includes: supporting audit assignments by gathering and organizing information such as applicable laws, regulations, and policies; assisting with basic audit procedures under close supervision; compiling data for analysis; assisting in basic data validation activities such as verifying sources and identifying inconsistencies; identifying potential issues for further review; and assisting in assembling audit evidence.

To qualify at the GS-07 level, you must have one year of specialized experience at the GS-5 level that includes: assisting with routine audit support or related activities; gathering and organizing information and documentation; following established procedures to complete entry-level audit or related tasks; organizing and maintaining audit or similar files; assisting with basic data collection and verification; and supporting audit or review teams in completing assignments.


Experience refers to paid/unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) & other organizations (e.g., professional, philanthropic, religious, spiritual, community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, & skills & can provide valuable training/experience that translates directly to paid work. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

TIME-IN-GRADE: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-13 position, you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-12 (and so on). The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate that you possess one year of time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one year of time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. Do not submit an award SF-50. It is highly recommended that multiple SF-50s be submitted to verify that time-in-grade requirements are met.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Auditing
• Audit Reporting
• Data Analysis
• Writing
• Teamwork
• Critical Thinking

Your experience must be fully documented on your resume and include the job title, duties, grade/salary, and dates worked. A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited based on the time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

If your resume is missing the job title, duties, grade, or salary, and dates worked, you might not be referred for consideration to the hiring manager.

It is your responsibility to carefully review the list of required documents below and submit the necessary documentation based on your eligibility. Beginning September 27, 2025, Federal agencies will only accept resumes up to two pages in length to comply with the Merit Hiring Plan. Resumes longer than two pages will result in ineligibility for further consideration for the position. Additional guidance on this new requirement and resume-building tools can be found at: Page Limit and OPM guidance on 2 page limit

Resume - All Applicants: You must submit a resume (a two-page or less resume is required) containing the following pieces of information for each job entry listed in your employment history:

• Official position title
• Employer name and contact information
  • If the work was performed as a contractor, please clearly indicate that on the resume
• Start and end dates (at least month and year)
• Indicate full-time or number of hours worked per week if part-time
• Grade or salary of position

If you are a current or former Federal employee:

1. You must submit your most recent SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) or equivalent agency form. Do not submit an award SF-50; these do not contain sufficient information about your appointment. Your SF-50 should list the full position title, series, grade, and step, organization, duty location, service computation date, effective date, and your service type and tenure status. Applicants are encouraged to submit multiple SF-50s to meet eligibility requirements.
2. You must submit a copy of your most recent performance evaluation or appraisal, signed, showing your final rating. If a performance appraisal is not available, submit a statement explaining why one is not available.

If you are a Veteran or a qualifying parent or spouse:

1. When claiming a Veteran's Preference, you must submit your last DD-214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty) form, specifically the Member #4 Copy, indicating dates and character of service and discharge type.
2. If you are a Veteran with a service-connected disability rating, you will need to additionally submit the SF-15 (Application for 10-point Veterans Preference) and a copy of your VA Letter stating your disability rating.
3. If you are the qualifying parent or spouse of a disabled, deceased, or deployed Veteran, and are seeking a derived preference eligibility, you must submit appropriate supporting documentation, such as the Veteran's DD-214, SF-15, VA Letter, and/or Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders. See Veteran Family Preference for more information.
4. For more information on each type of Veterans Preference, and the documentation required for each, see FedsHireVets.

If you are applying for consideration under the Military Spouse Appointing Authority: Military spouses of the armed forces on active duty should visit the following site for information on required documentation: https://help.usajobs.gov/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/military-spouses

If you are a person with a disability, claiming eligibility under Schedule A:

1. You must submit "proof of a disability" documentation ("Proof of a disability" is a letter stating that you have an intellectual disability, severe physical disability, or psychiatric disability).
2. You must get this letter from your doctor, a licensed medical professional, a licensed vocational rehabilitation specialist, or any Federal, state, or local agency that issues or provides disability benefits.

During the application process, you may have an option to opt in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency (or elsewhere) who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.

The NSF OIG provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. Individuals with disabilities may contact
OIG-HR@nsf.gov for assistance with the application or hiring process.

Individuals who are eligible for a non-competitive appointment under an Office of Personnel and Management (OPM) special appointing authority may apply for consideration under a comparable non-competitive appointing authority.

Selectees will be required to complete a "Declaration of Federal Employment" (OF-306) prior to being appointed to determine their suitability for Federal employment and to authorize a background investigation. False statements or responses on your resume or questionnaire can jeopardize your employment opportunity and subject you to disciplinary action, including removal from federal service.

Next steps