COMPUTER SCIENTIST - CES Recent Graduate

Clarification from the agency

Who may apply: Individuals who have obtained a qualifying Associates, Bachelor's, Master's, Professional, Doctorate, Vocational or Technical degree/certificate from a qualifying educational institution, within the previous 2 years OR Veterans (as defined in 5 U.S.C. 2108) who were unable to apply within 2 years due to their military service obligation. The eligibility period for veterans must be within 6 years of degree completion date.

• As a participant in the Recent Graduates Program, you will receive both formal and on-the-job training to develop the required knowledge and skill to successfully perform the duties of the position.
• Performs professional computer engineering/electronics engineering/computer science duties, coordinating assignments with those of engineers or specialists in other disciplines. Tasks involve engineering assignments relating to information systems
• Delegated responsibility to plan, manage, and schedule programs or projects for which they must be innovative and original (devises methods and procedures which are normally adopted for use and become the activity's established precedent).
• Makes critical analyses and evaluations of the ramifications, advisability, and impact of large engineering projects.
• Plans and conducts advanced work in areas in which large blocks of data are controversial or unknown. Pursue and correlate several lines of investigation within the narrow area of assignment.
• Evaluates contractor's requests for design deviations, overall compatibility, and cost implications and recommends disposition of them.

Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen.
• Continued employment in this position is subject to successful completion of a background security investigation and favorable adjudication. Failure to successfully meet/maintain these requirements may be grounds for termination.
• This position is covered under DoD Manual 8140 which will be subject to future Cyber Workforce requirements as defined by the Manual.
• This is a drug testing designated position.

Qualifications

Who May Be Considered:

Individuals who have obtained a qualifying Associates, Bachelor's, Master's, Professional, Doctorate, Vocational or Technical degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution, within the previous 2 years.

OR

Veterans (as defined in 5 U.S.C. 2108) who were unable to apply within 2 years of obtaining a qualifying Associates, Bachelor's, Master's, Professional, Doctorate, Vocational or Technical degree or certificate from a qualifying educational institution due to their military service obligation. Veterans have a full 2-year eligibility period to apply upon his/her release or discharge from active duty. The eligibility period for veterans must be within 6 years of degree completion. You MUST provide your DD-214 to support this claim.

In addition to the eligibility requirement above, you must also meet the Basic Requirement:

Computer Scientist/1550

Bachelor's degree in computer science

or

Bachelor's degree with 30 semester hours in a combination of mathematics, statistics, and computer science. At least 15 of the 30 semester hours must have included any combination of statistics and mathematics that included differential and integral calculus. All academic degrees and course work must be from accredited or pre-accredited institutions.

Computer Engineer/0854 and Electronics Engineer/0855

A. Degree: Engineering. To be acceptable, the program must: (1) lead to a bachelor's degree in a school of engineering with at least one program accredited by ABET; 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.

OR

B. Combination of education and experience -- college-level education, training, and/or technical experience that furnished (1) a thorough knowledge of the physical and mathematical sciences underlying engineering, and (2) a good understanding, both theoretical and practical, of the engineering sciences and techniques and their applications to one of the branches of engineering. The adequacy of such background must be demonstrated by one of the following:

1. Professional registration or licensure -- Current registration as an Engineer Intern (EI), Engineer in Training (EIT)1, or licensure as a Professional Engineer (PE) by any State, the District of Columbia, Guam, or Puerto Rico. Absent other means of qualifying under this standard, those applicants who achieved such registration by means other than written test (e.g., State grandfather or eminence provisions) are eligible only for positions that are within or closely related to the specialty field of their registration. For example, an applicant who attains registration through a State Board's eminence provision as a manufacturing engineer typically would be rated eligible only for manufacturing engineering positions.
2. Written Test -- Evidence of having successfully passed the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE)2 examination or any other written test required for professional registration by an engineering licensure board in the various States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico.
3. Specified academic courses -- Successful completion of at least 60 semester hours of courses in the physical, mathematical, and engineering sciences and that included the courses specified in the basic requirements under paragraph A. The courses must be fully acceptable toward meeting the requirements of an engineering program as described in paragraph A.
4. Related curriculum -- Successful completion of a curriculum leading to a bachelor's degree in an appropriate scientific field, e.g., engineering technology, physics, chemistry, architecture, computer science, mathematics, hydrology, or geology, may be accepted in lieu of a bachelor's degree in engineering, provided the applicant has had at least 1 year of professional engineering experience acquired under professional engineering supervision and guidance. Ordinarily there should be either an established plan of intensive training to develop professional engineering competence, or several years of prior professional engineering-type experience, e.g., in interdisciplinary positions. (The above examples of related curricula are not all inclusive.)

Note: An applicant who meets the basic requirements as specified in A or B above, except as noted under B.1., may qualify for positions in any branch of engineering unless selective factors indicate otherwise.

In addition to the Eligibility, and the Basic Requirement, your resume must demonstrate the following Qualifying Experience:

Your resume must describe at least one year of experience that demonstrates the competencies necessary for immediate success in the position. Experience refers to any paid or unpaid experience, including volunteer work and Military service, that would be considered equivalent to work normally performed at the next lower grade level in the federal service.

• For the GG- 07 position, qualifying experience is defined as: Applying principles, theories, practices, and techniques in engineering or physical science; assisting with gathering information concerning environmental or science impacts.
• For the GG- 09 position, qualifying experience is defined as: Applying principles, theories, practices, and techniques in engineering or physical science; gathering and analyzing information concerning environmental or science impacts.
• For the GG- 11 position, qualifying experience is defined as: Analyze scientific data and making recommendations; performing projects using standard techniques and models related to scientific processes.
• For the GG- 12 position, qualifying experience is defined as: Experience in researching and interpreting test and evaluation theories related to engineering or scientific work processes, such as in communication or machine learning systems
• For the GG- 13 position, qualifying experience is defined as: Experience in technology and machine learning, such as AI and cybersecurity; analyzing emerging technology to innovate and to develop communication architecture designs to meet performance requirements.

*****Candidates must describe how they meet the qualifying experience within the body of their resume.

*****Veterans - DD-214 are required, and will render an ineligible rating if not submitted.

*****Transcripts are required along with proof of degree conferral, along with a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.50. The absence of this information will result in an ineligible rating.

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:
Once the application process is complete, a review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the applicant questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If, after reviewing your resume and or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating.

You can preview the Assessment Questionnaire here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12999332

Criminal History Inquiries- If you apply to this position and are selected, we will not ask about your criminal history before you receive a conditional job offer. If you believe you were asked about your criminal history improperly, contact the agency @ dfas.indianapolis-in.zh.mbx.ssc-cc@mail.mil

FOR THIS JOB ANNOUNCEMENT THE FOLLOWING SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS ARE REQUIRED AS THEY APPLY STATED BELOW AND MUST BE RECEIVED BY THE CLOSE OF THE ANNOUNCEMENT.

1. Resume: A two-page maximum resume is required. Applicant guidance on the two page resume requirement may be found at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/merit-hiring-plan-resources/applicant-guidance-on-the-two-page-resume-limit/ . Learn more about the new resume requirements
2. Complete initial Eligibility Questionnaire: Your resume must demonstrate the quality of your work as it relates to the experience requirements outlined in the job announcement.
3. Transcripts (Required) - To be eligible for the Recent Graduates Program, you must submit official/unofficial transcripts. The absence of this information will result in an ineligible rating.
4. Current and former federal employees, including those currently working for the agency, must submit their SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) reflecting their highest grade held on a permanent basis for at least 52 weeks, tenure, and appointment type. Failure to provide this document may result in disqualification.
5. Veterans Preference Documentation (If applicable):You must submit a copy of your DD Form-214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty", showing the dates of active duty service, type of discharge and the character of service. Alternatively, If you are a current military member in active duty service and do not have a copy of your DD Form-214, you must submit a written documentation (certification) from your branch of service certifying that you are expected to be discharged or released from active duty under honorable conditions no later than 120 days after the date the certification is submitted with your application for this position. The certification should also include your rank, dates of active duty service and what they condition of discharge is thought to be.If claiming 10-point preference and/or are a 30% or more Disabled Veteran, you must submit both a DD Form-214 or expected discharge documentation as described above AND a copy of a letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) or your branch of service certifying the presence of service-connected disability and indicating the percentage of disabilityIf you are claiming eligibility based on 10-point derived veterans' preference (i.e. a spouse, widow/widower, or parent of a veteran claiming veterans' preference when the veteran is unable to use it), you must also submit a Standard Form 15 (SF-15) "Application for 10-Point Veteran's Preference" and any required documents indicated on the SF-15 to substantiate the claimed preference. 3. Military Spouse Preference (if applicable): Spousal Permanent Change of Station (PCS) orders, marriage certificate/license, and a MILITARY SPOUSE PPP SELF-CERTIFICATION CHECKLIST are required to claim Military Spouse Preference. The Military Spouse PPP Self-Certification Checklist can be found here: To download the checklist, select "Save" or "Save As" instead of "Open." Save the document to your device then open it as a PDF. Once the form is opened, select "Enable All Features" and the form will populate so that it can be completed. https://www.esd.whs.mil/Directives/forms/dd3000_3499/DD3145-4/

Your complete Application Package (containing the above required documents) must be received no later than 11:59 pm Eastern Time on 07/24/2026.

WARNING: Failure to submit a complete application package including any required documentation by 11:59 PM (EST) on07/24/2026 , or at the time of application for announcements with an extended closing date, may result in an ineligible rating and loss of consideration. To verify that your application is complete, log into your USAJOBS account, select Application Status and More Information. The Details page will display the status of your application. It is the applicant's responsibility to verify that information entered, uploaded is received, legible and accurate. HR will not modify answers submitted by an applicant.

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