Accountability Counsel Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Summary
This position is located in GAO. As a Managing Associate General Counsel (MAGC) you will be responsible for extremely complex and difficult legal questions or factual issues raised by GAO analysts, auditors, accountants and other professionals who examine the Federal Government's role in order to support the Congress in meeting its constitutional responsibilities and to help improve the performance and ensure the accountability of the federal government for the benefit of the American people.
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Duties
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As a Managing Associate General Counsel-ES -0905-00 your typical work assignments may include the following:

• Provides legal advice and counsel on GAO's work examining how taxpayer dollars are spent and advises lawmakers and agency heads on ways to make government work better.
• Provides legal advice and counsel to GAO officials on all legal issues arising in connection with GAO's audit, evaluation, and investigation of federal agency activities and programs, including developing and drafting portions of GAO reports; and has responsibility for legal sufficiency of all GAO products and for legal citations in all GAO products.
• Directs, with responsibility for a very broad intellectual span of control of legal subject matter affecting one or more mission teams, an OGC component comprised of Assistant General Counsels (AGCs), attorneys, paralegals and administrative support staff.
• Assures the quality and timeliness of legal products and advice across a very broad and diverse legal subject matter.
• Directly supervises the Assistant General Counsels (AGCs).
• Oversees the implementation of all aspects of the attorney and administrative professional staff performance management systems relating to subordinate staff, including performance appraisal, and staff development.
• Participates in the recruitment and promotion of attorneys and administrative professional staff with the Managing Associate General Counsel (MAGC) for Legal Operations, the Deputy General Counsel and the General Counsel.
• Represents GAO and OGC when issues involving the legal subject matter of GAO's work are of concern to the Congress, the media, representatives of Federal agencies, officials of other governments (state, local, foreign), the private sector, contractors or the public.
• Undertakes special management projects as directed by the Comptroller General or General Counsel.
• This MAGC position will manage legal support for the Forensic Audits and Investigative Service (FAIS), Financial Markets and Community Investment (FMCI), Natural Resources and Environment (NRE), and Strategic Issues (SI) mission teams

Requirements
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Conditions of employment

• A SES probationary period maybe required. Each new SES career appointee in the SES must serve a 1-year SES probationary period before the appointment becomes final. Individuals given career appointments in GAO's SES system under GAO's executive interchange agreement with OPM are not required to serve a new SES probationary period. In addition, any employee who has not completed an SES probationary period at the time of an appointment based on the interchange agreement is required to complete the SES probationary period in the new position.
• You must be an active member in good standing of a bar of a state, territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
• You must maintain this licensure while in this position.
• You are required to obtain and maintain a top secret security clearance/Sensitive Compartmented Information/Q Special Access Requirement.
• If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have been registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to register. Register for Selective Service, if applicable. (www.sss.gov).
• You will be required to submit a financial disclosure report.
• This is not a bargaining unit position.

Qualifications
Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs):
The Executive Core Qualifications are required for entry to the Senior Executive Service. Narrative based ECQ's are required to be submitted as supporting documentation. *NOTE* For current GAO SES applicants or applicants who have previously held an SES appointment, ECQs can be resume based.
The ECQs assess executive experience and potential. They measure whether you have the executive skills needed to succeed in a variety of Senior Executive Service positions. ECQs are to be submitted outside of the resume as additional documentation. Please address the following ECQs listed below.
For applicants who has never held an SES appointment, narrative based ECQ's are required to be submitted as supporting documentation. The required ECQ's to be addressed are listed below.

• Leading Change: This core qualification involves the ability to bring about strategic change, both within and outside the organization, to meet organizational goals. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to establish an organizational vision and to implement it in a continuously changing environment.
• Leading People: This core qualification involves the ability to lead people toward meeting the organizations vision, mission, and goals. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to provide an inclusive workplace that fosters the development of others, facilitates cooperation and teamwork, and supports constructive resolution of conflicts.
• Results Driven: This core qualification involves the ability to meet organizational goals and customer expectations. Inherent to this ECQ is the ability to make decisions that produce high-quality results by applying technical knowledge, analyzing problems, and calculating risks.
• Business Acumen: This core qualification involves the ability to manage human, financial, and information resources strategically.
• Building Coalitions: This core qualification involves the ability to build coalitions internally and with other federal agencies, state and local governments, nonprofit and private sector organizations, foreign governments, or international organizations to achieve common goals.

Minimum Qualifications: The Senior Executive Service (SES) appointments require one year (52 weeks) of specialized experience at the next lower band/grade at the GS-14/GS-15 level, PA band level III, PE band level III, PT band levels III and IV, MS band levels I and II, Senior Executive Service, Senior Level (SL), or equivalent in the Federal Service, or comparable private/public sector.
Technical Qualifications: All applicants must meet the Mandatory Technical Competency and Executive Core Qualification requirements listed above to be eligible for consideration. Eligibility will be based on a clear demonstration that the applicants training, and experience are of the scope, quality, and level of responsibility sufficient to successfully perform the duties and responsibilities of this executive position.
TQ1: Advanced professional knowledge, particularly with respect to the statutory construction of a wide range of federal laws and regulations, at a level to assure that legal advice, reports, and products of the Comptroller General embody sound legal research, analysis, and judgment, are effectively written, and are issued in a timely manner.
TQ2: Ability to implement and support agency-wide and or/office policies and improve management of staff.
TQ3: Ability to work with high-level officials of government agencies, Congress, private industry, academia and special interest groups, and with the various levels of responsibility within GAO.
Education
Education requirements for the General Attorney, you must have a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA)."
Additional information
Update your resume so it meets new resume requirements
Starting on September 27, 2025, federal agencies will only accept resumes up to two pages in length to comply with the Merit Hiring Plan.
What is required in the resume?
Resumes submitted for federal jobs are required to have:

• Contact Information-your name and the best way to contact you.
• Relevant work experience-Job experience should include employer name, job title, start and end dates (month/year), the number of hours worked per week and descriptions that explain how your previous work experience relates to and helps you meet the required qualifications in the GAO job announcement to which you are applying.
• Education, certifications or licensures-If the job announcement requires any education, certifications or licensures, make sure you include the required information on the resume.

OPTION FOR ADDITIONAL SELECTIONS: Based on the staffing needs, additional selections may be made through this vacancy announcement.
Travel and relocation expenses will not be paid for by the GAO.
REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION: GAO provides reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees with disabilities. To request accommodation, please email ReasonableAccommodations@gao.gov.The U.S. Government Accountability Office's policy is to provide equal employment opportunity for all regardless of race, religion, color, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, or gender identity.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office's policy is to provide equal employment opportunity for all regardless of race, religion, color, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, or gender identity.
Appointment type: This is a Comptroller General (CG) Senior Executive Service appointment.
This appointment does not make you eligible for:

• Reinstatement to the SES as a career appointee
• Noncompetitive transfer to a career SES appointment in the civil service SES under GAO's interchange agreement with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).

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Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
Benefits
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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.