Information Technology Specialist (Student Trainee) Job in Washington, DC

Vacancy No. ISTS-25-DE-12708027 Department Government Accountability Office
Salary $27.39 to $27.39 Grade 7 to 7
Perm/Temp Temporary FT/PT Part-time
Open Date 6/4/2025 Close Date 6/13/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Status Candidates
Locations:
Washington, DC


Summary

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) is an independent, nonpartisan agency that works for Congress. We accomplish our mission by providing objective and reliable information and analysis to the Congress, to federal agencies, and to the public, and recommending improvements, when appropriate, on a wide variety of issues to make government work better.

This vacancy is for Fall internship positions. The anticipated start dates begin in August 2025.

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

Current students enrolled in a graduate program seeking a degree from an accredited educational institution on a full or half-time basis.

Duties

The internship opportunities are available in the Office of Information Systems and Technology Services (ISTS)/ IT Management Division (IMD) within the Digital and Cloud Division (DCD), Information Security Division (ISD), Software Factory Division (SDF), Enterprise Infrastructure Division (EID), Chief of Staff (CoS), Customer Experience Division (CED, and Publishing & Web Division (PWD). The internships involve working closely with stakeholders, including management, agency executives, and subject matter experts (SME), to develop an overview of the agency's strategy, information, processes, and IT assets. Team members lead strategic technological planning to achieve business goals by prioritizing technology initiatives in collaboration with other teams and coordinating the evaluation, deployment, and management of current and future technologies.

Specific duties include:

  • Support IT investment analysis and decision making in support of business priorities.
  • Obtain an understanding of the GAO IT governance process to capture changes to the technology architecture.
  • Perform duties associated with technology data analysis, maintenance, and publication of roadmaps.
  • Solicit and collaborate with stakeholders for updates to the strategic initiatives sequencing plan.
  • Capture, analyze, and report quantitative measures.
  • Attend and collaborate in Enterprise Architecture meetings.
  • Execute self-study and professional research related to enterprise architecture standards and new technology related to the IT Strategy and/or GAO business requests.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • You must be a U.S. Citizen.
  • Selective Service registration if you are a male born after Dec. 31, 1959. Visit http://www.sss.gov.
  • You will be subject to a background investigation/ suitability determination.
  • Student must work a minimum of 400 hours, not to exceed a total of 640 hours.
  • You must be currently enrolled and good standing in an accredited degree program throughout the duration of the internship.

Qualifications

All qualification requirements must be met by the start of the internship.

To qualify for the GS-7 level, you must be enrolled in a Graduate degree program and meet one of the following:

1. Have a bachelor's degree with superior academic achievement (defined below) in computer science, engineering, information science, information systems management, mathematics, operations research, statistics, or technology management; OR

2. Have a bachelor's degree with superior academic achievement (defined below) that provided a minimum of 24 semester hours in one or more of the IT-related fields identified above, and required the development or adaptation of applications, systems or networks; OR

3. Have 18 to 35 semester hours or 27 to 53 quarter hours of graduate level education in one or more of the fields identified above; OR

4. Have one year of specialized experience at the GS-5 level or equivalent. Specialized experience is defined as performing routine or practical work related to the management, technical support, operations, or deliverability of computer technologies and services to end-users. In addition, have IT-related experience demonstrating each of the following four competencies:

  • Attention to Detail - demonstrates the ability to take thorough notes, prepare accurate written summaries, and synthesize information and drawing preliminary conclusions;
  • Teamwork - demonstrates the ability to collaborate and work effectively in a team-based setting
  • Written and Oral Communication - demonstrates the ability to conduct and participate in meetings, and present information in writing and orally to team members, management, and stakeholders; and
  • Problem Solving - demonstrates the ability to apply analytical methods to identify patterns, trends, or irregularities, and to assess evidence to develop findings and recommendations for improvement.

Superior Academic Achievement: Superior academic achievement (SAA) recognizes individuals who have achieved superior academic standing. S.A.A. is based on (1) class standing, (2) grade-point average, or (3) honor society membership. 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. Grade-point average (G.P.A.)-- Applicants must have a grade-point average of: a.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. If more than 10 percent of total undergraduate credit hours are non-graded, i.e. pass/fail, CLEP, CCAF, DANTES, military credit, etc., you cannot qualify based on GPA; c) Election to membership in a national scholastic honor society (note: freshman honor society cannot be used to meet the requirements of this position). (If qualifying based on class standing or honor society membership, provide appropriate documentation)..

NOTE: You must be a current student enrolled in an graduate program seeking a degree from an accredited educational institution on a full or half-time basis. If at any point during the internship (and for any reason) your status as a student changes to that of a non-student, your internship will be terminated.

Education

All applicants must submit their academic transcripts in order to be eligible. The transcripts may be unofficial or official and must show your status as a student, as well as support your educational claim.

FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show 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://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog








Additional information

This position is not in the bargaining unit

This position does not have promotion potential

The anticipated start date is August 2025. Work schedules can be Full-time or Part-time. Part time student interns are required to work 24 - 32 hours per week. Students who will graduate in December 2025 may be required to work full time in order to meet the required 400 hours.

Appointments for student intern positions are nonpermanent and generally last from 10 to 16 weeks. Student interns may have an opportunity for a permanent or term position based on a successful intern experience (completion of a minimum of 400 hours of work, not to exceed a total of 640 hours) and successful completion of degree requirements. The ability to convert to a permanent or term appointment with a minimum 400 hours of work experience is contingent upon budgetary conditions and staffing needs at the time of eligibility. The pay for these intern positions are at the

The pay for these intern positions are:

  • Washington, DC, GS-7, step 1: $27.39

Applicants who are selected for this position will be required to provide an official transcript on the day of your orientation or within 3 business days after orientation. This transcript must show that you meet the education requirements for the GS-7 grade level, and that you are currently enrolled through at least August 2025. Failure to meet the requirements or provide the transcript will result in termination of your internship.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office's policy is to provide equal employment opportunity for all regardless of race, religion, color, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, or gender identity.

OPTION FOR ADDITIONAL SELECTIONS: Based on the staffing needs, additional selections may be made through this vacancy announcement.

Travel and relocation expenses will not be paid for by the GAO.

Selectees will be required to complete questions contained on the Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306) at the time a tentative job offer is made. If selected, at the time of appointment, selectees will be required to update the OF-306.

REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION: GAO provides reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees (and interns) with disabilities. To request an accommodation, please email ReasonableAccommodations@gao.gov.

If you are a veteran with preference eligibility and are claiming 5-points veterans' preference, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 or other proof of eligibility. If you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference, you must also submit an SF-15, "Application for 10-Point Veterans' Preference" plus the proof required by that form. For more information on veterans' preference visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Veterans.

Benefits

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.

Review our 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 in accordance with the Category Rating procedure as defined in the GAO's Order for Competitive Examining. Applicants will be further evaluated against criteria for placement placed into a Quality category. This evaluation is based on the level of your experience, education, and/or training as described by your responses to the Assessment Questionnaire. If your application receives a sufficient rating, you will be assigned to one of three categories: Best Qualified, Well Qualified, or Qualified.

Follow all instructions carefully as incomplete answers, errors or omissions may affect your rating. It is important to have a well-written, thoughtful response to the essay question that is supported by your resume. You should draw upon academic, volunteer, and/or work experience as a basis for your response. Each essay cannot exceed 500 characters including spaces. You MUST provide detailed and descriptive narrative responses that explains how you have gained the experience that demonstrates that you meet each KSA. Any application that says "Please see resume" or the equivalent or "N/A" will not be accepted. One word or one phrase responses such as "advance," "basic," or "well," will not meet the requirement for the narrative and may result in a disqualification. The information you provide in your essays must be supported by your resume. Failure to provide a narrative may result in a disqualification rating.

All applicants will be rated based on their response to the essay questions, in conjunction with the following competencies:

  • Research
  • Teamwork
  • Self-Management
  • Oral & Written Communications
Veterans' preference applies to this vacancy. The Category Rating process does not add veterans' preference points or apply the "rule of three" but protects the rights of Veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligible applicants within each quality category. For more information regarding veterans' preference please visit http://www.fedshirevets.gov/

It is important that you do not overstate or understate your level of experience and capability. Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action up to including removal from the Federal service.

To preview the assessment, click here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12708027

Required Documents

To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package which includes:

Resume showing relevant experience (cover letter optional). Your resume must show the work schedule and hours worked per week as well as dates of employment.

All applicants MUST submit college or university graduate and/or undergraduate transcripts (official or unofficial) that show degree conferral and/or support semester/quarter hours completed as well as proof of current enrollment.

  • If you are completing your first graduate degree and have been accepted into a graduate program to pursue a 2nd graduate degree and do not yet have a transcript, you must submit proof of acceptance/enrollment into your new graduate program, along with the transcripts from your current graduate program.

Current proof of enrollment (i.e., transcript showing coursework through Spring/Summer 2025, copy of registered courses for Spring/Summer 2025 and/or Fall 2025 OR a letter from school registrar's office confirming enrollment status for the duration of the internship). Note, a letter of acceptance does not qualify as proof of enrollment.

Veterans' Preference documentation, if applicable (e.g., DD-214 Member Copy 4 showing type of discharge/character of service, SF-15 Form and related documentation, VA letter, etc.)

If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

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.

How to Apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.

A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration.

- To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application.

- Follow the prompts to select your résumé and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.

- After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process.

- You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application.

To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.

Agency contact information

GAO Recruitment
Address
Government Accountability Office
Human Capital Office
441 G Street NW
Washington, DC 20548
US

Next steps

Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email.

Your application will be evaluated by the Human Resources Office to determine your eligibility for the position. Applicants who meet the basic requirement will be sent to the rating panel for rating and raking to be placed in a quality category. Applicants who are determined to be "best-qualified" may be contacted for an interview.

GAO may contact applicants to determine the most appropriate method for conducting the virtual interview. If you do not meet the key requirements, basic qualifications or fail to submit all required application materials, your application will not be considered.

You can check the status of your application at any time through your personal USAJOBS account.


Note: We cannot accept applications on behalf of Federal Agencies. Application instructions are listed within the Job Description.


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