Summary
Are you a college or graduate student interested in working for a fun, fast-paced team where you can make an impact?
The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS OIG) has an opportunity for you! The USPS OIG is seeking students enrolled in college/university programs to fill our Student Cooperative - (Paid) position in the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) located in Arlington, VA. Bring your skills and voice to our team!
This job is open to
Students
Current students enrolled in an accredited high school, college or graduate institution.
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.
Duties
An OCIO Student Co-op role is a fantastic opportunity for students to gain hands-on experience in software quality assurance, development lifecycles, and IT operations. Working closely with developers, test managers, and multiple teams in the CIO, the Co-op will participate in the systematic testing and evaluation of software solutions to ensure performance meets agency standards and customer requirements.
This role provides direct exposure to enterprise-level software development, tasking the student with translating business needs into technical test cases, executing those tests against new software deployments, and documenting and presenting test results to developers and management, directly contributing to successful software deployment. The successful candidate will assist in identifying system defects, collaborating with developers to troubleshoot issues, and working with management to ensure that delivered software is error-free and fit-for-purpose.
The selected candidate has the potential to transition into other technical roles as their abilities are successfully demonstrated over time. Including but not limited to a quality engineering, software development, database administration, or Azure development.
The successful Student Cooperative is eligible for continuous employment throughout the year, while enrolled in school.
Candidates will be evaluated on the skills that they possess that are directly related to the duties of the position and 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 03/11/2026 will be considered.
The USPS OIG uses a Pay Banding system, which is equivalent to the Federal GS scale. Grade and salary determinations will be made based upon a candidate's education and professional experience.
This position is being advertised at the Administrative Band level. The base salary range for this position is $16.73 - $20.15/hour. Locality Pay is authorized.
Sophomore $22.41 per hour includes locality pay
Junior/Senior $23.81 per hour includes locality pay
Graduate or Law Student $26.99 per hour includes locality pay
Student Cooperatives are not eligible for USPS OIG Employee Benefits.
Please note that the duties and responsibilities associated with this position may vary based upon the area of assignment. The following description of major duties and responsibilities is only intended to give applicants a general overview of the expectations. The student cooperative performs specialized duties with continuing responsibility for projects, questions, or issues that arise in the area of assignment/curriculum. Each assignment typically consists of a series of related actions or decisions prior to final completion.
- Assist with the quality assurance lifecycle by identifying potential risks and ensuring code stability before agency-wide releases.
- Assist in executing systematic software testing by performing functional, regression, and usability testing.
- Leverage automated testing platforms to streamline the bug-reporting process and support continuous integration initiatives.
- Assist in verifying that software applications correctly connect to and retrieve data from internal sources, ensuring systems perform tasks accurately and autonomously.
- Participate in meetings with developers, test managers, and stakeholders to help translate complex business needs into clear, actionable technical requirements and test cases.
- Assist in creating comprehensive test plans, bug reports, and user-facing guides to simplify technical software updates for end-user groups.
- Assist in optimizing development operations by identifying bottlenecks in the testing process and researching emerging industry trends in software quality assurance.
- Research automation test tools and development tools that will enhance the quality and speed of our software releases.
Requirements
Conditions of employment
- Must be a U.S. Citizen.
- Must be able to pass a drug screening.
- 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 (while school is in session students can work up to 30 hours per week, and while school is not in session students can work up to 40 hours per week.
Qualifications
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
You must meet ALL of the minimum requirements.
- Students must be currently enrolled full or half-time in an accredited college or university. (MUST SUBMIT TRANSCRIPT STATING CURRENT ENROLLMENT STATUS, GPA AND IN GOOD STANDING - an unofficial transcript from the university is acceptable. May be required to produce an official transcript prior to receipt of a formal offer.)
AND
- Must be in academic good standing as defined by the accredited college or university, earning at least a 2.75 GPA on a 4.0 GPA scale.
AND
- Must be currently pursuing a degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, Business, or a related field.
AND
- Must be able to report to work year-round in the USPS OIG office. (Minimum one-year commitment)
DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS
- Knowledge or experience testing types such as unit, functional, regression, and user acceptance testing (UAT).
- Experience working within Azure PaaS.
- Experience using Azure DevOps or similar platforms to document test cases and track software defects through the resolution process.
- Exposure to software environments and the ability to read technical documentation to collaborate effectively with developers on system improvements.
- Working knowledge of web development including Single Page Application (SPA) design.
- Working knowledge of object-oriented programming.
- Working knowledge of JavaScript, JSON, or HTML.
- Working knowledge of .NET.
- Experience with Microsoft SQL server and writing T-SQL or similar.
- Experience with AI tools and technologies.
- Knowledge of Microsoft 365 services, including Teams, OneDrive, and Azure.
- Familiarity with IT governance, cybersecurity, and cloud computing is a plus.
EVALUATION FACTORS
Failure to demonstrate that you meet all of the evaluation factor requirements as listed below will result in a score of zero (0); an ineligible status, and you will not be referred for further consideration. Include your major accomplishments relevant to the evaluation factors in your resume.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Excellent communication and teamwork abilities.
- Ability to work independently and manage multiple tasks.
- Ability to work effectively within a team and assist in developing actionable technical solutions.
- Demonstrated written and oral communications skills.
- Experience using Microsoft Office programs, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
- Knowledge of modern development lifecycles (e.g., SDLC, Agile) and bug-tracking workflows and an aptitude for learning software testing principles.
We're looking for a year-round, paid student cooperative. We want a team player who enjoys learning and able to work in our Arlington VA, headquarters office. We are looking for a high-energy student who is comfortable alternating between working independently and as part of a team
Additional information
Student Cooperatives are not eligible for USPS OIG Employee Benefits.
This 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.
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 Human Resources Office will review your resume and supporting documentation to ensure that you meet the minimum qualifications required for this position.
You will no longer be considered for this position if you:
- Receive a zero (0) rating on any evaluation factor
- Fail to attach all required documentation
- Submit a resume that exceeds the two-page limit
- If your application materials indicate that you are not minimally-qualified for this position
- 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. NOTE: If you receive a zero (0) rating on any evaluation factor or on the interview, you will be considered NOT MINIMALLY QUALIFIED for the position and rated ineligible.
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 EX-26-29A-12890486-PC, by closing date 03/11/2026.
1. RESUME - IMPORTANT UPDATE: Your resume must not exceed two (2) pages. You will no longer be considered for this announcement if your resume exceeds the two-page limit. It is essential that your resume and supporting documentation provide sufficient information to substantiate your qualifications for the announced position (categorize as "Resume"). Additional guidance on writing a federal resume can be found at: USAJOBS Help Center - How do I write a resume for a federal job?
Make sure your page margins are 0.5 inches. The recommended font styles are Sans-Serif, Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open Sans, Source Sans Pro, Roboto or Noto Sans. Consider using 14-point size font for titles and 10-point for the main text in your resume. Your resume must be 5MB or less. We recommend saving and uploading your resume as a PDF to maintain formatting and number of pages. The resume builder can help you create a resume using these recommendations and uses the information in your USAJOBS profile to help you get started.
2. COMPLETE OCCUPATIONAL QUESTIONNAIRE. 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 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:
http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.
(Required: Upload and save as
"Transcript" document.)
4. UPLOAD SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS which may include:
- Certificates or Licenses, if applicable. Upload and save as "Certificates or Licenses" 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 (www.opm.gov/forms) and all required documents related to your SF-15 claim. Veterans can request the Member 4 copy of their DD-214 at http://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records, and can download a copy of their VA letter from https://www.ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits-portal/ebenefits.portal. (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")
- Reasonable Accommodation Documentation. If you are requesting a reasonable accommodation to the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, submit documentation to support your request, including the Reasonable Accommodation Request Form found at http://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire .
- SF-50 if you are or have been a Federal employee to demonstrate tenure and competitive/excepted service for eligibility purposes. (If applicable to you, you are Required to upload each applicable SF-50 and categorize as a "SF-50" 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.
IMPORTANT UPDATE: Your resume must not exceed two (2) pages. You will no longer be considered for this announcement if your resume exceeds the two-page limit.
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date, 03/11/2026, 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://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, 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.
Next steps
Once the Occupational Questionnaire has been received you will receive an acknowledgement e-mail 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.