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PATHWAYS STUDENT INTERN (Civil Engineer)

Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
This job announcement has closed

Summary

This is a Student Internship position under the Pathways Internship Program.

To qualify for this Internship, you MUST be a continuing student enrolled or accepted for enrollment for the current/upcoming semesters for the duration of the internship as a condition of employment, taking at least a half-time course load. You will be required to provide documentation to support eligibility. Students may be employed throughout the academic year.

Overview

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Reviewing applications
Open & closing dates
03/17/2023 to 03/30/2023
Salary
$33,693 to - $43,801 per year
Pay scale & grade
GS 04
Location
1 vacancy in the following location:
Charleston, WV
Remote job
No
Telework eligible
Yes—as determined by the agency policy.
Travel Required
Occasional travel - Occasional travel may be required.
Relocation expenses reimbursed
No
Appointment type
Internships - Excepted Service Appointment for an initial period expected to last for more than 1-year.
Work schedule
Part-time - Full Time / Part Time
Service
Excepted
Promotion potential
11
Supervisory status
No
Security clearance
Other
Drug test
No
Position sensitivity and risk
Non-sensitive (NS)/Low Risk
Trust determination process
Announcement number
FHWA.HAD-2023-0034
Control number
713258200

This job is open to

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Clarification from the agency

Applications will be accepted from any U.S. Citizen. This position is part of the Pathways Program and is open to current students who are enrolled or accepted for enrollment in a qualifying educational institution and enrolled at least half-time. Additional information can be found at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/students-recent-graduates/#url=Program-Fact-Sheets This is not a Bargaining unit position.

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Duties

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The Student Trainee (Civil Engineer) Pathways Intern will:

  • Assist the Division Structures Engineer in all aspects of the Division Bridge Program.
  • Participate on process review teams for evaluating statewide design and construction procedures in bridge and other related areas.
  • Shadow and assist with the inspection of structures under construction, performing bridge maintenance inspections, performing monitoring inspections under the provisions of the National Bridge Inspection Standards, and reviewing plans and specifications for major and complex structures on the National Highway System.

The Ideal Candidate is a current college student pursuing a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering or mechanical engineering with an emphasis on structures. The employee should have completed two to three years’ worth of coursework. The employee should have a basic understanding of engineering concepts, design, construction, and project management. Other desired competencies are good interpersonal skills, ability to multi-task, take constructive criticism well, solid writing skills, able to organize data, punctual, and effective communicator.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

  • You must be a U.S. Citizen and meet the requirements of the program.
  • You must be at least 16 years of age
  • Required documents must be submitted by the closing date.
  • Submit application and resume online by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date

PATHWAYS ELIGIBILITY - To be eligible for appointment to a position in the DOT Internship Program, throughout the duration of the appointment, an individual must:

  • Be accepted for enrollment or 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).
  • Be seeking a degree that is relevant to this position.
  • Be able to work at least 16 hours per week, depending on your academic schedule, and preferably full-time during the summer. 
  • Grade qualifications must be met prior to start date.

If selected you: 

  • must sign a Pathways Internship Program Participant Agreement;
  • may be employed throughout the academic year;  
  • must maintain status as a current student;
  • must maintain good academic standing, at least a 2.5 cumulative GPA on a 4.0 grading scale.
  • must furnish course registration information at the start of each school term; and
  • must provide verification of academic status (transcript) at the end of each academic term.

For more information on the Pathways Program, please visit: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/students-recent-graduates/#url=Program-Fact-Sheets

ADDITIONAL CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:

  • UNITED STATES CITIZENSHIP:  Must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this position.
  • SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/1959 must be  registered for the Selective Service.
  • BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION:  Must complete a background investigation.
  • DECLARATION FOR FEDERAL EMPLOYMENT: Selectee is required to complete a Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306) to determine suitability for federal employment.
  • PHYSICAL LOCATION: Intern will be required to work onsite unless COVID-19 restrictions mandate change
  • TRIAL PERIOD: The intern is in a trial period throughout the entire Pathways Internship appointment.  
  • BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: You will be required to complete a background/security investigation and meet preliminary requirements prior to onboarding.
  • TELEWORK ELIGIBILITY: This position is approved for occasional telework. The number of telework days approved is determined by the agency policy, emergency situations, the approval of your immediate supervisor, and if applicable, approval of additional officials. You are required to report to the office on a regular basis since this is not a full-time telework position, or approved as a remote work position.

Qualifications

 To meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must meet the education requirements for each grade which you are requesting consideration for: 

  • GS-04:  Completion of two academic years of post-high school study or associate's degree.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES (KSAs): Your qualifications will be evaluated on the basis of your level of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or competencies in the following areas:

  1. Written Communication - Writes in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner for the intended audience.
  2. Oral Communication - Makes clear and convincing oral presentations. Listens effectively; clarifies information as needed.

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.

For additional information about applying to Federal Pathways Internship Positions, please click on the following link:  https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/#url=GS-PIP

Applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the start of the internship.  

Education

MANDATORY EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS:

Applicants must be pursuing a degree in professional engineeringTo be acceptable, the curriculum must (1) be in a school of engineering with at least one curriculum accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) as a professional engineering curriculum; OR (2) include differential and integral calculus and courses (more advanced than first-year physics and chemistry) in five of the following seven areas of engineering science or physics: (a) statics, dynamics; (b) strength of materials (stress-strain relationships); (c) fluid mechanics, hydraulics; (d) thermodynamics; (e) electrical fields and circuits; (f) nature and properties of materials (relating particle and aggregate structure to properties); and (g) any other comparable area of fundamental engineering science or physics, such as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics.

Additional information

This is an Excepted Service Appointment for an initial period expected to last for more than 1-year.  As a part of the Pathways Internship Program, the appointment may be extended until the selectee's projected graduation date, plus 120 days.  Upon graduation, depending on the qualifications and the Agency’s need the student intern may be converted without a break in service to a term (time-limited) or permanent appointment, to a position that has a career ladder target up to the GS-12, provided they are a US citizen who has worked at least 640 hours in an appropriate program and has received a favorable recommendation from the supervisor for retention. There is no guarantee of a permanent position following this internship.  Selectee is on a trial period while on a Pathways Internship appointment. 

This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if similar vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.

How you will be evaluated

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

DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE: PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume/ application does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s). Your resume must contain sufficiently detailed information upon which to make a qualification determination. Please ensure that your resume contains specific information such as position titles, beginning and ending dates of employment for each position, average number of hours worked per week, and if the position is/was in the Federal government, you should provide the position series and grade level. 

Once you complete and submit your application package, a review of your application will be made to ensure you meet the minimum qualification requirements for the job.  Qualified students will be referred to the hiring manager in unranked order by veteran preference status:  (1) Preference eligible having a compensable, service-connected disability of 10 percent or more; (2) all other candidates eligible for 10-point veteran preference; (3) candidates eligible for 5-point veteran preference; and (4) candidates not eligible for veteran preference.
 
You will not be considered for the position if any part of the application or supporting documentation is incomplete.  Falsifying your background, education, and/or experience is cause for not hiring you or adverse action after hiring.


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