Requirements
Conditions of employment
- A SES probationary period maybe required. Each new SES career appointee in the SES must serve a 1-year SES probationary period before the appointment becomes final. Individuals given career appointments in GAO's SES system under GAO's executive interchange agreement with OPM are not required to serve a new SES probationary period. In addition, any employee who has not completed an SES probationary period at the time of an appointment based on the interchange agreement is required to complete the SES probationary period in the new position.
- You must be an active member in good standing of a bar of a state, territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
- You must maintain this licensure while in this position.
- You are required to obtain and maintain a top secret security clearance/Sensitive Compartmented Information/Q Special Access Requirement.
- If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have been registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to register. Register for Selective Service, if applicable. (www.sss.gov).
- You will be required to submit a financial disclosure report.
- This is not a bargaining unit position.
Qualifications
Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs):
The Executive Core Qualifications are required for entry to the Senior Executive Service. Narrative based ECQ's are required to be submitted as supporting documentation. *NOTE* For current GAO SES applicants or applicants who have previously held an SES appointment, ECQs can be resume based.
The ECQs assess executive experience and potential. They measure whether you have the executive skills needed to succeed in a variety of Senior Executive Service positions. ECQs are to be submitted outside of the resume as additional documentation. Please address the following ECQs listed below.
For applicants who has never held an SES appointment, narrative based ECQ's are required to be submitted as supporting documentation. The required ECQ's to be addressed are listed below.
- Leading Change: This core qualification involves the ability to bring about strategic change, both within and outside the organization, to meet organizational goals. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to establish an organizational vision and to implement it in a continuously changing environment.
- Leading People: This core qualification involves the ability to lead people toward meeting the organizations vision, mission, and goals. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to provide an inclusive workplace that fosters the development of others, facilitates cooperation and teamwork, and supports constructive resolution of conflicts.
- Results Driven: This core qualification involves the ability to meet organizational goals and customer expectations. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to make decisions that produce high-quality results by applying technical knowledge, analyzing problems, and calculating risks.
- Business Acumen: This core qualification involves the ability to manage human, financial, and information resources strategically.
- Building Coalitions: This core qualification involves the ability to build coalitions internally and with other federal agencies, state and local governments, nonprofit and private sector organizations, foreign governments, or international organizations to achieve common goals.
Minimum Qualifications: The Senior Executive Service (SES) appointments require one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience at the next lower band/grade at the GS-14/GS-15 level, PA band level III, PE band level III, PT band levels III and IV, MS band levels I and II, Senior Executive Service, Senior Level (SL), or equivalent in the Federal Service, or comparable private/public sector.
Technical Qualifications: All applicants must meet the Mandatory Technical Competency and Executive Core Qualification requirements listed above to be eligible for consideration. Eligibility will be based on a clear demonstration that the applicants training, and experience are of the scope, quality, and level of responsibility sufficient to successfully perform the duties and responsibilities of this executive position.
TQ1: Advanced professional knowledge, particularly with respect to the statutory construction of a wide range of federal laws and regulations, at a level to assure that legal advice, reports, and products of the Comptroller General embody sound legal research, analysis, and judgment, are effectively written, and are issued in a timely manner.
TQ2: Ability to implement and support agency-wide and or/office policies and improve management of staff.
TQ3: Ability to work with high-level officials of government agencies, Congress, private industry, academia and special interest groups, and with the various levels of responsibility within GAO.
Education
Education requirements for the General Attorney, you must have a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA)."
Additional information
Update your resume so it meets new resume requirements
Starting on September 27, 2025, federal agencies will only accept resumes up to two pages in length to comply with the Merit Hiring Plan.
What is required in the resume?
Resumes submitted for federal jobs are required to have:
- Contact Information-your name and the best way to contact you.
- Relevant work experience-Job experience should include employer name, job title, start and end dates (month/year), the number of hours worked per week and descriptions that explain how your previous work experience relates to and helps you meet the required qualifications in the GAO job announcement to which you are applying.
- Education, certifications or licensures-If the job announcement requires any education, certifications or licensures, make sure you include the required information on the resume.
OPTION FOR ADDITIONAL SELECTIONS: Based on the staffing needs, additional selections may be made through this vacancy announcement.
Travel and relocation expenses will not be paid for by the GAO.
REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION: GAO provides reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. To request accommodation, please email
ReasonableAccommodations@gao.gov.The U.S. Government Accountability Office's policy is to provide equal employment opportunity for all regardless of race, religion, color, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, or gender identity.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office's policy is to provide equal employment opportunity for all regardless of race, religion, color, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, or gender identity.
Appointment type: This is a Comptroller General (CG) Senior Executive Service appointment.
This appointment does not make you eligible for:
- Reinstatement to the SES as a career appointee
- Noncompetitive transfer to a career SES appointment in the civil service SES under GAO's interchange agreement with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Review our benefits
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
After the closing date of this announcement, GAO will conduct an evaluation of your qualifications by reviewing your resume and ECQ's (if applicable) to complete an analysis.
Your application will be screened to determine if the requirements have been met listed in the announcement.
A panel of SES members will evaluate your executive experience demonstrated in your application, conduct interviews and make a recommendation to the Comptroller General.
The Comptroller General will the selection for this position.
Required Documents
You must provide a complete application package which includes:
Resume: Must show relevant work experience.
Emphasize your level of responsibility, scope and complexity of programs managed, program accomplishments, policy, incitatives, undertaken and results of your actions.
Your resume must show experience of progressive and responsible leadership experience that is indictive of senior executive-level management capability and directly related to the executive core qualifications (ECQs).
ECQ's (if applicable). For applicants who has never held an SES appointment, narrative based ECQ's are required to be submitted as supporting documentation.
Technical Qualifications (TQs)
- The TQs are listed in the Qualifications section.
- Address each TQ in narrative that is 2 pages or less. For example, if there are 3 TQs, you must write 3 separate narratives.
- Provide one or two examples of relevant experience for each narrative. For each example, describe your level of responsibility, scope and complexity of programs managed, program accomplishments, policy initiatives undertaken, and the results of your actions.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from
schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.