About OUSD(C)

Scott W. Bauer

Mr. Scott Bauer currently serves as Director, Human Capital and Resource Management for the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) (OUSD(C)). Mr. Bauer is responsible for shaping the future of the Department of Defense (DoD) Financial Management (FM) workforce and guiding approximately 60,000 high-performing professionals across the enterprise. He leads the DoD FM Functional Community driving excellence, innovation, and growth through transformational workforce development programs, including the DoD FM Certification Program; the USD(C) Awards Program; and training platforms including FM Online, FM myLearn, and the FM Certification Learning Management System. In addition, he facilitates key modernization efforts related to Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution reform, and manages OUSD(C) internal operations to ensure the optimal allocation of over $180M in personnel, contracts, and facilities resources supporting mission readiness.

Prior to his current assignment, Mr. Bauer served as Vice President of Business Development at Integrated Data Services, where he drove innovative and impactful branding and strategic initiatives, including launching the company’s inaugural advertisement and journal publication, significantly elevating its visibility, reach, professional connections, and market positioning. At the Veterans Health Administration, he served as Executive Director of Strategy and Operations, comprehensively re-engineering the budget formulation process, securing additional funding for critical initiatives, and aligning priorities with federal oversight, earning recognition from the Government Accountability Office. At the Department of Homeland Security, Mr. Bauer served as Acting Senior Executive Advisor in the Office of the Chief Procurement Officer, where he led professional development initiatives, reduced a certification backlog, expanded training programs, and strengthened the agency’s talent pipeline. At the DoD, he served as the Director of Acquisition Career Management for 32 defense agencies, improving workforce programs, developing enterprise-wide retention strategies, and launching a leadership development initiative. At the Defense Acquisition University, he helped redesign the DoD workforce framework, streamlining career paths for 185,000 acquisition professionals and increasing engagement through social media vignettes. As Director of Acquisition Human Capital Initiatives, he secured congressional funding, safeguarded an alternative personnel system, and professionalized the workforce. His nearly decade-long financial management experience includes serving as Chief, Exercise Branch at the Pentagon, where he defended the Air Force’s $167 billion FY17 budget request to Congress with a live presentation aired on MSNBC.

Mr. Bauer was recently named Wright State University (Dayton, Ohio) 2025 Alumnus of the Year and was inducted into the Fairborn (Ohio) City Schools Hall of Honor in 2019. He received the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Civilian Service, the Secretary of Homeland Security Medal for Outstanding Public Service, and American University’s inaugural Tobias Achievement Award. His work appears in the Armed Forces Comptroller Journal, Defense Acquisition Magazine, and other influential publications. Scott is a graduate of the Partnership for Public Service Excellence in Government Fellows, the Department of Defense Executive Leadership Development Program and Air War College.