Student Cooperative - Office of Audit - Retail, Sales, Network Ops, Strategic, and Audit Services Job

Vacancy No. EX-25-12787838-JD Department Office of the Inspector General, USPS
Salary $21.61 to $26.72 Grade 5 to 5
Perm/Temp Temporary FT/PT Part-time
Open Date 9/4/2025 Close Date 9/26/2025
Job Link Apply Online Who may apply Status Candidates
Locations:
Denver, COCarol Stream, ILWoburn, MABethesda, MD


Summary

Are you currently enrolled in a college or graduate program and seeking a valuable opportunity while you study?

The Office of Audit within the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General is looking for passionate and driven students for our Student Cooperative program. These opportunities will support multiple directorates in:

  • Arlington, VA
  • Bethesda, MD
  • Carol Stream, IL
  • Denver, CO
  • Woburn, MA

Bring your skills and voice to our team!

This job is open to

Clarification from the agency

Open to U.S. Citizens who are students currently enrolled full or part-time in an accredited college or university program, classified or academically ranked by semester hours as a Sophomore, Junior, Senior or Graduate student with a graduation date no sooner than May 2026.

Duties

About the Office of Audit
The USPS OIG' s Office of Audit conducts and supervises objective, independent audits and reviews of U.S. Postal Service and Postal Regulatory Commission programs and operations to:

  • Prevent and detect fraud, waste, and misconduct;
  • Promote economy, efficiency,effectiveness, and program integrity;
  • Keep the Board of Governors, Congress, Postal Regulatory Commission, and Postal Service management informed of problems, deficiencies, and corresponding corrective actions;
  • Foster transparency through timely and well-messaged reports to a myriad of stakeholders.
  • Learn more about our audit process here.
The Network Operations Directorate audits the Postal Service's processing, transportation, and delivery operations.

The Retail & Infrastructure Directorate audits the Postal Service's retail network and operations, including accepting mail and packages and providing counter service at Post Offices. It also assesses the Postal Service's infrastructure, including the strategic planning, acquisition, management of its facilities, transportation logistics, and vehicle fleet.

The Sales, Marketing & International Directorate audits data collection systems, operations, and services related to sales and customer relations, marketing, product innovation, global business, mail entry and payment technology, and corporate communications. It also assesses international mail management and operations.

The Strategic Initiatives & Performance Directorate audits high-impact operations, focusing on peak performance periods, election mail processing, and oversight of the Postal Regulatory Commission.

The Audit Services Directorate provides guidance and support to the Office of Audit, including budgeting, contracting, audit policies, quality assurance, data analysis, statistical sampling, audit reporting, training, strategic planning, project administration, and coordination with other OIG components.

About the Student Cooperative Position
The student cooperative will gain valuable experience by contributing to audits and projects. A student cooperative:
  • Performs specialized administrative duties with continuing responsibility for projects, questions, or problems related to a review/project. Each assignment typically consists of a series of related actions or decisions prior to final completion.
  • Addresses a wide variety of problems or situations common to the segment of the program or function to which the employee is assigned. Decisions or recommendations are based on the development and evaluation of information that comes from various sources.
  • Identifies and studies factors or conditions and determines their interrelationships as appropriate to the defined area of work.
  • Takes or recommends actions that are consistent with the objectives and requirements of the program or functions.
  • Recognizes the dimensions of the problems involved, collects the necessary information, establishes the facts, and takes or recommends action based upon application or interpretation of established guidelines.
  • Provides applicable oral and written support for briefings and other related products.
  • Adapts and interacts well in situations that involve diverse team and work dynamics.

Please note that the duties and responsibilities associated with these positions may vary based upon the area of assignment. The preceding description of major duties and responsibilities is only intended to give applicants a general overview of the expectations.

Compensation
These positions are being advertised at the Administrative Band level, equivalent to a GS-05. The hourly pay range for these positions is $21.61/hour to $26.72/hour. Authorized locality is included in this range for all geographic area locations. Learn more about locality specifics by visiting: OPM's General Schedule (GS).

The following are the base hourly pay rates for students, categorized by year of study:
  • Sophomore studentsearn $16.56 per hour, plus additional locality pay.
  • Junior and Senior students earn $17.60 per hour, plus additional locality pay.
  • Graduate or Law students earn $19.95 per hour, plus additional locality pay.

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • Must be a U.S. Citizen.
  • Must be able to pass a drug screening.
  • Must be able to pass a background investigation.
  • Must be able to obtain and maintain a Moderate Background Investigation (MBI) clearance.
  • Must be able to work a minimum of 10 hours per week.
  • May require some travel.

Qualifications

Candidates will be evaluated on the skills that they possess that are directly related to the duties of the position and/or the experience, education and training that indicate the applicant's ability to acquire the particular knowledge and skills needed to perform the duties of the position. Only those candidates who meet all qualification and eligibility requirements and who submit the required information by 11:59 PM EST on 09/26/2025 will be considered.

Position Minimum Requirements
You must meet all minimum requirements listed below.
  • Degree/Major Requirement: Students must be currently enrolled in an auditing, accounting, or related field (see below list of related degrees) full or half-time in an accredited college or university program, classified or academically ranked by semester hours as a Sophomore, Junior, Senior or Graduate student graduating no sooner than May 2026 (must submit transcripts stating current enrollment status, GPA, and in good standing.)
  • GPA Requirement: Must be in academic good standing as defined by the college or university, earning at least a 2.75 GPA on a 4.0 GPA scale.
  • Work Location Requirement: Students must report in person to the USPS OIG duty station to which they are assigned.
    • During the academic semester: 10-30 hours per week
    • During school breaks: Up to 40 hours per week (with management approval)
  • Systems Experience: Must have experience with computer software applications such as Microsoft Office, Office365, Word, Excel, etc.

Auditor (0511) Related and Accepted Degrees:
  • Business Related, including but not limited to:
    • Auditing, Accounting, Business Administration, Economics, Finance, International Business, Management, Marketing, Organizational Behavior/Psychology, etc.
  • Government Related, including but not limited to:
    • Criminal Justice, Political Science, Public Administration, Public Policy, Law, Public Relations/Communications, etc.
  • Technically Related, including but not limited to:
    • Engineering, Cybersecurity, Human Resources, Information Technology, Journalism/Investigative Reporting, Logistics, Supply Chain Management, etc.

Desired Qualifications
  • Advanced Degree.
  • Interest in obtaining professional certifications, such as Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) and Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA).
  • Experience with using techniques from a range of disciplines, including computer programming, mathematics, and statistics, to draw conclusions from data to describe, predict, and improve performance. Use of software such as ACL, R, SAS, SPSS, and Power BI is a plus.

Evaluation Factors
  1. A structured Interview will be conducted for the top rated applicants to validate your experience meets the critical competencies at the minimum proficiency level:
    • Collaboration and Teamwork - Experience working with others to build constructive and collaborative working relationships in order to solve problems and achieve common goals, working respectfully and effectively with others in a team or project-based setting
    • Communication - Experience communicating orally and in writing sufficient to convey information in a clear, concise manner appropriate for the targeted audience, using the appropriate methodology (e.g., speaking, email, documentation, reports, and presentations), and active listening skills.
    • Technology/Software Fluency - Experience using word processing, spreadsheet/data analysis and presentation development software applications such as Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint while preparing briefings, reports and presentations.
    • Analysis/Critical Thinking - Knowledge or experience using routine data collection and diagnostic tools, techniques, and procedures sufficient to clarify a situation, identify needed information (e.g., resources, materials, knowledge from others), collect and document information in an organized manner, and to prepare standardized reports summarizing information.
    • Accuracy/Attention to Detail - Experience reviewing information and materials sufficient to ensure completeness and accuracy of one's own work and to ensure standard operating procedures are followed correctly.
    • Stress Tolerance/Resiliency - Experience performing effectively when faced with time pressure, adversity, disappointment or opposition

Education

Education must be accredited by an institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Applicants can verify accreditation here: https://www.ed.gov/laws-and-policy/higher-education-laws-and-policy/college-accreditation.

Special Instructions for Candidates with Foreign Education:
Education completed outside the United States must be deemed equivalent to that gained in U.S. education programs. You must submit all necessary documents to a private U.S. credential evaluation service to interpret equivalency of your education against courses given in U.S. accredited colleges and universities.
For further information visit: https://www.ed.gov/about/initiatives/international-affairs.

Additional information

Student Cooperatives are not eligible for USPS OIG Employee Benefits.

Reasonable AccommodationsThis agency provides Reasonable Accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you require accommodations for any part of the application and/or hiring process, please send an email to jobs@uspsoig.gov. The decision on granting an accommodation request will be made on a case-by-case basis.

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.

How You Will Be Evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

You will be assessed on how well you meet the qualifications and competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics) on this announcement.

The Human Resources Office will review your resume and supporting application documentation to ensure that you meet the eligibility required for this position. You will no longer be considered for this position if you:

  1. Fail to attach all required documentation;
  2. If your application materials indicate that you are not minimally qualified for this position (Resume and Transcripts);
  3. Receive a zero (0) rating on any Evaluation Factor; or
  4. If you fail to qualify on the interview.
Only the top-rated candidates will be referred to a review official or the selecting official for further consideration. Top-rated applicants may be required to participate in an interview. Your rating may be further adjusted or rated as ineligible by the review official or the selecting official based on your interview performance. Once all applicant scores are finalized, the selecting official will make a final decision.

Applicants for this position may be interviewed one or more times as part of the hiring process. During interviews, applicants may not use any AI tool or virtual assistant (such as ChatGPT) to help them answer questions, except for accessibility tools used as part of a reasonable accommodation. Applicants who fail to follow these rules will be disqualified from the hiring process.

Required Documents

You must submit all required documents by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date of this announcement, Vacancy Announcement 12787838, by closing date 09/26/2025.

  1. Resume - Required. When completing your online application or uploading your resume, you must categorize it as a "Resume" document). IMPORTANT: You will be asked questions in the self-assessment questionnaire. It is essential that your resume and supporting documentation provide sufficient information to substantiate your responses to the self-assessment questionnaire.
  2. Completed Occupational Questionnaire - Required. Click the "Apply Online" button and follow the prompts to complete the Occupational Questionnaire. (Required: You must click on "Submit My Answers" button at the end of the Questionnaire to complete this process)
  3. Transcripts - Required. From an accredited college or university. The information presented in the transcript must be verifiable and should contain the name of the institution, applicant's name, list of completed courses, semester hours, GPA, date and type of Bachelor's Degree issued. Education completed outside the United States must be deemed equivalent to that gained in conventional/accredited U.S. education programs to be acceptable for Federal employment. Attach document verifying that it has been deemed equivalent. For further information visit: https://www.ed.gov/about/initiatives/international-affairs (Required: Upload and save as "Transcript" document.)
  4. Upload Supporting Documentation - Optional. Which may include:
    • Certificates or Licenses, if applicable. Upload and save as "Other" document.
    • Veterans Preference Documentation. If you are claiming veterans preference you must submit the Member 4 copy of your DD-214 Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, and/or other proof of veterans preference eligibility including your VA letter, form SF-15 (https://www.opm.gov/forms/standard-forms/) and all required documents related to your SF-15 claim. Veterans can request the Member 4 copy of their DD-214 at https://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records, and can download a copy of their VA letter from https://www.ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits/homepage. (If applicable to you, you are required to upload each veterans' preference document and categorize as "DD-214" or "SF-15" or "Other Veterans Document")

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. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date, 09/26/2025, to receive consideration.

  • To begin, click Apply Online to access an online application. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents.
  • You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account or you may need to create a new account. You will be taken to an online application. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation, and submit the application.
  • You will receive an email notification when your application has been received for the announcement.
  • To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account: https://secure.login.gov/, select the Application Status link, and then select the More Information link for this position. The Application Status page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and your responses submitted to the online application.
  • Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process.
  • You are strongly urged to read and print the entire vacancy announcement.

Agency contact information

Vacancy Inquiries
Address
OA - Office of Audit
1735 N. Lynn Street
Arlington, VA 22209
US

Next steps

Once the Occupational Questionnaire has been received you will receive an acknowledgement email that your submission was successful. After a review of your application package has been completed, you will be notified of your rating and/or referral to the Selecting Official.

Your application may also be made available for other student cooperative positions in the USPS OIG.

Additional Locations

  • Arlington, VA


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


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