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Resume examples · Federal GS-15 program director

Senior Executive Service (SES) position resume example

Build mine from my record

This example follows a fictional GS-15 program director at a large federal department who is applying to Senior Executive Service positions. SES announcements set their own rules for how executive qualifications are shown, so the resume is written to work either way: every bullet shows leadership through a concrete result, such as leading change, leading people or delivering a program. Each role lists full month and year dates, series, grade and hours. The Federal executive template keeps it to two pages, and figures stay modest and tied to the program.

Federal executive template. Robin Kessler is a fictional person; every detail is made up for this example.

Robin Kessler

Federal Executive | Program Leadership, Organizational Change and Mission Delivery

Security clearance: Secret (active)

Professional summary

Senior federal leader with 20 years of service, including seven years as a GS-15 program director over a national benefits program with 650 staff and a $95 million operating budget. Leads large-scale modernization, builds strong leadership teams and works across agencies, Congress staff and industry partners to deliver results for the public.

Work experience

Program Director, GS-0340-15
Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington, DC. 40+ hours per week March 2018 to Present
  • Lead a national benefits program with 650 staff in 12 regional offices and a $95 million annual operating budget.
  • Directed a four-year modernization of claims processing, cutting average processing time from 120 to about 85 days.
  • Built a leadership bench by launching a supervisor development program, with most graduates later promoted.
  • Negotiated a shared data agreement with two partner agencies that removed duplicate paperwork for applicants.
  • Briefed senior department leaders and congressional staff on performance, budget and risk every quarter.
Deputy Program Director, GS-0340-14
Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington, DC. 40+ hours per week January 2013 to February 2018
  • Managed day-to-day operations for six regional offices and about 300 staff.
  • Led the transition to a new case management system, training staff and keeping service levels steady during cutover.
  • Reduced overtime costs by about 15% through better workload balancing across offices.
  • Resolved labor-management issues through regular partnership meetings with union representatives.
Supervisory Management Analyst, GS-0343-13
Department of Labor, Washington, DC. 40+ hours per week June 2008 to December 2012
  • Supervised a team of eight analysts reviewing program performance and spending.
  • Wrote performance reports that informed two annual budget requests.
  • Designed a performance dashboard adopted across the division.

Skills

Organizational change · Executive team leadership · Program and performance management · Interagency partnership · Federal budget formulation · Labor-management relations · Program modernization

Certifications and training

  • Agency senior executive leadership development program
  • Project Management Professional (PMP)

Education

  • Master of Public Administration, state university, May 2006
  • B.A. Political Science, state university, May 2004

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