This position is located in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Office of The Chief Financial Officer. The primary purpose of this position is to serve as a Student Trainee (Program Specialist), GS-0399-07, within the Office of The Chief Financial Officer (OCFO), supporting office operations and serving as a liaison for the program served.

Duties

As a STUDENT TRAINEE (PROGRAM SPECIALIST), GS-0399-7, your typical work assignments may include the following under supervision: Perform a variety of specialized work in support of programs and functions. Conduct special studies or research projects related to specific program goals and issues. Assist management on the identification of solutions of administrative problem and issues. All DHS-HQ announcements have a 5 business day open period due to the number of applications received. This announcement will be open for 5 business days OR until the first 150 applications have been received, whichever happens first. View common definitions of terms found in this announcement: Common Definitions.

Requirements

• You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position.
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for Selective Service.
• You must successfully pass a background investigation.
• You must submit to a pre-employment drug test.
• You must be 16 years of age or older to apply.
• You must submit a transcript or proof of enrollment with your application.
• All interns are required to sign a Pathways Participant Agreement.
• You must serve a trial period.
• Applying to this announcement certifies that you give permission for DHS to share your application with others in DHS for similar positions.
• This position is designated as moderate risk involving Public Trust. Appointment to this position is subject to a background investigation including a credit check to determine suitability for Federal employment and/or the position.
• The selectee will be required to sign a Program Participant Agreement that documents the appointment dates, work schedule, position information, developmental assignments, and program requirements.
• A requirement of the Pathways program is enrollment in a qualifying educational institution and program. Documentation is required to verify eligibility AND prior to establishing a start date.
• The transcript(s) or official letter from the registrar's office MUST include either the date your degree or certificate was conferred OR the anticipated date the degree or certificate is scheduled to be conferred.
• Applicant must provide all transcripts, proof of current semester enrollment and/or Spring 2024 enrollment/acceptance and/or class schedule for eligibility verification.
• Applicant must currently be in good academic standing (minimum GPA of 2.0 out of 4.0) and maintain a cumulative and term GPA of 2.0 throughout internship.

Qualifications

To be eligible for this internship, ALL of the following requirements must be met: Student Status: You must be enrolled or accepted for enrollment in an accredited high school, technical or vocational school, two-year or four-year college or university, graduate/professional school, or certificate program (equivalent to at least one academic year of full-time study pursuant to 5 CFR 362). Individuals must be taking at least a half-time academic, vocational, or technical course load leading to a degree, diploma, or certificate. "Half-time" is defined by the school in which the student is enrolled. Grade Point Average: You must be considered in good academic standings as defined by the educational institution in which you attend. Generally, at least a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or equivalent (no rounding) per semester in an undergraduate degree program, and at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA (or equivalent) per semester in a Master's or Professional Degree Program. An Intern, once hired, that fails to maintain the required GPA may be terminated from their appointment. AND You must also meet the qualification requirement below. You qualify at the GS-7 grade level if you possess the following: Completion of 1 full academic year of graduate level education; OR Superior Academic Achievement and completion of a bachelor's degree. Superior Academic Achievement is defined as: A bachelor's degree with superior academic achievement, which is based on (1) class standing, (2) grade-point average, or (3) honor society membership: Class standing - Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses. Grade-point average (GPA.) - Applicants must have a grade-point average of: 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on their official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum. Election to membership in a national scholastic honor society -- Applicants can be considered eligible based on membership in one of the national scholastic honor societies listed by the Association of College Honor Societies. Membership in a freshman honor society cannot be used to meet the requirements of this provision. An academic year is computed as follows: At the undergraduate level, successfully completed education that has not led to possession of a degree is credited based on its relationship to 120 semester hours or 180 quarter hours. For example, 30 semester hours or 45 quarter hours is comparable to 1 year of undergraduate education. Four years of progressive study or 120 semester hours meets the degree requirements. Additional credit cannot be given for duplicate course work. For study at a business or technical school, 36 weeks of study (20+ classroom hours per week) is comparable to 1 academic year above high school. An academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 academic year of full-time study. This determination is made based on normal course loads for a full year of study in the graduate program. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours should be considered as satisfying the 1 year of full-time study requirement. Part-time graduate education is creditable in accordance with its relationship to a year of full-time study at the school attended. When academic credit is expressed in contract months, units, or other terms that differ from conventional semester or quarter hours, it is the responsibility of the applicant to provide an interpretation of such credits from the appropriate institution in order to equate them to the semester or quarter hours specified in the standard. NOTE: If your school's definition of "academic year" differs from above, you must submit proof of this difference (e.g., copy of course catalog that defines an academic year). Absent this documentation, you will screened for academic qualifications based on the hours defined in the bullets above. All qualifications and eligibility requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional, philanthropic, religious, spiritual, community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Current or Former Political Appointees: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C, Non-career SES or Presidential Appointee employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the Human Resources Office.

Education

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications; applicant's resumes and supporting documentation should only reflect education received from schools accredited by such institutions. Applicants can verify accreditation at the following Website: https://ope.ed.gov/dapip/#/home.

You must submit a copy of your transcript. An unofficial transcript or a list of courses, grades earned, completion dates, and quarter and semester hours earned can be used as a substitute for the official transcript at the time of application. Official transcripts will be required if you are selected for the position.

If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency (a U.S. private organization's interpretation that such education has been deemed at least equivalent to conventional U.S. education programs) with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For more information regarding evaluation of foreign education for federal employment, please visit the U.S. Department of Education webpage on the Recognition of Foreign Qualifications.

Contacts

• Address Department of Homeland Security Headquarters OCHCO/HRMS/MS #0170 6595 Springfield Center Drive Springfield, VA 20598-0170 US
• Name: DHS HQ Student Programs Group
• Email: [email protected]