PREPARATION OF THE FY 2003 BUDGET:
DESCRIPTION OF TEMPORARY ASSIGNMENT WITH OMB
General Information
Budget Appendix Team Assignments
Budget Concepts Branch Assignments
Budget Systems Branch Assignments
Schedule of Events
Work Environment
Selection Process
How to Apply
General Information
You will be working for the Budget Review and Concepts Division (BRCD) or the Budget
Analysis and Systems Division (BASD) of the Office of Management and Budget, Executive Office of
the President, as a non-reimbursable detailee for the "budget season." Budget season is a period of
approximately six to eight weeks during which the data and textual materials comprising the President's
annual budget are compiled and produced. The assignment is expected to run from roughly mid-December through mid-February.
BRCD is composed of two branches: the Budget Review Branch and the Budget Concepts
Branch. For budget season, the two branches combine portions of their staffs and adopt a team
approach for preparing the technical materials that comprise the Detailed Budget Estimates section of
the Budget Appendix. The Budget Review Branch also prepares charts and graphs that are used in
various policy-level presentations and also appear in the Budget, the main budget volume that presents
the Administration's policy proposals for the budget in narrative form.
As a temporary staff member in BRCD or BASD, you may be assigned to work on an
Appendix preparation team or on other assignments related to the preparation of the President's budget
that are managed by the Budget Concepts Branch and the Budget Systems Branch.
Budget Appendix Team Assignments
A team approach is adopted for preparing the Budget Appendix. Each team will have team
leaders drawn from the Budget Review Branch and the Budget Concepts Branch. In addition to team
leaders, teams generally will be composed of other permanent staff members and two to three
temporary staff members.
As a member of an Appendix preparation team, you will be assigned a section of the Budget
Appendix that will be your responsibility. For example, a typical assignment for a temporary staff
member might be an Appendix chapter presenting the budget for a major cabinet agency and portions
of the "Other Independent Agencies" chapter presenting the budgets for several small agencies.
The assignment involves resolving technical and conceptual problems in the agency budget
submissions, monitoring the development of the computer database that supports the budget, and
ensuring the error-free printing of assigned sections of the Budget Appendix. Early in the assignment,
you will be introduced to the OMB program examiners responsible for your assigned sections and will
be expected to work closely with them throughout the assignment.
Permanent staff in BRCD and BASD will offer help in specific areas. For example, certain
people will specialize in control of Federal credit data while others will provide guidance on budget
concepts or presentation issues. In addition, the team leaders will offer guidance,
advice, and moral support at all times. Once you have been selected, you will be treated as a
permanent employee in every way.
The work follows two parallel tracks. You will be responsible for the preparation of the
materials presented in your assigned Appendix chapters. Concurrently, you will be responsible for the
technical accuracy and conceptual integrity of the detailed database that supports the budget.
Budget Concepts Branch Assignments
Several individuals will be utilized in the Budget Concepts Branch for data analysis, report
production, and legislative analysis. Specific assignments may include responsibility for preparation of a
report to be used in congressional hearings on the budget, preparation of a special analysis,
coordination of legislative proposals related to general provisions, or database monitoring. A typical
day often includes analyzing computer reports and contacting other OMB staff to resolve technical and
conceptual problems or inconsistencies in materials being reviewed. The assignments in the Budget
Concepts Branch may last for approximately two weeks longer than those of Appendix preparation
team members.
Budget Systems Branch Assignments
The assignment in the Budget Systems Branch will be to assist with the systems development
efforts in developing a pilot for the automation of the Budget Appendix text process and other
computer systems development projects throughout budget season. This process is currently a manual
effort conducted at the same time as the automated collection of non-textual budget data. Tasks may
include agency on-site requirements-gathering for the agency Budget Appendix text process,
developing business rules for workflow processes, creating entity relationship diagrams, designing
document templates and stylesheets and working with the collaborative features of MS Word. The
position requires someone with an aptitude for computer software usage who enjoys researching and
experimenting with new software packages and working with the user community to identify their
requirements.
Assignments with the Budget Systems Branch will provide insight into the technical side of
budgeting as well as exposure to cutting-edge information technology. These assignments may last for
approximately two weeks longer than those of Appendix preparation team members. More than one
position may be available. If you are specifically interested in an assignment in the Budget Systems
Branch, please indicate so on your application.
Schedule of Events
Upon your arrival at OMB, you will receive orientation and training sessions on the scope of
the assignment, contents and uses of the budget, and the basic elements of the budget preparation
process. These sessions are typically held during the mornings of the first week, with the afternoons
reserved for reading, practice sessions with the computer, and individual team or branch meetings.
Work Environment
Staff will be located in close physical proximity. This can mean a high level of noise and visual
distraction that you must be prepared to deal with. Telephones ring, and people are constantly in and
out of the room. The assignment can tax patience and good humor. In addition to intelligence,
dedication, and talent, we seek those individuals with very good "people" skills and the personal
maturity and flexibility necessary to deal effectively with a hectic work environment.
Annual leave will generally not be available to you for the duration of the assignment because of
the demands of the work. The amount of overtime varies, depending on the timeliness of budget
decisions, the quality of the work done by the agencies and the program examiners, and requirements
of the production schedule. Your own agency's policies and rules will govern your accounting for any
overtime pay or compensatory time that may result from the assignment.
Despite all of this, the assignment can be a lot of fun. The long hours, close proximity, and
shared stress create close friendships and a "team spirit" that is invaluable. The sense of personal
satisfaction when the assignment is completed cannot be emphasized enough. Professionally, the
assignment provides an opportunity to participate in a fascinating policy-making process, learn
something about the budget process and the underlying budget concepts, make valuable professional
contacts, and learn a great deal about the computerized network linking OMB and the agencies, as well
as the automated photocomposition process used to print the budget documents.
Selection Process
The selection process has become increasingly competitive over the last several years.
Approximately 10 to 12 temporary employees will be selected for work on the Budget Appendix,
while additional candidates will be selected to work on assignments in the Budget Concepts Branch and
Budget Systems Branch. While helpful, previous budget experience is not required. We encourage
applicants from all areas of government. For example, in the past we have selected as temporary
employees State government employees, administrative officers, and program and management
analysts. This assignment can also serve as an excellent rotational assignment for those participating in
the Presidential Management Intern program, the Women's Executive Leadership program, the
Executive Potential Program, or other internship programs.
We plan to conduct interviews during October and should be able to notify you of our
selections by mid-November so that you will have several weeks to plan for the assignment.
How to Apply
To apply for the assignment, please mail or fax a resume and/or an SF 171 (or "Optional
Application for Federal Employment -- OF 612"), along with a letter of approval from your supervisor
to Joe Montoni, Budget Review Branch, by Friday, September 28th. The fax number is (202) 395-4768. The mailing address is: 725 17th Street, N.W., Room 6204, NEOB, Washington, D.C.
20503. If you have any additional questions, you may contact Joe Montoni at (202) 395-7408 or
Teresa Tancre at (202) 395-4836.