Department of Education

Auditor (Performance), GS-0511-07/09 (DE) Open Continuous

Sacramento, California, Washington, District of Columbia, Atlanta, Georgia, Chicago, Illinois, Kansa Full time

Auditor (Performance), GS-0511-07/09 (DE) Open Continuous

Department: Department of Education

Location(s): Sacramento, California, Washington, District of Columbia, Atlanta, Georgia, Chicago, Illinois, Kansas City, Missouri, New York, New York, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Dallas, Texas

Salary Range: $50460 - $80243 Per Year

Job Summary: This position is with the U.S. Department of Education (ED), Office of Inspector General (OIG), Audit Services component. Audit Services is responsible for all audit, inspection, and other activities relating to improving ED programs and operations. It fulfills this responsibility, in large part, through teams that are aligned to provide oversight of assigned functional areas that include ED operations, elementary and secondary education, and higher education.

Major Duties:

  • This is an open continuous announcement to fill current and future vacancies until 12/31/2026, or if management decides to close the announcement early. Fraud doesn't stop, and neither do we. We're ED OIG, an independent oversight office within ED charged with identifying and preventing fraud, waste, and abuse, and ensuring accountability and effectiveness in ED programs. If you want to help fight fraud and make a difference for America's students, schools, and taxpayers, we may have the career for you! We offer competitive salaries, opportunities for rapid and substantial salary increases and career growth, great benefits, employee recognition programs, and more. Often referred to as America's watchdogs, it's the OIG's job to help ensure that hard-earned tax dollars that fund ED programs and operations are used as intended by law, achieve the desired results, and reach the intended recipients. OIG conducts audits and reviews of issues involving Federal student aid, K–12 schools, charter schools, special education, career and technical education, adult education, and more. When our work identifies problems, we propose solutions. Our work has resulted in improvements to ED programs and changes to some of the most important Federal education laws in our country. OIG also conducts criminal and civil investigations into suspected fraudulent activities by schools, colleges, universities, contractors, subcontractors, school officials—any entity or individual that participates in ED programs or receives ED funding. Our work has unraveled multimillion-dollar fraud schemes by people placed in positions of trust to educate our children. We're also on the cutting edge of cybersecurity, using the latest technology and techniques to discover and defeat current and emerging threats from cyber and economic crime. We tackle new and emerging issues head-on, continually work to improve our techniques and capabilities, and consistently expand our expertise by training and developing staff. This dedication has enabled OIG to become a leader in the Federal government in the areas of audits, investigations, and fighting cybercrime. Whether you're just entering the workforce or are a seasoned professional, if you're looking for a career rather than just a job, and interested in shaping the next generation of Americans tackling tomorrow's challenges, consider joining our team. Audit Services is responsible for all audit, inspection, and other activities to promote economy, efficiency, and effectiveness, and prevent and detect fraud and abuse, in ED programs and operations. This position would be with one of the following Audit Services teams: Internal Operations Oversight Team. Based in Washington, DC, this team conducts audit-related work focused on ED-wide operations and program management, including high-profile work related to contracts and grant programs, requests by Congress, OIG Hotline complaints, and statutorily-required assignments. It provides the means for OIG to build and maintain program and technical expertise in a multitude of areas across ED. Elementary and Secondary Education Oversight Team. Based in various offices throughout the country, this team conducts audit-related work focused on Federal elementary and secondary education programs, as well as special education and rehabilitative services programs. It provides the means for OIG to build and maintain program or technical expertise in these areas. Higher Education Oversight Team. Based in various offices throughout the country, this team conducts audit-related work focused on Federal higher education programs, including the Federal student aid programs, as well as career and technical education programs. It provides the means for OIG to build and maintain program or technical expertise in these areas. As a Performance Auditor at the GS-7 level in an entry-level capacity, the incumbent will participate in the planning and design of Audit Services projects; completion of evaluation, research, and data analysis activities, and in assessments of data quality and reliability, risk, and internal control design and implementation; and preparation of written work products, including interview writeups, document reviews, spreadsheets, summaries, and exhibits. As a Performance Auditor at the GS-9 level in a developmental capacity, the incumbent will assist in the planning and design of Audit Services projects and contribute to the completion of related activities; assist in the completion of evaluation, research, and data analysis activities, and in assessments of data quality and reliability, risk, and internal control design and implementation; and participate in the preparation of written work products, including interview writeups, document reviews, spreadsheets, summaries, and exhibits, and in the development of conclusions and preparation of reporting elements in relation to the project's objectives.

Qualifications: Basic Requirements for Performance Auditors Degree: auditing; or a degree in a related field such as business administration, finance, public administration or accounting. OR Combination of education and experience: at least 4 years of experience in Performance Auditing, or an equivalent combination of performance auditing experience, college-level education, and training that provided professional auditing knowledge. The applicant's background must also include one of the following: A certificate as a Certified Internal Auditor or a Certified Public Accountant, obtained through written examination; or Completion of the requirements for a degree that included substantial course work in auditing or accounting, e.g., 15 semester hours. In addition to meeting the Basic Requirement above, the incumbent must also meet the minimum qualification requirements below. Minimum Qualification Requirements: For the GS-7, you must meet one of the following: Specialized Experience for the GS-7 level: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-5 grade level or equivalent public or private sector experience that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the three (3) following duties or work assignments below: Knowledge of auditing concepts, principles, and practices. Skill in written and oral communication. Ability to work well on a team/interpersonal communication. OR One (1) year of graduate-level education. OR A bachelor's degree with Superior Academic Achievement (S.A.A). S.A.A. is based on (1) class standing, (2) grade-point average or (3) honor society membership. 1. Class standing -- Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses. 2. Grade-point average (G.P.A) -- Applicants must have a grade-point average of: 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on their official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum. Grade-point averages are to be rounded to one decimal place. For example, 2.95 will round to 3.0 and 2.94 will round to 2.9. 3. Honor society membership -- Applicants can be considered eligible based on membership in one of the national scholastic honor societies (except for freshman honor societies). These honor societies are listed by the Association of College Honor Societies https://www.achshonor.org/ OR Combination of Experience and Education. Completion of a percentage of the one-year graduate education requirement and a percentage of the one-year specialized work experience that combined equals 100%. Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) The quality of your experience will be measured by the extent to which you possess the following knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs): Ability to carry out assigned tasks using specific methods. Ability to research and interpret financial, statistical, performance, economic, and/or accounting data and other information. Ability to analyze information and accurately reflect that analysis in a written work product. For the GS-9, you must meet one of the following: Specialized Experience for the GS-9 level: One year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-7 grade level or equivalent public or private sector experience that has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the three (3) following duties or work assignments below: General knowledge of auditing concepts, principles, and practices, and of methods and techniques to perform assignments. Skill in written and oral communication, including an ability to develop sound conclusions and effective recommendations and to communicate with officials at various organizational levels. Ability to work well on a team/interpersonal communication, and to provide accurate guidance and timely assistance to team members and others. OR Master's or equivalent graduate degree OR; Two (2) full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree; OR LL.B or J.D., if related; OR Combination of Experience and Education. Completion of a percentage of the two-year graduate education requirement and a percentage of the one-year specialized work experience that combined equals 100%. Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs) The quality of your experience will be measured by the extent to which you possess the following knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs): Ability to identify appropriate information sources and follow protocols specific to assigned programs and reviews. Ability to research and interpret financial, statistical, performance, economic, and/or accounting data and other information, and to apply conclusions to recommend actions and decisions. Ability to analyze information from multiple sources and accurately reflect that analysis in a written work product that requires limited revision by other team members.

How to Apply: Step 1: Create a USAJOBS account (if you do not already have one) at www.usajobs.gov. Step 2: Create a resume using the USAJOBS resume builder. Ensure that your resume demonstrates your education, experience, training, and accomplishments as it relates to the qualifications for this position. Step 3: Upload any required documents into your USAJOBS account (must be less than 3MB and in one of the following document formats: GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, PDF, or Word (DOC or DOCX)). Step 4: Click "Apply Online" and follow the prompts to complete the vacancy questionnaire and attach any required documents. Verify that uploaded documents from USAJOBS transfer into the agency's hiring system. You will have the opportunity to upload any additional required documents in the agency's hiring system. Click “Finish” to submit your application. NOTE: You may update your application or required documents at any time while the announcement is open by logging into your USAJOBS account, clicking on "Application Status," clicking on the position title, clicking "Update Application,” and following the prompts. In order to receive consideration for this position, you must submit your complete application, including all required documents, by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on the closing date of the vacancy announcement. If the vacancy announcement has an application limit, we recommend that you submit your complete application at the time of initial application. We will not accept any required documentation after the closing date of the vacancy announcement. If you have any questions regarding submitting your application, please contact the HR Specialist listed under the Agency Contact Information.

Application Deadline: 2026-12-31