Requisition #: 820978300. Salary Range: $39,609 – $57,607 per year. Application closes: December 3, 2024.

This position is in Region 10, Mission Support Division. About Region 10: Region 10

This is an office-centered position*–you must physically report to the duty station stated in this announcement on a regular basis.
*EPA offers work-from-home and work schedule flexibilities as described in the Benefits section.

Open to enrolled students or individuals who have been accepted for enrollment seeking a diploma, certificate, bachelor’s degree, graduate degree, or professional degree from a qualifying educational institution on a full- or half-time basis, including awardees of the Harry S. Truman Foundation Scholarship Program.

Duties

At the GS-4 level, you will:

• Collect data from reference sources in office and incorporates it into typed/computer generated material.
• Provide information and assistance on procedural requirements and formats for filing various data and material.
• Use several types of office automation tools, such as word processing, graphics, spreadsheets, and database management skills to compile and manipulate information into various formats.
• Assemble materials for staff associated with briefings, conferences, and meetings.

At the GS-5 level, you will:

• Assist senior specialists in conducting program analysis functions. At the direction of the supervisor and with assistance from senior specialists, the incumbent develops and coordinates, a variety of basic/routine reports, staff actions, correspondence, and other
  related actions.
• Research legal and regulatory material to obtain factual information and/or interpretation for use by the supervisor or co-workers.
• Collect data from reference sources in office and incorporates it into typed/computer generated material.
• Provide information and assistance on procedural requirements and formats for filing various data and material.
• Assemble materials for staff associated with briefings, conferences, and meetings.

One or more positions may be filled (in the organization advertised and/or in other organizations), if appropriate to the position.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen.
• You must submit a resume and required documents–see How to Apply section.
• You must submit transcripts & proof of enrollment–see Required Documents.
• You must be age 16 or older.
• If you are selected, a written participant agreement must be signed.

You must be enrolled at least half-time and maintain at least a half-time course load as defined by your academic institution (typically 6 undergraduate credit hours or 4.5 graduate credit hours per semester).

You must have and maintain good academic standing as defined by your academic institution (typically a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0).

If you are selected, the entire period served under the Internship Program will be a trial period.

This position is designated as Low Risk and requires a background investigation. Unless an appropriate background investigation is already on record with the Office of Personnel Management, you must undergo a background investigation. All conditions of the pre-employment security process must be met before an official letter of employment can be issued with a report for duty date.

Qualifications

NOTE:  You must meet qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

In addition to the eligibility requirements for the Pathways Internship Program, Pathways Interns qualify for an initial appointment based on their educational achievements as described below:

To qualify for the GS-04 level, you need to have completed two full academic years of post-high school study or an associate’s degree.

To qualify for the GS-05 level, you need to have completed four academic years of post-high school leading to a bachelor’s degree or equivalent degree.

NOTE: One full academic year of education is the number of credit hours determined by the college, university, or school to represent one year of full-time study.

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.

*If you have part-time work experience, read this: EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures.

Additional information

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are core values at EPA. Our excellence can only be fully realized by staff who share our commitment to these values. Successful candidates are committed to advancing equity and inclusion in the Agency’s workplace and mission. We encourage applications from candidates with a variety of personal experiences, values, and worldviews that arise from differences of culture and circumstance. At EPA, diversity is a vital element in bringing a balance of perspectives to bear on every challenge we face. We are committed to creating a diverse workforce because we know that the individual strengths and abilities of our employees make us a stronger organization. The more inclusive our employee base is, the greater the variety of ideas that are generated, and the more representative we are of the nation we serve. To learn more about how EPA values and supports our diverse workforce, visit Equal Opportunity Employment at EPA.

EPA participates in E-Verify. E-Verify is an Internet based system operated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in partnership with the Social Security Administration (SSA) that enables participating employers to electronically verify the employment eligibility of their newly hired employees. For additional information: EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures.

Interns without not-to-exceed dates who successfully complete the program may be converted to a term or permanent position in the competitive service without further competition; however, if you are being considered for conversion to a position that has positive education requirements, you must be enrolled in a degree program directly related to the position’s duties to be eligible for conversion to that position. The grade level you may be converted to will be dependent on the grade for which you qualify (based on your education and/or experience), but the grade level can be no higher than the promotion potential indicated in this announcement.
NOTE: To be eligible for conversion, you must complete 640 hours of work (if you meet all required criteria, up to 320 hours may be waived if: (1) you complete 320 hours of career-related work experience under an Internship Program appointment and have demonstrated high potential by outstanding academic achievement and exceptional job performance; or (2) you complete comparable non-federal internship experience in a field or functional area related to your target position).

If you are graduating from your present course of study at the end of the current semester/quarter: You may be hired prior to graduation; however, to continue in this program after graduation, you must be continuing your education next semester/quarter and be accepted for enrollment seeking a diploma, certificate, bachelor’s degree, graduate degree, or professional degree from a qualifying educational institution on a full- or half-time basis.

If you are selected, travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will not be paid by EPA. Any travel, transportation, and relocation expenses associated with reporting to work in this position will be your responsibility.

Except in special circumstances, those new to the federal government will be hired at the starting salary (step 1) of the applicable grade range listed in the Overview section.

This position is in the bargaining unit.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

We will review your resume and required documents to ensure you are eligible for Pathways Intern employment and meet the basic qualification requirements. We will notify you of the results of our evaluation through USAJOBS. If you are referred for consideration, you may be subject to additional assessments (e.g., technical writing sample or other work sample, job knowledge test, case scenario analysis, scientific data assessment, structured interview, etc.). NOTE:  Applicants who are referred to the selecting official for consideration and are entitled to veterans’ preference in the hiring process must be selected, or decline further consideration, before applicants who are ineligible for veterans’ preference can be selected (to learn more, visit Veterans’ Preference).
You may preview questions for this vacancy.

Required Documents

Required documents to be submitted online:

ALL APPLICANTS

• Resume clearly stating your background and/or experience related to this position as described in the Duties section and Qualifications section–include specific dates (MM/DD/YY – MM/DD/YY) so we can determine that you have the required amount of experience (if applicable). PLEASE LIMIT YOUR RESUME TO A MAXIMUM OF 7 PAGES.
• College transcripts – unofficial or official transcripts or a list of courses that includes school(s) attended, school address, course title, grades earned, completion dates, department, and quarter or semester hours earned.
  NOTE: Official educational transcripts are not required at the time of application; however, if you are selected, you must provide official transcripts before you start work with EPA.
  IF EDUCATION WAS COMPLETED AT A FOREIGN INSTITUTION: You must submit an equivalency evaluation with your application as described here: EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures.
• Proof that you are currently enrolled (e.g., transcript showing courses in progress) or have been accepted for enrollment seeking a diploma, certificate, bachelor’s degree, graduate degree, or professional degree from a qualifying educational institution on a full- or half-time basis. If you will be completing your current semester/quarter or graduating at the time this vacancy announcement closes, you must submit proof of continuing education (e.g., transcript showing courses for the next semester or documentation of acceptance for enrollment in a graduate program).

APPLICANTS CLAIMING VETERANS’ PREFERENCE

Separated veterans claiming 5-point preference:

• DD-214 Member 4 copy (or other copy indicating character of service) or other official document/statement from the Armed Forces showing separation, discharge, or release from active duty; document must show separation is under honorable conditions (Honorable or General Discharge)

Separated veterans claiming 10-point preference based on compensable service-connected disability of 10% or more:

• DD-214 Member 4 copy (or other copy indicating character of service); document must show separation is under honorable conditions (Honorable or General Discharge); and
• VA letter stating overall/combined disability rating (percentage); and
• SF-15 (use current version: SF-15 Form)–see page 2 for documents that can be submitted in lieu of the DD-214 and VA letter

Other separated veterans claiming 10-point preference OR spouses, widows/widowers, or mothers claiming 10-point derived preference:

• SF-15 (use current version: SF-15 Form); and
• Other required documentation indicated on the SF-15

Active duty service members:

• Certification from the Armed Forces documenting active duty dates, expected discharge/release date, campaign medals/badges, and character of service (a certification is any written document from the Armed Forces that certifies you are expected to be discharged/released from active duty service in the Armed Forces under honorable conditions (Honorable or General Discharge) within 120 days after you submit the certification).

How to Apply

You are strongly encouraged to read the entire announcement before you submit your application for this position.

To begin the application process, click the Apply button to the top right on this screen, follow the prompts to log-in/register, submit all required documents, and complete the assessment questionnaire. To be considered, you must submit a complete application package by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on the day the announcement closes.

All required supporting documents will be collected electronically via the USAJOBS document portfolio feature (see How to Upload Documents).

If you cannot apply online, you must contact the Human Resources Office listed below for assistance no later than two business days prior to the closing date of this announcement. You must provide complete application materials by the day the announcement closes.

For detailed instructions to assist you in ensuring your application package is received, go to EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures.

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION

EPA welcomes applications from persons with disabilities. Through the reasonable accommodation process, we provide persons with disabilities an equal opportunity to enjoy the benefits and privileges of employment that persons without disabilities enjoy. A reasonable accommodation is any change in the work environment or in the way things are customarily done. An accommodation removes workplace barriers and enables an applicant with a disability to have an equal opportunity to participate in the application process, be considered for a position, and, if hired, perform the essential functions of their job.

The EPA National Reasonable Accommodation Coordinators will provide assistance to you, the Human Resources Office, and/or the hiring official as needed. For more information, refer to EPA’s Reasonable Accommodation website. Below is more detailed information about how to request a reasonable accommodation during the application, selection, and hiring process:

• Please note: Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.

Agency contact information

Lynette Kruger Phone 513-569-7395. Email kruger.lynette@epa.gov.