The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) is an independent, nonpartisan agency that works for Congress. We accomplish our mission by providing objective and reliable information and analysis to the Congress, to federal agencies, and to the public, and recommending improvements, when appropriate, on a wide variety of issues to make government work better. This vacancy is for Summer internship positions. The anticipated start dates begin in May 2026.
To qualify for the GS-4 level you MUST be enrolled in a Bachelor's degree program in an IT-related field of study, AND meet ONE of the following criteria: You have completed 60 semester hours or 90 quarter credits of Bachelor's level education; OR You possess an Associate's degree. You MUST also meet the Basic Requirement: All applicants must have at least 12 semester hours or 18 quarter hours in a combination of quantitative and qualitative analysis, business analytics, business process management, project management, technical writing, business information technology, information technology law, management information systems, information assurance/security, math, statistics or other IT-related field of study by the start of the internship. NOTE: You must be a current student enrolled in a Bachelor's program seeking a degree from an accredited educational institution on a full or half-time basis. If at any point during the internship (and for any reason) your status as a student changes to that of a non-student, your internship will be terminated.
As part of a team, you will assist in planning and conducting in-depth audits and evaluations of Federal executive and legislative branch IT programs. The audits cover a range of topics, such as, system acquisition and development; program/project planning and management; requirements management; investment management; information assurance; cloud computing; CIO responsibilities; IT contractor oversight; IT workforce planning; cybersecurity of critical infrastructures; electronic records management; and IT privacy. You will collect appropriate data, analyze the data, develop data-based findings and conclusions, and present the information both orally and in writing to diverse audiences.Specific duties are: Identifying or developing methodologically sound techniques to audit and evaluate federal IT programs; Learning new and complex IT-related material quickly to understand issues; Researching and collecting relevant information that helps achieve audit objectives; Conducting analyses to assess information collected about federal agencies IT practices and comparing them against IT best practices; Developing findings and conclusions based on analyses; Interviewing agency officials to obtain testimonial evidence to support audit findings and conclusions; Observing federal agencies' IT systems management and security practices; Writing reports and other written products that effectively communicate findings and information; Communicating relevant information to agency officials, team members, internal stakeholders, and congressional staff, during formal and informal presentations, meetings, and/or interviews; Collaborating with others to address issues or solve problems and follow up with others to ensure needs are met; and Soliciting, listening to, and considering diverse perspectives, approaches, or viewpoint. Some interns may also have the opportunity to assist in the operation and maintenance of a production and test computer center/network to further enhance and develop new cybersecurity skillsets.