Student Trainee (Information Technology) GS-2299-07/09 (CI-SH)

General Information

This position is an advanced trainee in website development and maintenance. The USGS CAWSC is seeking graduate students with experience in website development. Please carefully review the qualification requirements below before applying.

This position is year-round. During the school year part-time hours will apply; however, during school breaks and the summer period, full-time hours may apply. The work schedule may be adjusted to meet the needs of the student’s schedule.

In order to be eligible to receive consideration for this position, you must be able to: (1) report to the duty station location listed in this vacancy announcement, if selected; and (2) be available to work the schedule identified.

Salary NOTE:
First time hires to the Federal Government are typically hired at the Step 01.

Sacramento, CA:

GS-07: $21.03 (Step 01) to $27.34 (Step 10)

GS-09: $25.73 (Step 01) to $33.45 (Step 10)

San Diego, CA:

GS-07: $21.51 (Step 01) to $27.97 (Step 10)

GS-09: $26.32 (Step 01) to $34.21 (Step 10)

Eligibility Requirements

This position is intended for current students who expect to be enrolled for at least the next year while you complete your degree requirements.

You must continue to meet these eligibility requirements throughout the duration of your appointment under the Pathways Internship Program:

• You must be enrolled in a degree or certificate program on a full- or half-time basis as defined by the school (certificate program means post-secondary education, in a qualifying educational institution, equivalent to at least one academic year of fulltime study that is part of an accredited college-level, technical, trade, vocational, or business school curriculum);
  AND
  
• Enrollment is with a qualifying educational institution such as a high school or state-approved homeschool; or accredited technical or vocational school; a 2- or 4-year college or university; a graduate or professional school (e.g., law school, medical school); or a post-secondary home school curriculum;
  AND
  
• Students currently enrolled must be in good academic standing maintaining a 2.0 grade point average on a cumulative basis;
  AND
  
• The duties of this position should be related to your academic or career goals.

Duties
The USGS California Water Science Center (CAWSC) is seeking
graduate level
students working towards a degree in
computer science, engineering, information science, information systems management, mathematics, operations research, statistics, or technology management.

As a Student Trainee (Information Technology) you will serve in a trainee capacity, performing routine and recurring development assignments to acquire knowledge and understanding of functions, principles, practices, and methods used in the area of web design with emphasis on the technical interactivity, functionality, and usefulness of websites.

Duties include:

• Producing internal and external facing web pages, interactive maps, charts, graphs, info graphics, and other products required to explain, clarify, display, and enhance the scientific information disseminated by the CAWSC.
• Performing quality assurance tasks for the public and internal websites, troubleshooting and resolving technical problems with design and delivery of internet and intranet web and other communications products and services.
• Converting web design mockups into semantic HTMLICSS/JS.
• Building custom web applications and interactive data visualizations using frameworks such as PHP, SQL, and/or other web frameworks and libraries.
• Examining new web technology to enhance suitability and effectiveness of current systems in the CAWSC web communication environment.

Supervisory Status
No

Promotion Potential
11

Travel Required

• Occasional Travel
• Occasional travel up to 1-2 days per month may be required.

Relocation Authorized

• No

Who May Apply
This job is open to…
All qualified students who are U.S. citizens and meet the eligibility requirements for the Pathways Internship Program as described under “Eligibility Requirements.”
Questions? This job is open to 2 groups.

Job Requirements
Job Requirements
Key Requirements

• Applicants must be U.S. Citizens.
• Suitable for Federal employment, as determined by background investigation.
• The entire period served under the Intern Program counts as a trial period.
• Housing will not be provided.

Qualifications
This internship is geared toward students majoring in one of the following areas of study:
computer science, engineering, information science, information systems management, mathematics, operations research, statistics, or technology management.

For more information on basic qualifications, please click on the following:
Information Technology Specialist 2210 job series.

Applicants may qualify based on education OR experience as described below.

Experience must be IT related and may be demonstrated by paid or unpaid experience and/or completion of specific, intensive training (for example, IT certification), as appropriate. Individuals must have IT-related experience demonstrating each of the four competencies listed below:

1. Attention to Detail – Is thorough when performing work and conscientious about attending to detail.

2. Customer Service – Works with clients and customers (that is, any individuals who use or receive the services or products that your work unit produces, including the general public, individuals who work in the agency, other agencies, or organizations outside the Government) to assess their needs, provide information or assistance, resolve their problems, or satisfy their expectations; knows about available products and services; is committed to providing quality products and services.

3. Oral Communication – Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.

4. Problem Solving – Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations.

GS-07:
All applicants must meet at least one of the following to qualify for the GS-07 level:

A. One year of appropriate specialized experience that is equivalent to at least the GS-05 level in the Federal service demonstrating competence in attention to detail, customer service, oral communication, and problem solving. Examples of qualifying specialized experience includes: performing web development tasks using HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript;
OR

B. Successful completion of one year of graduate level education (18 semester hours, 27 quarter hours or the equivalent) in computer science, information science, information systems management, mathematics, statistics, operations research, or engineering, or course work that required the development or adaptation of computer programs and systems and provided knowledge equivalent to a major in the computer field;
OR

C. Super Academic Achievement based on successful completion of a Bachelor’s degree in computer science, engineering, information science, information systems management, mathematics, operations research, statistics or technology management or degree that provided a minimum of 24 semester hours in one or more of the fields identified above and required the development or adaptation of applications, systems, or networks (CLICK
HERE
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON SUPERIOR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT).

GS-09:
All applicants must meet at least one of the following to qualify for the GS-09 level:

A. One year of appropriate specialized experience that is equivalent to at least the GS-07 level in the Federal service demonstrating competence in attention to detail, customer service, oral communication & problem solving. Examples of qualifying specialized experience includes: performing web development tasks using HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, and PHP/SQL to develop advanced data-driven web applications; and editing images using image editing software such as Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop;
OR

B. Successful completion of a Master’s or equivalent graduate degree or 2 years of progressively higher-level graduate education (36 semester hours, 54 quarter hours or the equivalent) leading to a master’s or equivalent graduate degree in computer science, information science, information systems management, mathematics, statistics, operations research, or engineering, or course work that required the development or adaptation of computer programs and systems and provided knowledge equivalent to a major in the computer field.

All applicants must meet qualification and eligibility requirements 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.
• Education completed in colleges or universities outside the United States may be used to meet the above requirements. You must provide acceptable documentation that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit:
  www.usgs.gov/ohr/oars/quals/foreign.html
  .

Are There Any Special Requirements For This Position?

• Students who successfully complete the internship program may be eligible for conversion to a permanent appointment or a term (1-4 years in duration) appointment without further competition. Eligibility requirements for conversion: must be a U.S. Citizen; complete at least 640 hours of work experience acquired through the Internship Program (*may waive up to a total of 320 hours under specific conditions); successfully complete your degree or certificate requirements from a qualifying institution; meet the qualification requirements for the position to which you will be converted; meet agency-specific requirements as outlined in the Participant’s Agreement; and must have performed successfully in your position as documented through performance evaluations. *NOTE: To learn more about the conditions under which a portion of the work experience hours may be waived, visit
  www.usgs.gov/humancapital/sw/studentinterns.html
  .
• If converted to a permanent or term appointment, the anticipated target position will be
  Information Technology Specialist, full performance lvel (FPL) GS-11
  ; however, the target position and FPL may change based on the need of the organization at that time. Interns must meet the qualification requirements for the position to which converted.
• If selected, you will be required to provide official transcripts &/or letter from the school stating you are enrolled in a degree/certificateprogram on at least a half time basis in good standing and your expected graduation date.
• A background investigation will be required for this position. Continued employment will be subject to the applicant’s successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet these requirements will be grounds for termination.
• Because this position requires travel for official business, the selectee will be required to apply for a charge card within 30 calendar days of appointment.

Security Clearance
Not Applicable

Additional Information
Additional Information
What To Expect Next
–If you are one of the most highly qualified candidates, you will be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interview. We expect to make a selection within 30-45 days of the closing date of this announcement. You will be notified via email of the outcome. You can also go to “My Account” within USAJOBS to review your Application Status.

BENEFITS

Review our benefits

• The availability of the various benefits depends on the expected duration of your appointment under the Internship Program. If you are expected to be on the appointment for at least one year, the U.S. Geological Survey offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes
  paid vacation, sick leave
  , and
  holidays
  ;
  health, life, dental, vision, and long term care insurance, flexible spending accounts
  , and participation in the
  Federal Employees Retirement System
  . If you are expected to be on the appointment less than one year, the benefits package includes
  paid vacation, sick leave
  , and
  holidays
  . In addition, interns expected to work at least 130 hours per month for at least 90 days will be eligible to enroll in a
  Federal Employee Health Benefits (FEHB)
  plan. Individuals eligible under this rule receive the full government contribution to their premiums regardless of work schedule and will also be eligible to participate in the
  Flexible Spending Accounts
  and
  Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program
  .

Other Information

• USGS has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework & the selectee may be allowed to telework with supervisor approval. The official worksite for the selectee is the duty station identified in this vacancy announcement. The selectee will typically report to this duty location on a regular and recurring weekly basis.
• For additional information on our internal telework policy, reference the Department of the Interior Telework Handbook at:
  www.usgs.gov/humancapital/pb/telework.html
  .
• Throughout the recruitment & hiring process we will be communicating with you via email; therefore, it is imperative that the email address you provide when applying for this vacancy remains active. Should your email address change, please notify the point of contact identified in the vacancy announcement as soon as possible so that we can update our system.
• This position is being filled under the Pathways Internship Program which is designed to provide students enrolled in a wide variety of educational institutions, from high school to graduate level, with paid work opportunities in agencies to explore Federal careers while still in school.
• Applicants who include vulgar, offensive, or inappropriate language or information in their application package will be ineligible for further consideration for this position.
• Identification of promotion potential in this announcement does not constitute a commitment or an obligation on the part of management to promote the employee selected at some future date. Promotion will depend upon administrative approval and the continuing need for and performance of higher-level duties.
• Under Executive Order 11935, only United States citizens and nationals (residents of American Samoa and Swains Island) may compete for civil service jobs. Agencies are permitted to hire non-citizens only in very limited circumstances where there are no qualified citizens available for the position.
• USGS employees are subject to Title 43, USC Section 31(a) and may not: (a) have any personal, private, direct or indirect interest in lands or mineral wealth of lands under survey; (b) have any substantial personal, private, direct or indirect interests in any private mining or mineral enterprise doing business with the United States; or (c) execute surveys or examinations for private parties or corporations.
• The application contains information subject to the Privacy Act (P.L. 93-579, 5 USC 552a). The information is used to determine qualifications for employment, and is authorized under Title 5, USC, Section 3302 and 3361.
• DOI uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit
  www.dhs.gov/E-Verify
  .
• THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.

This job originated on
www.usajobs.gov
. For the full announcement and to apply,
visit
www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/477686900
.
Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at
www.usajobs.gov
will be considered.