Summary

The SSA Recent Graduates Program provides Recent Graduates with entry-level developmental experience and is designed to lead to a career in the Federal government. Program participant(s) are placed in excepted service appointments, not-to-exceed 1 year.

Note: This position is being filled on a full-time basis. This is a 1-year developmental program. After successful completion of the program, you may be non-competitively converted to a term (not to exceed 1-4 years) or permanent appointment.

This job is open to

Recent graduates

Individuals who have graduated from an accredited educational institute or certificate program within the last 2 years or 6 years for Veterans.

Clarification from the agency

Recent Graduates-See below for explanation/eligibility requirements.

Duties

Administers and coordinates resources for cross-functional projects that support organizational transformation and operational efficiency.
Leads project teams, facilitates meetings, and ensures clear communication of objectives, milestones, and deliverables.
Identifies project documentation requirements or procedures; develops and implements product release plans.
Participates in phase, milestone, and final project reviews; implements project plans to meet objectives and coordinates integration of project activities.
Determines appropriate products or services with clients or customers to define project scope, requirements, and deliverables.
Develops, modifies, or provides input to project plans using diagrams, root cause analysis, and control charts to analyze complex data sets, identify trends, and inform decision-making.
Establishes and monitors project performance metrics; implements corrective actions as needed to maintain scope, schedule, and budget.
Makes improvements, solves problems, or takes corrective action when issues arise.
Monitors project activities and resources to manage risk; implements or maintains quality assurance processes to enhance service delivery and implement innovative solutions.
Prepares and delivers presentations or briefings on all aspects of the project to senior executives and stakeholders.
Develops and implements change management strategies to facilitate adoption of new processes, technologies, or solutions resulting from the project.
Ensures project activities comply with relevant laws, regulations, policies, and standards.
Conducts project closure activities, including documentation, lessons learned, and post-implementation reviews to evaluate project success and inform future initiatives.
Facilitates training and knowledge transfer to ensure sustainability and continuity of project outcomes.

Requirements

Conditions of employment

U.S. Citizenship required.
Must have a qualifying degree or certificate at the time of appointment.
Fingerprinting and background and/or security investigation may be required.
Job offers are contingent on fingerprinting and background / security investigation results.
Selectees are required to serve a trial period.
Relocation expenses will not be paid.
Selective Service Registration, if applicable (www.sss.gov).
All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement.
Complete the initial online assessment and USA Hire assessment, if required.

Qualifications

Resumes exceeding two pages in length will not be considered, please visit the new resume guidance for more information.

To be considered for selection, you must be eligible for the Recent Graduate Program AND meet the qualifications specified for the posted position(s).

Recent Graduate Program Eligibility
To qualify for appointment to the Recent Graduates Program, you must have completed all requirements of an academic course of study leading to an associate's, bachelor's, master's, professional, doctorate, vocational, or technical degree or qualifying certificate program from an accredited educational institution. Your graduation (degree conferred) date must be within the 2 years preceding your application to this announcement. Note: See Required Documents section to ensure you provide the correct documentation to prove your Recent Graduates Program eligibility.

Preference-eligible veterans who, due to military service obligations, were precluded from applying to the Program during any portion of the 2-year eligibility period are entitled to a full 2-year period of eligibility upon release or discharge from active duty. In no event, however, may the eligibility period extend beyond 6 years from the date on which the preference eligible veteran completed the requirements of an academic course of study, when a qualifying degree or certificate was conferred. Note: See Required Documents section to ensure you provide the correct documentation to prove your Recent Graduates Program and preference eligibility.
Qualifications
You must also meet the below qualifications for the posted position(s) by the closing date of this announcement, 04/27/2026.

To qualify for the GS-0301-09 Project Manager position, applicants must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-0301-07 level in the Federal service. Specialized experience is defined as:

Coordinating administrative or program-related project tasks and supporting the management of project resources within a team or cross-functional environment;
Assisting in the development, scheduling, and tracking of project plans and deliverables using project management tools (such as MS Project, Jira, or similar);
Analyzing project data or information to identify trends or issues and providing recommendations for process improvements;
Preparing and delivering project-related communications, such as presentations or briefings, to stakeholders;
Identifying and helping to mitigate project risks, and supporting quality assurance activities.

OR
Education: A master's or equivalent graduate degree, two full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, or an LL.B. or J.D. may be substituted for specialized experience at this grade.

Education

Providing Proof of Education or Substituting Education
For information on providing proof of education or substituting education for experience, visit General Schedule Qualification Standards

Proof of education or education substitutions must be submitted with your application package and received by the closing date of the announcement. You must submit your transcripts according to the application submission details of this announcement. Documents will not be accepted via email or regular mail. Note: See Required Documents section to ensure you provide the correct documentation. Applicants selected for the position must provide an official transcript(s) including the date the degree or certificate was conferred prior to being appointed. Foreign Education: If your transcripts show education completed in foreign colleges or universities, you must also provide documentation 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 a conventional/accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. NOTE: It is your responsibility to acquire U.S. Certification and provide it at the time of application. For a list of Credential Evaluation Services, log on to: Credential Evaluation Services.

Applicants selected for the position must provide an official transcript(s) including the date the degree or certificate was conferred prior to being appointed.

Foreign Education: If your transcripts show education completed in foreign colleges or universities, you must also provide documentation 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 a conventional/accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. Note: See Required Documents section to ensure you provide the correct documentation.

Additional information

Additional selections may be made for this vacancy six months from the closing date of this announcement.

This is a non-bargaining unit position.

This is a career-ladder position offering the opportunity for annual promotion based on performance leading up to the GS-12 grade level. Normally candidates are hired at step one unless they have prior federal experience with no break in service.

Salary will be set in accordance with applicable Locality Pay.

Program participants serving on appointments for 1 year or less are generally ineligible for coverage under the Federal Employees Retirement System and unable to participate in the Federal Employees Group Life Insurance program, and the Thrift Savings Program.

Participants serving on appointments for more than 90 days may be eligible for coverage under the Federal Employees Health Benefits program.

Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See www.sss.gov.

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.

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.

The USA Hire assessment includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment.

Your application will be evaluated under the Category Rating method, based on your responses to the Assessment Questions. If you meet the basic requirements for the position, your application will be evaluated and placed into one of three categories:1 - Qualified Category - Candidates who meet the Minimum Qualification Requirements.2 - Well Qualified Category - Candidates who meet the Minimum Qualification Requirements and demonstrate a satisfactory level of the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position.3 - Best Qualified Category - Candidates who meet the Minimum Qualification Requirements and demonstrate a high level of the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position.

Candidates eligible for veterans' preference will be placed ahead of other candidates in the appropriate category for which they have been rated. Additionally, preference eligibles who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent and who meet the Minimum Qualification Requirements will automatically be placed in the Best Qualified Category.

Required Documents

Resumes exceeding two pages will not be considered.

You must submit all supporting documentation by the closing date of the vacancy announcement (04/27/2026) to support your eligibility for the Recent Graduates Program, meet specified qualifications for the posted position(s), and claim certain types of preference.

Note: Failure to provide required documents may result in non-consideration for the posted position(s).

RESUME: You must meet the basic qualification requirements for the position being filled, including any positive education requirements and/or selective placement factors. All applicants must submit a resume showing work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment, and duties performed. Your resume must provide specific details as to how your experience meets the qualifications for the posted position(s). When describing your experience in your resume, please be specific; we will not make assumptions regarding your experience. Ensure that your resume includes the grade (if you are a current or previous federal employee) and month, day, and year that you began and ended each position held. Without this information, the experience gained while in that position may not be credited toward meeting the qualifications requirements. The resume should indicate if the work is full-time or part-time. Part-time work is prorated (e.g., if you work 20 hours per week for a 12-month period, you will be credited with 6 months of experience).

Experience statements (i.e., duties, specialized experience, or occupational assessment questionnaire) copied from this announcement and pasted into your resume will not be considered as a demonstration of your qualifications for this position. You resume must provide context and sufficient detail of your experience. Failure to provide details will result in an ineligible rating.

Your resume must also support your responses to the online questionnaire. Failure to provide support may result in a lower rating and/or you may be excluded from consideration.

TRANSCRIPTS: Unofficial transcripts from an accredited college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education are acceptable to verify that you meet Recent Graduate Program eligibility and specified qualifications requirements. You must submit a legible copy of transcripts or list of college courses with your name, school name, credit or semester hours, major(s), and grade-point average or class ranking. Copies of degrees, certificates, and diplomas are not considered acceptable documents to determine Recent Graduate Program eligibility.

Note: Your transcripts must show the date the degree was conferred. If you have recently graduated or will soon graduate and the date the degree is conferred is not yet on your transcript, your transcript must be accompanied by a letter from your educational institution (e.g., a letter from the Registrar, Student Counselor, Dean of College, etc.) verifying your degree completion and the date of completion in order to be acceptable. Failure to provide transcripts with proper accompanying documentation may result in non-consideration for this position.

Applicants selected for the position must provide an official transcript(s) including the date the degree or certificate was conferred prior to the effective date of their appointment.

VETERANS' PREFERENCE: If you are claiming veterans' preference, you must submit a copy of your military discharge certificate (DD-214 member 4 copy preferred) or an official statement of service from your command if you are currently on active duty. To be acceptable, the document must contain dates and show Character of Service. If you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference based on a service-connected disability, you must also submit an Application for 10-Point Veterans' Preference (SF 15) and the required documentation specified on the reverse of the SF-15. Applicants claiming derived preference must submit the SF-15 and the required documentation specified on the reverse of the SF-15. Preference will be granted based on the documents received.

Note: If you are a current active duty military member who does not have a DD-214 and are claiming preference under the Veterans Opportunity to Work (VOW) Act, you must submit certification from the Armed Forces indicating that you will be discharged or released under honorable conditions from active duty within 120 days of the date on the certification. Certifications must be on letterhead from the appropriate military branch and include the following information: military dates of service and expected discharge or release date, the character of service, military rank, type of discharge, and date when terminal leave will begin. Certifications must be signed by or under the direction of military members' military personnel offices, unit commanders, or higher headquarters.

For more information visit the Vet Guide.

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 provide a complete Application Package which includes:

Your Resume
Transcript(s) and other educational documentation
Additional Required Documents, if applicable (see Required Documents section)

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on the cut-off date or the announcement closing date to receive consideration. The application process is as follows:

To begin the application process, click the Apply Online button.
Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation.
Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59PM (ET) on the cut-off date or announcement closing date.

You may update your application, including supporting documentation, at any time during the announcement open period by returning to your USAJOBS account. There you will find a record of your application, the application status, and an option to Update Application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed.

To verify the status of your application both during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account. On the Home page, scroll down and locate your job application. Once the job has been located, click the "Track this application" link on the right under the application date. The page will refresh to display the Agency's Application Information page where you can scroll down and review any notifications the agency has sent you. 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/.

If you use assistive software or an adaptive device, or you are experiencing some other type of technical difficulty and/or otherwise require assistance with the application process, please contact Careers at SSA at Careers@ssa.gov or 000-000-0000.

Individuals with disabilities may also call us via Federal Relay using the (voice) contact telephone provided.

Due to our security procedures, our office will not accept any applications submitted via email or standard mail. The email address is listed only for inquiries about the position or the How to Apply process.

Agency contact information

Careers at SSA

Phone: 000-000-0000
Email: Careers@ssa.gov

Address: Finance and Management
6401 Security Blvd.
Woodlawn, MD 21235
US

Next steps

Once you have successfully submitted your application materials, you can expect to receive a least two or more of the following email notifications concerning your application status: (1) Receipt of application; (2) Qualifications status and whether your application has been Referred/Not Referred to the selecting official; and (3) Selection status for the position.

Selection interviews may be conducted with one or more of the candidates, but there is no requirement that interviews be conducted. The hiring office will contact candidates directly for interviews. Interviews may be conducted via video conferencing software, if technically feasible. Applicants referred for consideration will receive a final disposition notice after selections have been made.

Project Manager (Recent Graduates) Job in Woodlawn, MD