Summary

This position is located within USDA Rural Development (RD) and serves in a development trainee capacity. The position is located in the Virginia State Office and serves as a Student Trainee (Civil Engineer) under the Pathways Intern Program.

This is NOT a remote position. The incumbent will be expected to report to the office.

This job is open to

• Students
  
  Current students enrolled in accredited educational institutions from high school to graduate level. Includes internships, pathways and other student programs.

Clarification from the agency

Students who have been accepted for enrollment or who are enrolled at least half-time in an accredited high school, college, professional, technical, vocational, or trade school pursuing a qualifying degree or certificate.

Videos

Duties

• Receives on-the-job training which involves specific assignments working within an engineering environment.
• Performs a variety of civil and related engineering activities designed to provide training and experience in the application of basic scientific knowledges pertinent to the functions of a Civil Engineer.
• Receives on-the-job training from the Civil Engineer in order to understand and complete limited engineering projects; accomplish developmental assignments utilizing basic techniques, procedures and methods.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a US Citizen or US National
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt
• Must be in good academic standing as defined by the agency as {define what has been established}
• Complete at least 640 hrs of work experience prior to completion of degree
• Enrolled at least half-time at a qualifying educational institution
• A signed participant agreement is required for employment under Pathways
• Satisfactory Background investigation and/or fingerprint check
• Successful completion of two-year trial period
• Direct Deposit - Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including specialized experience and/or education, as defined below.

For the GS-05 grade level: Applicants must have completed four (4) academic years of post-high school leading to a bachelor's degree or equivalent degree.

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.

One full academic year of undergraduate; graduate; vocational; trades; technical or high school education is the number of credit hours determined by the college, university or school to represent 1 year of full-time study. The high school curriculum must be approved by a State or local governing body. All education beyond high school must be accredited by an accrediting body or organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

NOTE: To be considered for this position, you must meet all qualification and eligibility requirements for the GS-0899 series set forth in the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards by the closing date of the announcement. A copy is available at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards.

Education

Applicants must provide transcripts. Please see the Additional Information section below for detailed information that is required regarding transcripts.

Additional information

Student Interns must continue to meet the Pathways Program requirements throughout the duration of the appointment. Incumbents will be required to provide proof of continued enrollment and good standing (as Defined by the educational institution),each semester or grading period throughout the internship program. Failure to do so will result in termination of the appointment.

Student Interns must continue to meet the Pathways Program requirements throughout the duration of the appointment. Incumbents will be required to provide proof of continued enrollment and good standing (as Defined by the educational institution), each semester or grading period throughout the internship program. Failure to do so will result in termination of the appointment.

The Internship Program is designed to provide students enrolled in a variety of qualifying educational institutions, from high school to graduate level, with opportunities to work in agencies and explore career paths related to their academic fields of study or career interest.

Interns may be non-competitively converted to a term, career-conditional or career appointment within 120 days following successful completion of all their educational and work requirements in accordance with 5 CFR 362.204. Upon successful completion of the Pathways Internship Program requirements in accordance with 5 CFR 362.204 (work experience hours, satisfactory performance, educational requirements, mandatory training completion, etc.) you may be non-competitively converted to a term, career conditional or career appointment within 120 days to a:

Civil Engineer, GS-0810-5/7/9/11/12 career ladder position.

The full performance level (FPL) of the position to which converted may be up to the GS-12 level.

Note: For more information on the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standard for the GS-0810 series click: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards

An agency is not required to convert any individual in a Pathways position to a position in the competitive service, whether upon completion of degree requirements or otherwise. Conversion to a competitive service position is not an entitlement.

This position may be eligible to telework and flexible work schedules as determined by agency policy, supervisory approval and any applicable collective bargaining agreements.

• Benefits
  
  A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
  
  Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

Your application, including the online Assessment Questionnaire, will be reviewed to determine if you meet (a) minimum qualification requirements and (b) the resume supports the answers provided to the job-specific questions. Your resume must clearly support your responses to all the questions addressing experience and education relevant to this position.

Note: If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your score may be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities, or you may be found ineligible. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating. Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action up to including removal from the Federal service.

Veteran preference applies to this announcement. Candidates who are eligible for veteran preference will receive selection priority over non-veteran preference eligibles.

Clicking the link below will present a preview of the application form; i.e. the online questionnaire. The application form link below will only provide a preview and does not initiate the application process. To initiate the online application process, click the "Apply" button to the right.

To view the application form, visit: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12392319

• Benefits
  
  A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
  
  Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
• Required Documents
  
  As a new or existing federal employee, you and your family may have access to a range of benefits. Your benefits depend on the type of position you have - whether you're a permanent, part-time, temporary or an intermittent employee. You may be eligible for the following benefits, however, check with your agency to make sure you're eligible under their policies.
  
  The following documents are required for your applicant package to be complete. Our office cannot be responsible for incompatible software, your system failure, etc. Encrypted documents will not be accepted. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration.
  
  • Resume that includes:1) personal information such as name, address, contact information; 2) education; 3) detailed work experience related to this position as described in the major duties including work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment (month/year); title, series, grade (if applicable); 4) other qualifications.
  • Transcript(s): unofficial copies are sufficient with the application; however, if selected, official transcripts will be required. If your official or unofficial transcripts do not provide the information listed below, include additional official academic documentation that meets the requirements. Official or unofficial Transcripts MUST include:
    
    • Student's Name
    • Name of the School
    • Specific Degree or Certificate Program
    • Current and Cumulative GPA/academic standing
    • Past and current coursework
    • NOTE: Education must have been successfully obtained from an accredited school, college or university. If any education was completed at a foreign institute, you must submit with your application evidence that the institute was appropriately accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as equivalent to U.S. education standards. There are private organizations that specialize in this evaluation and a fee is normally associated with this service. For a list of private organizations that evaluate education visit NACES website. All transcripts must be in English or include an English translation.
  • Proof of Enrollment or Class Registration (For Student Trainees only) - you must provide proof of enrollment or class registration for the current or following semester. If your transcript does not reflect your current enrollment/class registration and you are not presently enrolled for the current semester, you may upload an acceptance letter to a qualifying program for the following semester. If you will graduate from your current academic program this semester, you may upload an acceptance letter to a qualifying program for the following semester along with your current proof of enrollment. The acceptance letter must be dated within the last 12 months and must specify the term of acceptance and the program to which you have been accepted.
  • Evidence of meeting the "qualifications" through substitution of education if not by specialized experience as outlined in the announcement.
  • If claiming veteran's preference, you must submit a DD214, Certificate of Release from Active Duty, which shows dates of service and discharge under honorable conditions. If currently on active duty you must submit a certification of expected discharge or release from active-duty service under honorable conditions not later than 120 days after the date the certification is submitted. Veteran's preference must be verified prior to appointment. Without this documentation, you will not receive veteran's preference and your application will be evaluated based on the material(s) submitted.
  • If claiming 10-point veteran's preference you must provide the DD214 or certification requirements (see above paragraph), plus the proof of entitlement of this preference as listed on the SF-15 Application for 10-point Veterans' Preference. The SF-15 should be included but is not required. Failure to submit these documents could result in the determination that there is insufficient documentation to support your claim for 10-point preference. For more information on veterans' preference visit FEDSVISITVETS.
  
  
  
  If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
  
  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. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from
  schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
  
  Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
• How to Apply
  
  Please read the entire announcement and all instructions before you begin. You must complete this application process and submit all required documents electronically by 11:59p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.
  
  Applying online is highly encouraged. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00a.m. - 4:00p.m., Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, contact the Agency Contact listed below well before the closing date for an alternate method. All hardship application packages must be complete and submitted no later than noon ET on the closing date of the announcement in order to be entered into the system prior to its closing.
  
  This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis; contact the Agency Contact to request this.
  
  To begin, click "Apply" and follow the instructions to complete the Assessment Questionnaire and attach your resume and all required documents.
  
  NOTE: Please verify that documents you are uploading from USAJOBs transfer into the Agency's staffing system as there is a limitation to the number of documents that can be transferred. However, once in the Agency's staffing system, you will have the opportunity to upload additional documents. Uploaded documents must be less than 5MB and in one of the following document formats: GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, PDF, TXT or Word (DOC or DOCX). Do not upload Adobe Portfolio documents because they are not viewable.
  
  Agency contact information
  
  
  
  Stacy Randle
  
  Email
  
  stacy.randle@usda.gov
  
  Address
  
  Rural Development
  
  1400 Independence Ave SW
  
  Washington, DC 20250
  
  US
  
  Next steps
  
  Your application will be reviewed to verify that you meet the eligibility and qualification requirements for the position prior to issuing referral lists to the selecting official. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted. Log in to your USAJOBS account to check your application status.
  
  You must choose to turn on email notifications in your USAJOBS profile if you want to receive important email notifications that may impact your applicant experience (e.g. If you start an application and do not submit it prior to the closing date, USAJOBS will send an email reminder that the closing date is approaching and your application is in an incomplete status).
  
  Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.
  
  Under the Fair Chance Act, agencies are not allowed to request information about an applicant's criminal history until a conditional offer of employment has been made, except as allowed for access to classified information; assignment to national security duties or positions; acceptance or retention in the armed forces; or recruitment of a Federal law enforcement officer. An applicant may submit a complaint or any other information related to an organization's alleged noncompliance with the Fair Chance Act. The complaint must be submitted within 30 calendar days of the date of the alleged noncompliance. To make a Fair Chance Act inquiry or complaint, send an email with the appropriate information to dave.root@usda.gov, subject line: Fair Chance Act.
• Fair and Transparent
  
  The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
  
  
  • Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy
  • Reasonable accommodation policy
  • Financial suitability
  • Selective Service
  • New employee probationary period
  • Signature and false statements
  • Privacy Act
  • Social security number request

Required Documents

The following documents are required for your applicant package to be complete. Our office cannot be responsible for incompatible software, your system failure, etc. Encrypted documents will not be accepted. Failure to submit required, legible documents may result in loss of consideration.

• Resume that includes:1) personal information such as name, address, contact information; 2) education; 3) detailed work experience related to this position as described in the major duties including work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment (month/year); title, series, grade (if applicable); 4) other qualifications.
• Transcript(s): unofficial copies are sufficient with the application; however, if selected, official transcripts will be required. If your official or unofficial transcripts do not provide the information listed below, include additional official academic documentation that meets the requirements. Official or unofficial Transcripts MUST include:
  
  • Student's Name
  • Name of the School
  • Specific Degree or Certificate Program
  • Current and Cumulative GPA/academic standing
  • Past and current coursework
  • NOTE: Education must have been successfully obtained from an accredited school, college or university. If any education was completed at a foreign institute, you must submit with your application evidence that the institute was appropriately accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as equivalent to U.S. education standards. There are private organizations that specialize in this evaluation and a fee is normally associated with this service. For a list of private organizations that evaluate education visit NACES website. All transcripts must be in English or include an English translation.
• Proof of Enrollment or Class Registration (For Student Trainees only) - you must provide proof of enrollment or class registration for the current or following semester. If your transcript does not reflect your current enrollment/class registration and you are not presently enrolled for the current semester, you may upload an acceptance letter to a qualifying program for the following semester. If you will graduate from your current academic program this semester, you may upload an acceptance letter to a qualifying program for the following semester along with your current proof of enrollment. The acceptance letter must be dated within the last 12 months and must specify the term of acceptance and the program to which you have been accepted.
• Evidence of meeting the "qualifications" through substitution of education if not by specialized experience as outlined in the announcement.
• If claiming veteran's preference, you must submit a DD214, Certificate of Release from Active Duty, which shows dates of service and discharge under honorable conditions. If currently on active duty you must submit a certification of expected discharge or release from active-duty service under honorable conditions not later than 120 days after the date the certification is submitted. Veteran's preference must be verified prior to appointment. Without this documentation, you will not receive veteran's preference and your application will be evaluated based on the material(s) submitted.
• If claiming 10-point veteran's preference you must provide the DD214 or certification requirements (see above paragraph), plus the proof of entitlement of this preference as listed on the SF-15 Application for 10-point Veterans' Preference. The SF-15 should be included but is not required. Failure to submit these documents could result in the determination that there is insufficient documentation to support your claim for 10-point preference. For more information on veterans' preference visit FEDSVISITVETS.

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

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. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from
schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

How to Apply

Please read the entire announcement and all instructions before you begin. You must complete this application process and submit all required documents electronically by 11:59p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement.

Applying online is highly encouraged. We are available to assist you during business hours (normally 8:00a.m. - 4:00p.m., Monday - Friday). If applying online poses a hardship, contact the Agency Contact listed below well before the closing date for an alternate method. All hardship application packages must be complete and submitted no later than noon ET on the closing date of the announcement in order to be entered into the system prior to its closing.

This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities on a case-by-case basis; contact the Agency Contact to request this.

To begin, click "Apply" and follow the instructions to complete the Assessment Questionnaire and attach your resume and all required documents.

NOTE: Please verify that documents you are uploading from USAJOBs transfer into the Agency's staffing system as there is a limitation to the number of documents that can be transferred. However, once in the Agency's staffing system, you will have the opportunity to upload additional documents. Uploaded documents must be less than 5MB and in one of the following document formats: GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, PDF, TXT or Word (DOC or DOCX). Do not upload Adobe Portfolio documents because they are not viewable.

Agency contact information



Stacy Randle

Email

stacy.randle@usda.gov

Address

Rural Development

1400 Independence Ave SW

Washington, DC 20250

US

Next steps

Your application will be reviewed to verify that you meet the eligibility and qualification requirements for the position prior to issuing referral lists to the selecting official. If further evaluation or interviews are required, you will be contacted. Log in to your USAJOBS account to check your application status.

You must choose to turn on email notifications in your USAJOBS profile if you want to receive important email notifications that may impact your applicant experience (e.g. If you start an application and do not submit it prior to the closing date, USAJOBS will send an email reminder that the closing date is approaching and your application is in an incomplete status).

Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement.

Under the Fair Chance Act, agencies are not allowed to request information about an applicant's criminal history until a conditional offer of employment has been made, except as allowed for access to classified information; assignment to national security duties or positions; acceptance or retention in the armed forces; or recruitment of a Federal law enforcement officer. An applicant may submit a complaint or any other information related to an organization's alleged noncompliance with the Fair Chance Act. The complaint must be submitted within 30 calendar days of the date of the alleged noncompliance. To make a Fair Chance Act inquiry or complaint, send an email with the appropriate information to dave.root@usda.gov, subject line: Fair Chance Act.

Fair & Transparent

The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.

• Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy
• Reasonable accommodation policy
• Financial suitability
• Selective Service
• New employee probationary period
• Signature and false statements
• Privacy Act
• Social security number request