Interested in a career in national security? DCSA is offering a paid internship: the DCSA Student Experience (DSE) '26 Cohort. Open to law students with a 3.0+ GPA, students must maintain full-time status through October 2026. The program runs 1 OR 15 June - 21 August 2026, requiring a minimum of 10 weeks of participation.
This announcement is selecting student interns for the Office of the General Counsel.
Summary
Interested in a career in national security? DCSA is offering a paid internship: the DCSA Student Experience (DSE) '26 Cohort. Open to law students with a 3.0+ GPA, students must maintain full-time status through October 2026. The program runs 1 OR 15 June - 21 August 2026, requiring a minimum of 10 weeks of participation.
This announcement is selecting student interns for the Office of the General Counsel.
This is a temporary position NTE 1 year from appointment.
As a STUDENT TRAINEE (LAW) you will be responsible for the following duties:
We are looking for capable and eager law students interested in being part of a Federal legal office that provides support in all areas of legal practice for an agency with a national security mission. Interns will apply analytic and critical thinking skills to work on research projects, draft memos, and assist attorneys with various assignments and projects. A final or interim secret security clearance is required for appointment to the position, but applicants are not required to have a security clearance to apply for the position.
Plan, organize and conduct studies of legal issues and cases generally encountered in the assigned area.
Conduct research assignments given by agency counsel.
Examine and evaluates procedural and legal sufficiency of agency actions, policies and practices.
Provide support in analyzing issues and actions related to national security law, civilian personnel law, equal employment opportunity matters, government information practices, administrative law, fiscal law, ethics, and acquisition law.,.
Use manual and automated legal research methods and other available resources to locate and apply relevant legal references, including Federal statutes, regulations and publications, DoD issuances, case law articles and legal treatises.
Assist with the research and preparation of legal opinions for attorneys on the full range of legal matters presented by agency operations and administration.
Participate in defensive administrative litigation including depositions, mediation, negotiations, and hearings.
Draft and edit legal and non-legal memoranda, research reports, and correspondence. Ensure proper processing of completed actions.
Analyze facts and legal questions and organize and prepare research material for attorney review.
Identify pertinent facts and issues for research and discussion, suggest legal interpretations of reference material, and prepare initial summary recommendations for attorneys.
Selective Service Requirement: Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service. For more information http://www.sss.gov
Resume and supporting documents received by 11:59PM EST will be considered
This is a Drug Testing designated position
Position is a (DCIPS) position in the Excepted Service under U.S.C. 1601
Work Schedule: Full Time
Overtime: Occasionally
Tour of Duty: Flexible
PCS (Permanent Change of Station): Not Authorized (Relocation expenses or housing will NOT be provided by the agency)
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA): Non-Exempt
Financial Disclosure: Not Required
Telework Eligibility: This position is telework eligible but is not a full time telework position. The incumbent will be required to report to the office on a routine basis.
Supervisors may approve situational telework on a case-by-case, temporary basis for limited situations.
If selected, the incumbent must obtain and maintain appropriate security clearance as indicated in job announcement.
Incumbent must be adjudicated as suitable for federal employment, based on a background investigation.
Incumbent must hold a bachelor's degree and be currently enrolled as a full-time law student in a program leading to award of the first professional law degree.
Incumbent must have and maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above on a 4.0 scale.
Students accepted into the internship program must send law school official transcript with Spring 2026 semester/quarter grade to the DCSA Student Programs Office prior to onboarding.
Students who successfully complete the program may be eligible for non-competitive conversion to a permanent position after graduation if all requirements have been met. Funding availability, mission requirements, and other factors may apply.
Qualifications
To qualify for this position, you must meet the criteria specified below:
You must hold a bachelor's degree;
You must be currently enrolled as a full-time law student in a program leading to award of the first professional law degree; and
You must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above on a 4.0 scale.
Note:In order to be appointed to a Student Trainee (Law Student Intern) in the summer of 2026, you will also need to have successfully completed the 1st or 2nd year of law school by the end of May 2026., with the expectation of continuing law school studies in the fall of 2026.
Education: All applicants must submit college or university undergraduate transcripts (official or unofficial) AND law school transcripts (official or unofficial) that demonstrate the completion, (or for 1st year law student applicants, the anticipated completion), of the 1st year of law school by the end of May 2026 or earlier.
Specifically, you will be evaluated on the following competencies:
1. Communication: Written and oral communication techniques sufficient to develop and deliver briefings, project papers, status/staff reports and correspondence to managers to foster understanding and acceptance of findings and recommendations.
2. Interpersonal Skills: Shows understanding, friendliness, courtesy, tact, empathy, concern, and politeness to others; develops and maintains effective relationships with others; may include effectively dealing with individuals who are difficult, hostile, or distressed; relates well to people from varied backgrounds and different situations.
3. Teamwork: Encourages and facilitates cooperation, pride, trust, and group identity; fosters commitment and team spirit; works with others to achieve goals.
4. Problem Solving: Identifies and analyzes problems; uses sound reasoning to arrive at conclusions; finds alternative solutions to complex problems; distinguishes between relevant and irrelevant information to make logical judgements.
5. Attention to Detail: Is thorough when performing work and conscientious about attending to detail.
6. Ability to research, analyze and present information.
Relocation expenses or housing benefits are NOT offered for our student positions. This position does not offer remote work. If you are selected, you will have to report to the office throughout your internship and be living within commuting distance of the office during the summer program.
Education
All applicants must submit college or university undergraduate transcripts (official or unofficial) AND law school transcripts (official or unofficial) that demonstrate the completion, (or for 1st year law student applicants, the anticipated completion), of the 1st year of law school by the end of May 2026 or earlier.
Official Transcripts and other required Official supporting documentation will be submitted by selected students as soon as available by their institution to continue in program.
Superior Academic Achievement does not apply to DCIPS positions.
Failure to provide transcripts will result in you being rated ineligible for this position.
VETERANS PREFERENCE/CURRENT OR FORMER FEDERAL
In accordance with DoD Instruction 1400.25, Volume 2005, veterans preference is not required to be applied when considering candidates with prior Federal competitive or excepted service who have completed a probationary or trial period and have not been separated for cause. Therefore, veterans preference will not be applied to applicants with current federal service, or former federal civilian service meeting the above criteria.
Applicants selected from this announcement may be required to serve a two-year trial period.
If selected, Federal employees currently serving in the competitive service must acknowledge that they will voluntarily leave the competitive service by accepting an offer of employment for a DCIPS excepted service positions.
If selected, non-DCIPS candidates must acknowledge in writing that the position they have been selected for is in the excepted service and covered by DCIPS.
All Defense Intelligence positions under the Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System (DCIPS) are in the excepted service by specific statue, 10 U.S.C. 1601. This position is in the excepted service and does not confer competitive status.
For more information on the DCIPS occupational structure click here.
For more information about career advancement in DCIPS click here.
All current and former Federal employees must submit a copy of your latest SF50 (Notification of Personnel Action) showing your tenure, grade and step, and type of position occupied (i.e., Excepted or Competitive); or similar Notification of Personnel Action documentation, i.e., Transcript of Service, Form 1150, etc.
Resumes should NOT include: Classified information/SSN/Photo of yourself/personal information (gender, religion, affiliation etc/Encrypted digitally signed docs). Resumes with this prohibited information will be automatically ineligible for consideration.
Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
You will be evaluated based on how well you meet the qualifications listed in this vacancy announcement. Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents), the responses you provide on the application questionnaire, and the result of the SME Resume Panel review.
A review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the Assessment Questionnairet o determine if you are qualified for this job. If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses provided in the Assessment Questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation, you will be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified'.
Application Questionnaire: Applicants must complete a screen out questionnaire as part of the application process. Applicants identified as meeting the basic education requirement and minimum qualifications for the position may move on to the HR/SME Resume Panel review.
HR/SME Panel Review: An HR/SME Panel will review your resume to determine your technical qualifications for this position based on the competencies stated below. Only the first 2 pages of your resume will be reviewed. Applicants that are found qualified will move on to the next phase of the hiring process.
Competencies: Communication, Interpersonal Skills, Teamwork, Problem Solving, Attention to Detail, and ability to research, analyze and present information.
You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume as that information may be taken into consideration during the selection process. If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation.
Top ranked candidates will be referred to the selecting official for further review and consideration.
A review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the Assessment Questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses provided in the Assessment Questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation, you will be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified'.
Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.
All eligibility and qualifications requirements must be met by the closing date of this announcement.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
Your complete application includes your COMPLETE resume, your responses to the online questionnaire, and documents which prove your eligibility to apply. If you fail to provide these documents, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further.
The following documents are REQUIRED:
1. Your resume:
All applicants are required to submit a resume limited to two (2) pages showing all relevant experience. Your resume must address your qualifications for the position, and it may not exceed two (2) pages. Your 2-page (or less) resume must be in PDF format, with no smaller than a 0.5" margin and no smaller than a 10-point font. If you submit a resume that exceeds the two-page limit and/or does not meet the margin or font limitations stated herein, you will immediately be deemed ineligible for this position and will receive no further consideration.
If you submit more than one copy of your resume, only the most recent version will be reviewed. The latest timestamp will be used to determine which version of your resume is "most recent."
If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations and you will not be considered for this vacancy.
Narrative responses in the assessment questionnaire do not replace content in your resume or vise a versa. Experience must be described in both places for qualification determinations.
For qualifications determinations your resume must contain the dates of employment (i.e., Month/Year to Month/Year, Hours per Week).
If your resume does not clearly outline details for each position as noted, you may be deemed "not referred" for this position.
This position has a degree or education requirement, so you are required to submit a copy of your transcript. We accept unofficial transcripts, but they must contain your name, the name of the school, the date and degree that was awarded (if applicable), classes, GPA and credits earned. Unofficial transcripts may be obtained by your registrar's office and uploaded as a PDF document.
NOTE: Do not provide links, screenshots, or pictures of your transcript.
3. Veteran's Documents
If applying for Veteran's preference, please provide a copy of your DD214 showing character of service, SF-15 Form and VA letter showing final percentage, or certification of expected discharge or release from active duty.
NOTE: Active duty military members are not eligible for appointment unless currently on terminal leave.
4. SF-50:
All current and former Federal employees must submit a copy of your latest SF50 (Notification of Personnel Action) showing your tenure, grade and step, and type of position occupied (i.e., Excepted or Competitive); or similar Notification of Personnel Action documentation, i.e., Transcript of Service, Form 1150, etc. Failure to provide latest SF50 will result in you being rated ineligible for this position.
The documents you are required to submit vary based on the authority you are using to apply (i.e., applying as a veteran, applying as a current permanent Federal employee, applying as a reinstatement, etc.).
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package as described in REQUIRED DOCUMENTS.
Click 'Apply Online' to create an account or log in to your existing USAJOBS account.
1. Follow the prompts to complete the assessment questionnaire and upload required documents.
2. Please ensure you click the Submit My Answers button to submit your application.
3. Applications must be received by the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration.
To review the status of an application through USAJOBS:
1. Log into your USAJOBS account
2. Click Application Status within your profile to expand your application
3. Locate the job announcement and click the more information link under the Status column for this position. You will be routed to Application Manager. The Details tab displays by default. The Details tab displays comprehensive information about the selected Application Package including: assessment(s) and the status, supporting documents and their status, correspondence sent to you by the hiring agency, and your application processing status.
Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency
27130 Telegraph Road
Quantico, VA 22134
US
Next steps
Once you successfully complete the application process, you will receive a notification of receipt. Your application package will be reviewed to ensure you meet the basic eligibility and qualifications requirements, and you will receive a notification. A review will be made of your online questionnaire and the documentation you submitted to support your responses. A list of qualified applicants will be created and sent to the selecting official. All applicants reviewed and/or referred will receive a notification letter.
The selecting official may choose to conduct interviews, and once the selection is made, you will receive a notification of the decision.
*NOTE: If you submit a resume but no questionnaire, you cannot be considered for the position. If you submit a questionnaire but no resume, you cannot be considered for the position. Your application will be appropriately documented and you will be removed from further competition against this announcement.
REGARDING INTERVIEWS: Interviews may be required for this position. Accommodations may be made to conduct telephonic interviews to preclude travel hardships for applicants. Note: Declining to be interviewed or failure to report for a scheduled interview will be considered as a declination for further consideration for employment against this vacancy.
The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the point of contact for this job announcement. Your requests for reasonable accommodation will be addressed on a case-by-case basis.
This announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
Your complete application includes your COMPLETE resume, your responses to the online questionnaire, and documents which prove your eligibility to apply. If you fail to provide these documents, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further.
The following documents are REQUIRED:
1. Your resume:
All applicants are required to submit a resume limited to two (2) pages showing all relevant experience. Your resume must address your qualifications for the position, and it may not exceed two (2) pages. Your 2-page (or less) resume must be in PDF format, with no smaller than a 0.5" margin and no smaller than a 10-point font. If you submit a resume that exceeds the two-page limit and/or does not meet the margin or font limitations stated herein, you will immediately be deemed ineligible for this position and will receive no further consideration.
If you submit more than one copy of your resume, only the most recent version will be reviewed. The latest timestamp will be used to determine which version of your resume is "most recent."
If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations and you will not be considered for this vacancy.
Narrative responses in the assessment questionnaire do not replace content in your resume or vise a versa. Experience must be described in both places for qualification determinations.
For qualifications determinations your resume must contain the dates of employment (i.e., Month/Year to Month/Year, Hours per Week).
If your resume does not clearly outline details for each position as noted, you may be deemed "not referred" for this position.
This position has a degree or education requirement, so you are required to submit a copy of your transcript. We accept unofficial transcripts, but they must contain your name, the name of the school, the date and degree that was awarded (if applicable), classes, GPA and credits earned. Unofficial transcripts may be obtained by your registrar's office and uploaded as a PDF document.
NOTE: Do not provide links, screenshots, or pictures of your transcript.
3. Veteran's Documents
If applying for Veteran's preference, please provide a copy of your DD214 showing character of service, SF-15 Form and VA letter showing final percentage, or certification of expected discharge or release from active duty.
NOTE: Active duty military members are not eligible for appointment unless currently on terminal leave.
4. SF-50:
All current and former Federal employees must submit a copy of your latest SF50 (Notification of Personnel Action) showing your tenure, grade and step, and type of position occupied (i.e., Excepted or Competitive); or similar Notification of Personnel Action documentation, i.e., Transcript of Service, Form 1150, etc. Failure to provide latest SF50 will result in you being rated ineligible for this position.
The documents you are required to submit vary based on the authority you are using to apply (i.e., applying as a veteran, applying as a current permanent Federal employee, applying as a reinstatement, etc.).
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package as described in REQUIRED DOCUMENTS.
Click 'Apply Online' to create an account or log in to your existing USAJOBS account.
1. Follow the prompts to complete the assessment questionnaire and upload required documents.
2. Please ensure you click the Submit My Answers button to submit your application.
3. Applications must be received by the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration.
To review the status of an application through USAJOBS:
1. Log into your USAJOBS account
2. Click Application Status within your profile to expand your application
3. Locate the job announcement and click the more information link under the Status column for this position. You will be routed to Application Manager. The Details tab displays by default. The Details tab displays comprehensive information about the selected Application Package including: assessment(s) and the status, supporting documents and their status, correspondence sent to you by the hiring agency, and your application processing status.
Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency
27130 Telegraph Road
Quantico, VA 22134
US
Next steps
Once you successfully complete the application process, you will receive a notification of receipt. Your application package will be reviewed to ensure you meet the basic eligibility and qualifications requirements, and you will receive a notification. A review will be made of your online questionnaire and the documentation you submitted to support your responses. A list of qualified applicants will be created and sent to the selecting official. All applicants reviewed and/or referred will receive a notification letter.
The selecting official may choose to conduct interviews, and once the selection is made, you will receive a notification of the decision.
*NOTE: If you submit a resume but no questionnaire, you cannot be considered for the position. If you submit a questionnaire but no resume, you cannot be considered for the position. Your application will be appropriately documented and you will be removed from further competition against this announcement.
REGARDING INTERVIEWS: Interviews may be required for this position. Accommodations may be made to conduct telephonic interviews to preclude travel hardships for applicants. Note: Declining to be interviewed or failure to report for a scheduled interview will be considered as a declination for further consideration for employment against this vacancy.
The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the point of contact for this job announcement. Your requests for reasonable accommodation will be addressed on a case-by-case basis.
This announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.
Fair and transparent
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
