Duties
The Student Trainee (Transportation Program Specialist) Pathways Intern will:
- Assist the Office Director in oversight of FTA-funded projects and provides project management advice and direction to regional programs to assist in the implementation and completion of capital, operating and planning grants. be responsible for the oversight aspects and project management aspects of FTA projects. Maintains records for grantees regarding project status, Triennial Reviews (TR), FTA grantee reviews, audits, and maintains computer program tracking system on each.
- Assist the Office Director in the review of grant applications for planning, capital and operating assistance. be responsible for developing and recommending for approval grant amendments, letters of no prejudice, advance construction authority, and other financial assistance instruments pursuant to 49 USC 5307, 5309, and other grant sections, and appropriate provisions of Title 23 USC. Consider all current requirements and documents the rationale for approval, rejection or other action.
- Prepare briefing papers, statistical and narrative reports on a broad range of regional office and grantee activities and in support of policy and procedural decisions for use by the Regional Administrator and/or headquarters.
- Review financial and progress reports on capital, operating and planning projects and determines whether project is proceeding as scheduled. Prepare correspondence asking for further explanations on deviations or problems, if required, as a basis for corrective action.
The ideal candidate for this position is in the Pathways Internship Program that is designed to attract students enrolled in a wide variety of educational institutions to work in agencies and explore careers while still in school.
Requirements
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 20 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.
- TRIAL PERIOD: The intern is in a trial period throughout the entire Pathways Internship appointment.
- TELEWORK ELIGIBILITY: This position may be eligible for occasional and/or regularly scheduled telework. The number of telework days approved will be determined by your immediate supervisor or manager following the agency’s telework policy and guidance. If participating in the telework program, you will be required to sign a telework agreement detailing agency telework policy requirements, working conditions, and expectations for the 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.
- GS-05: Completion of four academic years of post-high school study leading to a bachelor’s degree or equivalent degree.
- GS-07: Education: One full year of graduate level education in a field which demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of the position. OR
- Superior Academic Achievement: In order to be creditable under this provision, Superior Academic Achievement must have been gained in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled, such as that identified in Education above. Superior Academic Achievement is based on:
(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; OR
(2) Grade-Point Average (G.P.A.) - Applicants must have a grade-point average of either (a) 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) as recorded on your 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 (b) 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; OR
(3) Honor Society Membership - Applicants may be considered eligible based on membership in one of the approved national scholastic honor societies listed by the Association of College Honor Societies (https://www.achsnatl.org/).
OR
Combination of Education and Experience: A combination of education and experience may be used to qualify for this position as long as the computed percentage of the requirements is at least 100%. To compute the percentage of the requirements, divide your total months of experience by 12. Then divide the total number of completed graduate semester hours (or equivalent) by 18. Add the two percentages.
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:
- Written Communication - Writes in a clear, concise, organized, and convincing manner for the intended audience.
- Computer Skills - Uses computers, software applications, databases, and automated systems to accomplish work.
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
Refer to the Qualifications and Requirements section for information pertaining to the Pathways Internship Program.
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.
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.
You may preview questions for this vacancy.
How to Apply
You must submit a complete application package (including resume, vacancy questions and supporting documents) no later than 11:59 pm (EST) on the closing date of the announcement.
- To begin, click the "Apply Online" button on the job announcement posting.
- Follow the directions to register, submit all required documents and complete the assessment questionnaire.
- You may review your saved application(s) at https://help.usajobs.gov/
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is an equal opportunity employer committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified applicants and employees with disabilities. If you require an accommodation or other assistance to apply online, please notify the DOT Automated Staffing Office via email at: Transjobs@dot.gov. If you need a reasonable accommodation during the interview process, please notify the Office of Human Resources, Staffing and Classification Division, via email at FTAStaffing@dot.gov.
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.
If you are having difficulty applying online, please contact the DOT Automated Staffing Office via email at Transjobs@dot.gov.
Next steps
Once the application process is completed in its entirety, a review of your application will be made to ensure you meet the basic qualifications. Qualified applicants will be referred to the hiring manager for further consideration and possible interviews.
If you are selected for an interview, the hiring agency will contact you directly. Once the position is filled, we will notify all applicants of their final status.