Clarification from the agency

All Enrolled Students who are United States Citizens. View common definitions of terms found in this announcement. Go to: https://www.dhs.gov/homeland-security-careers/common-terms-announcements

As a Student Trainee (Operations Research Analysis) GS 1599 5, your typical work assignments may include the following under supervision:

• Performs entry-level recurring operations research analysis assignments supporting program activities to promote homeland security research and development.
• Supports, coordinates, and participates in internal meetings with stakeholders
• Prepares memoranda setting forth factual program information, and provides equivalent information to staff members of related organizations.
• Makes contributions to segments of reports, issue papers, and correspondence pertaining to homeland security programs.

Conditions of employment

• U. S. Citizenship Required.
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be registered for Selective Service.
• You must successfully pass a background investigation.
• You must be able to obtain a Secret Security Clearance.
• Applicants tentatively selected for this position will be required to submit to a drug test to screen for illegal drug use. A final offer of employment is contingent upon a negative drug test result.
• You must be 16 years of age or older to apply.
• The Pathways Program requires the incumbent to submit transcripts and verification of enrollment with your application and provide official transcripts prior to appointment.
• Student must maintain at least a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or equivalent (no rounding) per semester in an undergraduate degree program or at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA (or equivalent) per semester in a Master's or Professional Degree Program.
• This position requires the incumbent to sign a Pathways Internship Participant Agreement, which outlines the work schedule, intern responsibilities, work assignments, and program requirements.
• This position requires you to be enrolled and seeking a degree or certificate in a qualifying educational institution on a half- to full-time basis (as determined by the educational institution.)
• GPA: You must have at least an cumulative GPA of 2.0 or equivalent (no rounding) per semester in an undergraduate degree program, or at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA (or equivalent) per semester in a Master's or Professional Degree Program.
• Shared Certificates Statement: Applying to this announcement certifies that you give permission for DHS to share your application with others in DHS for similar positions.

Qualifications

To be eligible for this internship ALL of the following requirements must be met:

• Student Status: Definition of a student - applicant 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 (go to http://www.ed.gov/accreditation to verify accreditation status) pursuant to 5 CFR 362. You must be considered in good academic standings by the school. 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 have at least a 2.0 GPA or a 3.0 GPA in a Master's or Professional degree program.
• Citizenship: Student Interns must be United States citizens or owe permanent allegiance to the United States. (Currently, natives of American Samoa, Swains Island and certain inhabitants of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands are the only groups that owe permanent allegiance to the United States.)Background Investigation: You must successfully complete a background investigation to determine your suitability for Federal employment.
• Pathways Participant Agreement: All interns are required to sign the Participant Agreement.
• Qualification requirements as outlined below:

You qualify at the GS-05 grade level if you possess:

• Four years of post-high school study leading to a bachelor's degree in any field.

For qualification purposes, 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 college, vocational, trade, technical or high schools' 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 academic hours as 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.

How you will be evaluated

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

How You Will Be Evaluated Language: Unranked Order
We will review your resume and supporting documentation to ensure you meet the minimum qualification requirements. If you meet the minimum qualifications, we will refer your application in the following order:

1. Veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 10 percent or more
2. Other 10-point preference eligibles
3. 5-point preference eligibles
4. Non-preference eligibles

Priority Reemployment/Regular List Status - All applicants on the reemployment list are considered before applicants on the regular employment list. On each list, preference eligibles having a compensable service-connected disability of 10 percent or more are considered first, followed, second, by other 10-point preference eligibles, third by 5-point preference eligibles, and last, by non-preference eligibles.