Clarification from the agency

This Merit Promotion position is open to Current Federal Employees and Former Federal Employees with permanent status or reinstatement eligibility. Individuals who are eligible for a special appointing authority may also apply such as Individuals with Disabilities (Schedule A), former Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, and Vista volunteers; certain Military Spouses, or individuals eligible under various programs for Veterans (VRA, VEOA, 30% disabled).

As an Auditor (Performance), you will be responsible for conducting audits relating to efficiency and effectiveness of programs and operations of the Smithsonian Institution. 

In this position, you will:

• Perform major segments of highly complex individual audits where she/he is responsible for conducting, managing, reporting and making recommendations in connection with audits of Smithsonian operations.
• Review records, reports, statistics, correspondence files, methods, procedures, internal evaluation and audit reports, as well as systems, such as accounting, personnel, procurement or grants.
• Prepare and conduct oral briefings on the results of evaluations to top-level officials within and outside the OIG.
• Develop findings and recommendations for inclusion in audit reports that are submitted to Congress, interested officials, the Under Secretaries, the Secretary, the Board of Regents’ Audit and Review Committee, and the public.
• Recommend program areas that should be evaluated, draft suggested plans, objectives, scope, and techniques for those evaluations.

Conditions of employment

• Pass Pre-employment Background Investigation
• May need to complete a Probationary Period
• Maintain a Bank Account for Direct Deposit/Electronic Transfer
• Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered with Selective Service.

Conditions of Employment

Qualification requirements, including one year time-in-grade at the next lower grade level for promotion candidates, must be met by the closing date of the announcement. See the 'Required Documents' section for additional information.

For information on qualification requirements, see Qualification Standards Handbook for General Schedule Positions viewable on OPM Website.

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications: 

1. Degree: auditing; or a degree in a related field such as business administration, finance, public administration or accounting.

   OR

2. 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:

   1. A certificate as a Certified Internal Auditor or a Certified Public Accountant, obtained through written examination; or
   2. Completion of the requirements for a degree that included substantial course work in auditing or accounting, e.g., 15 semester hours.

In addition to the basic qualification requirement above:

Experience:

GS-09: You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-07 level in the Federal Service. For this position, specialized experience is defined as reviewing business documents such as invoices, bank statements, and payment vouchers for compliance with policies, laws, or other criteria. 

OR

2 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree. 

OR

Combination of Education and Experience: Education and experience may be combined to meet the basic qualifications.

GS-11: You qualify for this position if you have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-09 level in the Federal Service.  For this position, specialized experience is defined as serving as an auditor and conducting field work, reporting results, and making recommendations for improvements.

OR

3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree. 

or

Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree

OR

Combination of Education and Experience: Education and experience may be combined to meet the basic qualifications. 

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

Part-time and/or unpaid experience related to this position will be considered to determine the total number of years and months of experience. Be sure to note the number of paid or unpaid hours worked each week.

How you will be evaluated

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

Your application will be evaluated first for the basic qualifications described above. The applications that meet the basic qualifications will be evaluated further against the following criteria:

• Comprehensive knowledge of the audit process, including the planning, execution and reporting phases. 
• Skill in participating in conferences with management and in assisting on oral presentations.
• Knowledge of and ability to prepare written materials in a clear, concise and effective manner. 
• Knowledge of audit management and the skill to plan audits, including the determination of objectives, methods, guides, time limitations, staff requirements, and report clearance.

BASIS OF RATING:  Once the announcement closes, your application will be automatically evaluated and rated by the system and a Human Resources Specialist. To determine if you are qualified for this job, a review of your application and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the occupational questionnaire. The numeric rating you receive is based on your responses to the questionnaire. The score is a measure of the degree to which your background matches the knowledge, skills, and abilities required of this position. If, after the Human Resources Specialist reviews your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that the score you have received is not a true reflection of your qualifications and/or experience, your score can and will be adjusted to more accurately reflect the information you provided that support your abilities. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Your resume should provide detailed information regarding how your education and experience relate to this position, including the major duties and qualifications criteria listed. If a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than is supported by your resume, you will be assigned a rating commensurate to your described experience.

Veterans Employment Opportunities Act (VEOA):  If you are applying for a VEOA appointment, you must be a veteran and must be honorably separated and either a preference eligible or have substantially completed 3 or more years of active service. ("Active Service" under this law means active duty in a uniformed service and includes full-time training duty, annual training duty, full-time National Guard duty, and attendance, while in the active service, at a school designated as a service school by law or by the Secretary concerned.) A veteran who is released under honorable conditions shortly before completing a 3-year tour is also eligible.

Noncompetitive Appointment Authorities:  The following links contain information on the eligibility requirements to be considered under a noncompetitive appointing authority:

• Primary Appointing Authorities for Career and Career-Conditional Appointments
• Hiring Authorities for Veterans
• People with Disabilities