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Career News | May 21, 2019

Climbing the Career Ladder

By DCAA Staff Writer

So you’ve found your dream job here at DCAA but you aren’t sure about promotion potential. Will you stay in the same position for years with no upward mobility or is there a clear path to the top? Here is the lowdown on promotion potential within the federal government and more specifically, auditing positions within DCAA.

Typically all positions within DCAA follow the General Schedule (GS) as a pay scale. DCAA’s entry level positions follow what is called the “Career Ladder” system meaning promotion is almost automatic between GS 5, 7, 9, and 11. To move up to the next higher GS level you must spend one year in your current level and receive fully successful on your annual evaluation.  If you start with DCAA as at GS-5, you can reach GS-11 in 4-years, which almost doubles your annual salary.

Sounds too good to be true right? Keep in mind that the responsibilities and workload increases with each grade. You have to apply yourself, focus on increasing your audit skills, and show your supervisors that you are ready to lead a team, manage the workload, and provide quality audits.  

Once an auditor hits the top of their career ladder at GS12, promotions become competitive meaning you will have to apply, interview, and be selected. DCAA offers a variety of positions at the GS 13-15 level, which allows our employees to further advance their careers.