DIRECTOR of TAX POLICY and ADMINISTRATION--GAO

DIRECTOR of TAX POLICY and ADMINISTRATION
U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE (GAO)

Client:

The United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) is the agency that works for Congress for the benefit of the American people. Congress directs GAO to study the programs and expenditures of the federal government. GAO, commonly called the investigative arm of Congress or the congressional watchdog, is at the epicenter of government decision-making. It is independent and nonpartisan. The GAO investigates how the federal government spends taxpayer dollars. It advises Congress and the heads of executive agencies (such as the Department of Defense, Environmental Protection Agency, Health and Human Services, Education, Housing and Urban Development, and State) about ways to make government more effective and responsive. GAO evaluates federal programs, audits federal expenditures, and issues legal opinions. When GAO reports its findings to Congress, it recommends actions. Its work leads to laws and acts that improve government operations, saving the government and taxpayers billions of dollars.

GAO, which was founded in 1921, has a staff of approximately 3000 employees and a budget of over $500,000,000. Voted one of the best places to work in the federal government since 2005, GAO provides many great flexibilities and benefits to its employees. GAO is headquartered in Washington, DC, with field offices in Atlanta, Boston, Norfolk, Huntsville, Chicago, Dallas, Dayton, Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle. See: www.gao.gov.

Responsibilities:

The Director of Tax Policy and Administration within the Office of Strategic Issues is an executive responsible for leading GAO audits in the areas of tax policy and tax administration. Generally these audits analyze whether specific provisions of the tax code are achieving their policy purpose, or whether the IRS, paid tax preparers, and others involved in tax administration are efficiently meeting their responsibilities. The Director:
• Reports to the Managing Director of the Strategic Issues (SI) Team, assisting the Managing Director in establishing team priorities and managing team resources.
• Leads all aspects of GAO’s tax policy and tax administration audits including congressional relations, audit scope and methodology, data analysis, adherence to GAO quality standards, product development, and congressional briefings.
• Ensures that recommendations to federal agencies or matters for Congress to consider are supported by adequate evidence.
• Testifies before Congress on tax issues.
• Develops and maintains constructive working relationships with congressional clients and agency executives, including the IRS Commissioner.
• Coordinates with other tax oversight organizations such as the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration and the IRS Oversight Board.
• Represents GAO to the media, tax community, and other outside groups.
Professional and Technical Qualifications (PTQs):

1. Broad knowledge of federal tax policy and tax administration. This includes knowledge of public finance economics, tax legislation, IRS processes and operations, the tax preparation industry, and/or other third party participants in the federal tax system.

2. The ability to leverage knowledge of tax policy and administration to produce reports and testimonies that assist Congress in making decisions about tax policy and overseeing the federal system of tax administration. This includes the demonstrated ability to lead research that could provide Congress with information about tax policy tradeoffs or that supports recommendations to improve tax administration. It would also include experience assessing the effectiveness of tax policies and tax administration programs at meeting their goals and objectives.

Education: Bachelors in Business, Finance, or Accounting is highly desirable; M.S., Taxation and/or Ph.D. in Economics/Public Finance preferred.

Location: Washington, DC

Compensation: To $174,000 + bonus eligibility (Senior Executive Service)

EEO: All candidates will be considered without regard to race, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, or disability. The GAO provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities.

Deadline: To be considered, application packages (resume/CV and responses to the PTQs and ECQs) must be received by midnight, March 15, 2012.

Citizenship: U.S. Citizenship required. You may be required to obtain a Top Secret security clearance.

Contact: Jennifer Moss
JDG Associates, Ltd.
1700 Research Boulevard
Rockville, MD 20850
301-340-2210
moss@jdgsearch.com

JDG Associates, established in 1973, is a leading provider of executive recruiting services to federal/state/local government, non-profit organizations, trade associations, Fortune 1000 corporations, and a broad array of government contractors.