GAO supports the Congress in meeting its constitutional responsibilities to legislate, appropriate, and oversee the Federal government for the benefit of the American people. GAO, commonly referred to as the investigative arm of Congress, or the congressional watchdog, is independent and nonpartisan. GAO assists Congress in making informed decisions by providing information on policy and program issues, as well as by providing recommendations to make government more effective and responsive.
Band III In addition to the basic requirement as stated in the education section, you must have one year (52 weeks) of GAO experience equivalent to the next lower band level (PE-IIB, PA-II, PT-III, or MS-I) overseeing or leading the development of quantitative and qualitative social science research design approaches and methods, and experience guiding others to use these approaches to effectively perform evaluations or other applied research. Your experience must also demonstrate substantive knowledge of GAO's programs and activities, its mission, policies, objectives, management principles and processes; and the ability to manage staff and independently analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of technical services and staff resources. The 52 weeks of specialized experience described above must be completed by May 18, 2025, the effective date of promotion.
At the Band III, the incumbent will serve as an Assistant Director providing leadership and methodological consulting services on the most complex engagements and issues. Duties include but are not limited to the following: Advises teams and assists them to select appropriate methodology and to implement an engagement in accordance with GAO and professional social science standards; Provides consultation on highly complex and/or sensitive engagements based on requests from congressional committees and mandates written into legislation, resolutions, and committee reports; Ensures the identification of all key issues related to significant savings, improvements, or benefits. Works to achieve results in support of key efforts identified in GAO's strategic plan; Anticipates information needs of external parties and facilitates making this information readily available. Utilizes negotiation skills to work with agency officials to obtain access to the information needed to conduct thorough, timely audits; Provides others with advice on methods and procedures and serves as a quality assurance point for final products. Maintains accountability by advising higher-level management of progress or problems; May serve as a Designated Performance Manager (DPM) responsible for supervising, evaluating and documenting work performance of assigned staff. Identifies training and developmental needs and makes provisions for training as required by performance expectations. Coaches staff in skills development, oversees individual development activities, and provides opportunities to develop increased capabilities through a variety of projects and assignments. Hears and resolves employee complaints, recommends disciplinary measures such as warnings and reprimands, and recommends other action in more serious cases; As required, may be assigned off line duties such as Professional Development Program (PDP) Advisor, staffing manager, recruiter, and others.