The Department operates as a Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Act agency with complex enterprise systems, major grantmaking and financial assistance functions, significant personally identifiable information and sensitive data holdings, extensive contractor-supported operations, and technology-dependent mission delivery. The CIO must operate as both an enterprise executive and a mission partner, ensuring program offices can execute statutory responsibilities while the Department reduces duplication, manages risk, modernizes legacy systems, strengthens cybersecurity, and controls costs. The CIO is expected to work in close partnership with the CFO and Chief Acquisition Officer (CAO) so that technology decisions are integrated with budget formulation and execution, capital planning and investment control, acquisition planning, contract oversight, internal controls, audit readiness, and financial management. In addition, the CIO is expected to coordinate with Federal Student Aid, or any successor or separately governed entity, to ensure interoperability, secure services, appropriate cost allocation, transition planning, and continuity of mission-critical systems. Within this operating environment, the CIO:

• Serves as principal advisor to the Secretary and senior leadership on information resources management, IT, cybersecurity, enterprise architecture, digital modernization, and IT-enabled mission execution;

• Leads Department-wide implementation of the Clinger-Cohen Act, the Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act, the Paperwork Reduction Act, the Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA), the E-Government Act, OMB Circular A-130, Federal CIO guidance, and related technology, cybersecurity, privacy, data, accessibility, and records-management requirements;

• Establishes and enforces Department-wide technology governance, including clear decision rights, standards, policies, controls, escalation paths, and executive review mechanisms for IT investments, systems, platforms, digital services, cybersecurity, enterprise architecture, and technology workforce planning;

• Ensures the Department has one accountable enterprise CIO function with appropriate oversight of component, principal office, or mission-area technology leaders and with clear expectations for reporting, compliance, risk management, and performance;

• Partners with the CFO to align IT planning with budget formulation and execution, internal controls, financial reporting, chargeback methodologies, shared services decisions, cost allocation, and audit readiness;

• Uses TechStat, PortfolioStat, CyberStat, or comparable governance processes to identify troubled investments, require corrective action, recommend modification or termination of underperforming efforts, and elevate enterprise risks to senior leadership;

• Serves as the executive accountable for Department-wide cybersecurity strategy, information security risk management, and implementation of FISMA, zero trust, identity and access management, continuous monitoring, vulnerability management, incident response, supply chain risk management, secure configuration, and federal cybersecurity directives;

• Provides executive oversight for the Chief Information Security Officer and ensures cybersecurity risks are presented to leadership in terms of mission, operational, financial, legal, privacy, and reputational risk;

• Develops, maintains, and enforces a Department-wide enterprise architecture that supports mission delivery, interoperability, security, data quality, cloud adoption, digital services, financial stewardship, and lifecycle management;

• Leads modernization of legacy systems and infrastructure, including development of roadmaps that identify technical debt, end-of-life risks, cyber vulnerabilities, duplicative platforms, required investments, decommissioning opportunities, and migration paths to secure, scalable, and cost-effective solutions;

• Evaluates and executes opportunities for shared services, interagency agreements, cloud services, government-wide acquisition vehicles, platform consolidation, software license optimization, and commodity IT management where such approaches improve mission performance, reduce cost, or mitigate risk;

• Ensures technology modernization integrates with acquisition planning, human capital planning, change management, records disposition, data migration, security authorization, privacy review, and program operations;

• Partners with the CAO to ensure IT acquisitions are strategically planned, properly competed, performance-based where appropriate, cyber-secure, aligned with enterprise architecture, and structured to support incremental delivery and measurable outcomes; and

• Leads responsible adoption of digital services, automation, artificial intelligence, analytics, and emerging technologies to improve operations, customer experience, program integrity, grants management, financial management, cybersecurity, and employee productivity.

Conditions of employment

• One year probationary period, unless excepted by regulation.
• U.S. Citizenship
• Financial disclosure statement, OGE-278.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain the appropriate level of security clearance.
• Relocation expenses will NOT be paid.
• Registration with the Selective Service (if applicable). Males born after 12-31-1959 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service.
• All initial appointments to an SES position are contingent on approval from OPM's Qualification Review Board.

Qualifications

To meet the minimum qualification requirements for this position, you must show that you possess the Executive Core Qualifications and Technical Qualifications related to this position within your resume. Resume should NOT EXCEED 2 PAGES, with the font size no smaller than 10 points. Resumes over the 2-page limit will not be reviewed beyond page 2. Your resume should include examples of experience, education, and accomplishments applicable to the qualifications.

There is NO requirement to prepare a narrative statement specifically addressing the Executive Core Qualifications or the Technical Qualifications.

EXECUTIVE CORE QUALIFICATIONS (ECQs): In addition to the Technical Qualification (TQ) Requirements, all new entrants into the Senior Executive Service (SES) under a career appointment will be assessed for executive competency against the following five mandatory ECQs. If your 2-page resume does not reflect demonstrated evidence of the ECQs and TQs, you may not receive further consideration for the position.

There are five ECQs:

ECQ 1: Commitment to the Rule of Law and the Principles of the American Founding - This core qualification requires a demonstrated knowledge of the American system of government, commitment to uphold the Constitution and the rule of law, and commitment to serve the American people.

ECQ 2: Driving Efficiency - This core qualification involves the demonstrated ability to strategically and efficiently manage resources, budget effectively, cut wasteful spending, and pursue efficiency through process and technological upgrades.

ECQ 3: Merit and Competence - This core qualification involves the demonstrated knowledge, ability and technical competence to effectively and reliably produce work that is of exceptional quality.

ECQ 4: Leading People - This core qualification involves the demonstrated ability to lead and inspire a group toward meeting the organization's vision, mission, and goals, and to drive a high performance, high-accountability culture. This includes, when necessary, the ability to lead people through change and to hold individuals accountable.

ECQ 5: Achieving Results - This core qualification involves the demonstrated ability to achieve both individual and organizational results, and to align results to stated goals from superiors.

Note: If you are a member of the SES or have been certified through successful participation in an OPM approved SES Candidate Development Program (SESCDP), or have SES reinstatement eligibility, you must attach proof (e.g., SF-50, Certification by OPM's SES Qualifications Review Board (QRB)) of your eligibility for noncompetitive appointment to the SES.

TECHNICAL QUALIFICATIONS (TQs)

There are two TQs:

TQ 1: Enterprise IT Modernization, Cybersecurity, and Operational Performance - Demonstrated experience leading enterprise-wide information technology modernization, cybersecurity, infrastructure, cloud, data, application, and customer-service operations for a complex organization, including the ability to improve system reliability, strengthen security and privacy protections, modernize legacy systems, manage major IT investments, and deliver measurable improvements in performance, cost, risk, and user experience.

TQ 2: Mission Alignment, Executive Governance, and Cross-Functional Implementation - Demonstrated experience advising senior executives and leading cross-functional governance to align technology, data, acquisition, budget, cybersecurity, privacy, and workforce decisions with mission priorities, including experience partnering with program leaders, financial and acquisition officials, vendors, and non-technical stakeholders to translate organizational goals into executable IT strategies, accountable delivery plans, and measurable outcomes.

How you will be evaluated

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

Once the application process is complete, a review of your resume and supporting documentation will be conducted. If you meet minimum qualifications, your Application Package will be further reviewed by a panel to determine if you possess the Executive Core Qualifications and Technical Qualifications. ECQs and TQs must be thoroughly addressed within your two (2) page resume. Separate narratives will not be accepted or reviewed. Highly Qualified applicants may undergo one or more interviews and may be referred to the selecting official for further consideration.