Program analyst federal resume example (GS-0343)
A two-page resume for a GS-0343-13 Management and Program Analyst job, plus what OPM’s standards say about the series and the experience each grade needs. The person and numbers are made up; the rules come from the pages under Sources.
Updated October 2026. Sources are listed at the end.
- Two pages, US Letter
- Series, grade and hours on every job
- No sign-up
What makes it work
- Every job has what OPM asks for: title, employer, series and grade for federal jobs, month/year dates and hours per week, so a reviewer can count the year at GS-12 without guessing.
- The main job proves GS-13 work, not just GS-12 duties: leading evaluations, setting measures, forecasting the effect of legislation and advising executives, each with a result.
- The bullets use the series’ vocabulary (program evaluation, performance measures, workload-based staffing, process improvement), the way 0343 announcements word specialized experience.
- Older jobs shrink to a few lines, keeping the resume to two pages with room for education, GPA and optional details.
About Program Analyst (0343) resumes
What the 0343 series covers
OPM’s classification flysheet describes 0343 positions as analysts and advisors to management on how well government programs and operations work, how efficiently agencies are managed, or both. It is staff work: it gives managers objective information for decisions rather than delivering the program itself.
The title tells a reviewer which side you work on. Management Analyst covers internal administrative operations and organizations; Program Analyst covers line or operating programs; Management and Program Analyst is a mix where neither dominates; Program Evaluator plans, runs and reports formal evaluations. Typical work includes:
- Evaluating how well programs or policies meet their goals, with quantitative or qualitative methods
- Studying organizational efficiency and recommending changes to staffing, work methods and procedures
- Analyzing new or proposed laws and regulations for their effect on program operations
- Determining the staff, funding and equipment a program needs, including workload-based staffing standards
Qualification requirements by grade
0343 has no individual occupational requirements. It uses OPM’s group coverage qualification standard for administrative and management positions:
- GS-5: a four-year bachelor’s degree, or three years of general experience, one of them equivalent to at least GS-4
- GS-7: one full year of graduate education or superior academic achievement, or one year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-5
- GS-9: a master’s degree, two full years of progressively higher graduate education, or a related LL.B. or J.D.; or one year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-7
- GS-11: a Ph.D., three full years of progressively higher graduate education, or a related LL.M.; or one year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-9
- GS-12 and above: one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade; education doesn’t substitute
What that means for a GS-13 application
Your resume has to show at least one year of specialized experience equivalent to GS-12: work in or related to the job that gave you the skills to do it. The standard asks for experience equivalent to GS-12, not federal service at GS-12, so state, local, nonprofit or private work can count if the resume shows the level. OPM’s qualification policies prorate part-time work (20 hours a week for 12 months counts as six months), which is why every job needs hours per week.
Current federal employees in competitive service GS positions at grade 5 and above also need 52 weeks at the next lower grade (time-in-grade). OPM proposed eliminating that rule in May 2026; until a final rule is published, follow the time-in-grade section of each announcement.
OPM’s Administrative Analysis Grade Evaluation Guide, used to grade nonsupervisory 0343 positions at GS-9 and above, shows what separates the grades. Typical GS-11 and GS-12 work plans and runs studies that improve program operations. Typical GS-13 work is at the level the guide calls the expert analyst: a wide range of methods mastered, interrelated issues in mission programs, criteria for judging effectiveness, and projects planned largely on your own. Show that scope and independence in the bullets.
What reviewers look for in a 0343 resume
- Evaluating programs: the questions you asked, the measures you set, what you found and what changed
- Analysis: the data and methods you used, and the size of what you analyzed (offices, dollars, cases)
- Process improvement: who you worked with and a before-and-after number such as days, error rate or cost
- Writing for leadership: decision memos, briefings and reports, who read them, and which recommendations were adopted
- Leading the work: at GS-13, a study or small team you led and recommendations you negotiated with managers
Specialized experience, and the lines that prove it
How announcements for this series commonly describe it, in our words. Always use the wording in the announcement you’re applying to.
Announcements usually want a year equivalent to GS-9 using qualitative and quantitative methods on program operations: gathering and reviewing program data, checking operations against regulations and reporting rules, and writing findings with recommendations.
- Monitored performance of workforce grant programs in 6 states worth $210 million a year against federal reporting requirements.
- Conducted 24 program reviews; findings led 4 states to correct reporting errors in their outcome data.
At GS-12 the wording moves from reviewing to improving: a year equivalent to GS-11 studying program effectiveness and efficiency, developing performance measures, recommending changes to processes or organization, and presenting results to management.
- Built a risk model that ranked grantees for review, focusing staff time on the 15% with the most past findings.
- Led a review of claims intake with staff from 5 offices that removed 3 hand-offs and cut rework from 18% to 9% of cases.
GS-13 announcements generally ask for a year equivalent to GS-12 leading complex evaluations or management studies of major programs, setting evaluation criteria or long-range goals, analyzing how legislation or policy affects operations and resources, and advising senior leaders. Many also mention leading project teams.
- Lead evaluations of disability claims processing across a 14-office district: set the questions and measures, direct 4 analysts and brief the district director.
- Analyzed the effect of new eligibility legislation on district workload; the forecast of a 22% rise in claims set the FY2024 hiring plan.
The example resume, as text
The same content as the PDF, for reading or copying. Replace everything with your own experience.
Dana Okafor, Management and Program Analyst
Washington, DC · dana.okafor@example.com · (555) 555-0167 · U.S. citizen · Current federal employee (career)
Management and program analyst with 11 years of experience in program evaluation, workload and staffing analysis, performance measurement and writing for senior leaders, including 5 years at GS-12 leading district-wide evaluations. Seeking a GS-0343-13 Management and Program Analyst position.
Work experience
Management and Program Analyst, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Benefits Administration, Washington, DC
- Lead evaluations of disability compensation claims processing across a 14-office district: define the evaluation questions and performance measures, direct a team of 4 analysts and present findings to the district director and headquarters staff.
- Designed a workload-based staffing model from 3 years of claims data; leadership used it to move 38 positions between offices, and average days to complete a claim fell from 141 to 104 within 18 months.
- Analyzed the effect of new eligibility legislation on district workload and resources; my forecast of a 22% rise in claims set the FY2024 hiring and overtime plan, and actual receipts came within 3% of it.
- Wrote 23 decision papers, briefings and evaluation reports for senior executives since 2023; 9 of the 11 recommendations in my 2024 quality review were adopted.
- Led a process improvement review of claims intake with staff from 5 offices that removed 3 hand-offs and cut rework from 18% to 9% of cases.
- Built and maintain the district performance dashboard in Tableau and SQL from 4 data sources, used weekly by 60 managers to track timeliness and accuracy goals.
- Drafted the goals, milestones and measures in the district’s 5-year operating plan, and run the quarterly reviews against them.
Program Analyst, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, Philadelphia, PA
- Monitored performance of workforce grant programs in 6 states worth $210 million a year against federal reporting requirements, and flagged states at risk of missing outcome goals.
- Conducted 24 on-site and remote program reviews; findings led 4 states to correct reporting errors in their outcome data.
- Built a risk model that ranked grantees for review, focusing staff time on the 15% with the most past findings.
- Wrote quarterly performance reports and briefings for the regional administrator.
- Analyzed revised federal performance reporting rules for their effect on state grantees, then wrote the regional guidance and led 6 webinars for state staff.
Operations Analyst, Calloway Health Partners, Baltimore, MD
- Analyzed scheduling and staffing data for 9 outpatient clinics; recommended schedule changes that cut the average wait for a new appointment from 19 to 11 days.
- Mapped the specialist referral process with staff from 3 departments and removed a duplicate approval, cutting median referral time from 6 days to 2.
- Wrote the monthly operations report for the executive team and trained clinic managers to use it.
Education
- Master of Public Policy, George Mason University, 05/2018, GPA 3.7/4.0
- Bachelor of Arts, Economics, University of Maryland, College Park, 05/2013, GPA 3.5/4.0
Certifications and training
- Project Management Professional (PMP), Project Management Institute, 04/2022
- Tableau Desktop Specialist, Tableau, 11/2021
Skills
- Analysis: Program evaluation, Performance measurement, Workload and staffing models, Forecasting, Cost-benefit analysis, Survey design, Process improvement
- Tools: SQL, Tableau, Excel (advanced), R, SharePoint
Additional information
- Background investigation: Public Trust, favorably adjudicated 2021
- Languages: Spanish (professional working proficiency)
- Member, American Evaluation Association
Mistakes to avoid
- Relying on a degree at GS-12 or GS-13: graduate education qualifies only up to GS-11, so the resume must prove a year at the next lower grade.
- Copying duties from a position description (“responsible for analyzing programs”) instead of what you evaluated, found and changed.
- Leaving out hours per week: part-time experience is prorated, and a reviewer can’t credit what the resume doesn’t state.
- Showing GS-12 tasks for a GS-13 job: if no bullet shows you led a study, set evaluation criteria or advised senior leaders, the resume reads one grade low.
- Shrinking the font to fit: OPM’s guidance suggests 10-point text in a sans-serif font such as Lato with 0.5-inch margins. Cut older jobs instead; a resume over two pages isn’t considered.
Check yours before you apply
Upload your resume to count the pages and check every job for month/year dates, hours per week, series and grade. Paste the announcement too, to see which qualifications your resume proves. Free, no account. Starting from scratch? Use the two-page federal resume template.
Questions
Can a master’s degree qualify me for a GS-0343-12 or GS-13 job?
No. Under OPM’s group standard, a master’s degree can qualify you for GS-9 and a Ph.D. for GS-11. From GS-12 up, you need one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade.
What’s the difference between a Management Analyst and a Program Analyst?
Both are 0343 titles. OPM’s flysheet uses Management Analyst for work mainly on internal administrative operations, Program Analyst for work mainly on line or operating programs, and Management and Program Analyst when the job mixes both.
Do I need federal experience to qualify for GS-0343-13?
No. The standard asks for experience equivalent to GS-12, which can come from state, local, nonprofit or private work if your resume shows the level. Time-in-grade applies only to current competitive service GS employees, and OPM has proposed removing it.
Does part-time work count toward the one-year requirement?
Yes, prorated: OPM’s qualification policies count 20 hours a week for 12 months as six months of experience. That’s why every job needs hours per week.
How long can a 0343 resume be?
Two pages. Since September 27, 2025, a resume over two pages for a Title 5 job is not considered. OPM’s guidance doesn’t ask for supervisor contact details or salary, so use the space for results.
Sources
- OPM: Management and Program Analysis Series 0343 (qualification standard)
- OPM: Group Coverage Qualification Standard for Administrative and Management Positions
- OPM: Position Classification Flysheet for Management and Program Analysis Series, 0343 (revised October 2024)
- OPM: Administrative Analysis Grade Evaluation Guide
- OPM: General Schedule Qualification Policies
- Federal Register: Elimination of Time-in-Grade (OPM proposed rule, May 28, 2026)
- U.S. Geological Survey: Management and Program Analysis Series, GS-0343
- OPM: Applicant guidance on the two-page resume limit
- OPM: Agency guidance on the two-page limit on resume length
General guidance. The job announcement is the final word on what to submit.