Clarification from the agency

This position is part of the Pathways Program and is open to Recent Graduates Eligibles only. For additional information please visit:https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/students-recent-graduates/#url=graduates

Videos

This position reports to the Deputy Regional Administrator. This position serves as a Management and Program Analyst within the designated office within the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). In this position the incumbent is expected to refine their expertise they developed at the current level. Responsibilities include the performance of research and analysis of programs, legislation, and guidance affecting the public transportation industry and federal transit programs.

The Recent Graduate's duties include:

• Assists with tracking and assessing progress against Administration and Departmental goals, objectives, and missions pertaining to public transportation legislation and programs.
• Develops, writes, and accurately prepares materials that communicate FTA policies, regulations, and guidance.
• Assists the administrative team with all matters of correspondence - reviews, tracks, assigns, and closes out all incoming and outgoing correspondence (hard copy, electronically, and via phone).
• With guidance and oversight of senior analysts, conducts special analyses on a variety of issues to support executive decision-making on policy, program, and budgetary matters.

This position is perfect for an individual with a wide variety of technical, operational and administrative skills including financial and communication management functions and interest in public policy / service.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen and meet Pathways Recent Graduate requirement.
• Submit application and resume online by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date.
• Review Required Documents Section as documents are required by closing date
• Must meet Recent Grad requirements by closing date.

Additional Requirements:

PATHWAYS RECENT GRADUATE PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY - You must:

• have obtained a qualifying associates, bachelors, master's, professional, doctorate, vocational or technical degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution, within the previous 2 years unless military service interfered with a veteran’s eligibility to apply during that two year time frame. Veterans meeting the above exclusion may apply within 2 years of discharge or 6 years from the date of receipt of the degree whichever comes first;
• provide required documentation to verify degree has been, or will be, completed prior to appointment; AND
• meet the basic qualification standards outlined under the Qualifications section for this series and grade level.

If selected, you: 

• must sign a Pathways Recent Graduate Program Participant Agreement;
• will serve on an excepted service appointment for at least a two year trial period; 
• will enter a formal training program with a mentor and execute an Individual Development Plan outlining training requirements and program expectations;
• must be provided at least 40 hours of interactive training, directly linked to your employment field, within 45 days of appointment;
• will be assigned a mentor within 90 days of appointment;
• will be evaluated for conversion to a term or permanent appointment in the competitive service at the end of two years.

ADDITIONAL CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT:

• SELECTIVE SERVICE: Males born after 12/31/1959 must be  registered for the Selective Service.
• DECLARATION FOR FEDERAL EMPLOYMENT: Selectee is required to complete a Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306) to determine suitability for federal employment.
• PCS/RELOCATION/RECRUITMENT:  Permanent Change of Station (PCS), Relocation, and Recruitment Incentive authorization varies by position/selection and a service agreement may be required.
• GOVERNMENT TRAVEL CARD: A government contractor-issued travel card will be issued and must be retained for official business only.
• TRIAL PERIOD: The recent graduate is in a trial period throughout the entire Pathways Recent Graduate/FHWA PDP appointment.
• PHYSICAL LOCATION: The recent graduate will be required to work onsite.

Qualifications

To determine which eligibility, review the following grade specific details.  You will be asked questions as part of your application but make sure to verify how you meet this experience and/or education in your resume and/or uploaded transcripts or you may be deemed ineligible. 

To meet the minimum qualifications for this position, you must meet the education requirement AND experience qualifications for the grade at which you are requesting consideration.

To qualify for the GS-07 on Experience, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-05 it must include:

• Experience preparing and presenting data analysis including proficiency with Microsoft applications (Outlook, Word, Excel, Access, Power Point, etc.).
• Experience serving as a primary point of contact for a program or functions, providing guidance, and independently responding to inquiries and/or requests for information from internal and external stakeholders.

To qualify for the GS-07 on Education alone, you must have at least 1 year of graduate-level education OR superior academic achievement.

• **Superior Academic Achievement is based on (1) class standing, (2) grade-point average, or (3) honor society membership.
• 1. Class standing -- Applicants must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses.
• 2. Grade-point average (G.P.A.) -- Applicants must have a grade-point average of: 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on their official transcript, or as computed based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; or 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum.

You can also qualify based on a combination of graduate level education and experience. This must be fully supported by your resume and transcripts, provided with your application.

To qualify for the GS-09 on Experience, you must have at least one year of experience equal or equivalent to the GS-07 it must include:

• Experience preparing and presenting data analysis with Microsoft applications (Outlook, Word, Excel, Access, Power Point, etc.).
• Experience serving as a primary point of contact for a program or functions, providing guidance, and responding to inquiries and/or requests for information from internal and external stakeholders.
• Experience applying theories, principles, practices, and methodology used in the review of policies, programs, and projects, to develop new policy approaches to unique situations.

To qualify for the GS-09 on Education alone:

• You must have 2 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or have been awarded a master's or equivalent graduate degree.

You can also qualify based on a combination of graduate education and experience. This must be fully supported by your resume and transcripts, provided with your application.

RECENT GRADUATE PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY:
*Applicants must have obtained a qualifying associates, bachelors, master's, professional, doctorate, vocational or technical degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution, within the previous 2 years unless military service interfered with a veterans eligibility to apply during that two year time frame. Veterans meeting the above exclusion may apply within 2 years of discharge or 6 years from the date of receipt of the degree whichever comes first.

(http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/policy/ApplicationOfStds-04.asp) for information on crediting education.

You must provide a copy of ALL of your college/vocational/technical transcript(s). See  "Required Documents" section for additional information.

Applicants may refer to the U.S. Department of Education’s Institutional Accreditation System to determine whether their school/program is accredited: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/Search.aspx.

Education completed outside of the United States must be deemed equivalent to that gained in conventional/accredited U.S. education programs to be acceptable for Federal employment. See OPM's General Policies (http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/policy/ApplicationOfStds-04.asp) for information on crediting education.

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.

Accreditation: Only education from an accredited college or university recognized by the Department of Education is acceptable to meet education requirements or to substitute for experience, if applicable. For additional information, please go to the Office of Personnel Management at http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/ and U.S. Department of Education website at http://www2.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html.

Foreign Education: If your education was completed or is from foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

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:

For all types of consideration, 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

Students enrolled in a qualifying degree program can apply if the anticipated graduation date is within six months. Graduation transcript must be received before start date. Other applicants must meet all qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

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. 

All applicants:  Your application will be rated on the extent and quality of your experience, education and training relevant to the position. The answers you select in the on-line process must be substantiated in your application package.  If upon review, it is determined that your described work history, competencies, and/or supporting documents do not support your answer choices, your application may be updated on your behalf or you may not be referred to the selecting official. Please ensure that your work history provides enough details to support your answers. The Automated Staffing Office is ultimately responsible for determining your final rating.