Clarification from the agency

MERIT PROMOTION (MP) VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT - Students who are current Federal employees, Former Federal employees with reinstatement eligibility; CTAP/ICTAP eligibles; Veterans with VOW, VEOA, or 30% disability; Military Spouses. Those eligible under an OPM interchange agreement. All applicants must be currently enrolled or accepted at least half-time in a qualifying educational institution. Students must be enrolled for Fall semester 2026.

The EPA OIG is seeking seeking student interns under the Pathways Student Trainee Program. Internships are provided for students with a desire to work in the Office of the Inspector General and assignments are designed to complement the interns educational pursuits while meeting the expressed needs of the agency. Positions are available in the following offices located in:

1. Atlanta, GA
2. Boston, MA;
3. Chicago, IL
4. Cincinnati, OH;
5. Dallas, TX
6. Durham, NC (Research Triangle Park)
7. New York, NY
8. Seattle, WA

Responsibilities
Ideal candidates for these internships are individuals pursuing a undergraduate or graduate degree program in auditing, economics, public administration, public policy, public health, environmental studies, environmental policy, political science, or related areas.

As a developmental or trainee auditor duties include: 

• Participating in the design and development of a comprehensive approach to answer significant questions involving routine programs.
• Conducting routine assignments and assists with segments of more moderately complex assignments of various programs.
• Identifying areas where significant improvements in economy, efficiency, and effectiveness can be made in Agency statutes, regulations, guidance, policies, procedures, or practices

Candidates will be considered on the basis of the applicability of their education to specific EPA OIG assignments.

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. citizen.
• Background Investigation Required.
• Position has education requirements--see Qualifications/Education section.
• You must submit transcripts & proof of enrollment--see Required Documents.

Conditions of Employment

• U.S. Citizenship Required. 
• Background Investigation Required.
• Position has portable work and the selectee may be eligible to telework.

This is a Public Trust Position. Employment in this position requires a background investigation. Unless an appropriate background investigation is already on record with the Office of Personnel Management, you must undergo a background investigation. If you are selected and cannot obtain a favorable security determination within a reasonable period of time due to disclosed or undisclosed background issues, the tentative employment offer may be withdrawn. All conditions of the pre-employment security process must be met before an official letter of employment can be issued with a report for duty date.

If you are a male 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.     

Selectees will be required to complete a "Declaration of Federal Employment", (OF-306), prior to appointment and the appropriate background investigation forms to determine suitability for Federal employment. False statements or responses on these forms can jeopardize your employment opportunity and subject you to disciplinary action, including removal from Federal service.

The selectee will be required to complete a Personal Identity Verification (PIV) process that requires two forms of identification from the I-9 Form. We will compare information provided on the I-9 Form to records available from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The system confirms employee’s identity and eligibility to work in the United States. Learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities. 

REAL ID requirements became effective on 05/07/25. If you are selected for this position and plan to use your driver’s license or identification card during the onboarding process (i.e., for employment eligibility verification or to obtain your EPA identification card), the document must be a REAL ID-compliant state-issued driver’s license or identification card that includes the REAL ID-compliant star marking, or must be an Enhanced Driver’s License (EDL). You will receive information about alternative acceptable documents (e.g., passport) prior to onboarding. For more information about REAL ID, see Dept. of Homeland Security and REAL ID FAQs.

Qualifications

NOTE:  You must meet qualification requirements by the closing date of this announcement.

To be eligible for an internship opportunity you must meet the following criteria:

1. You must be a current student enrolled at least half time in: 
   • A qualifying educational institution pursuing a degree, or a graduate or professional school (e.g., law school, medical school), or a post-secondary homeschool curriculum that has been accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education)
   • A certificate program means post-secondary education, in a qualifying educational institution, equivalent to at least one academic year of full-time study that is part of an accredited college-level, technical, trade, vocational, or business school curriculum;
   • Students who take online courses are eligible to participate so long as all other requirements are met and the school is accredited by the U.S. Department of Education.
2. You must have a cumulative Grade Point Average of at least a 2.0. 
3. You must be at least 16 years of age.
4. You must be majoring in auditing, economics, public administration, public policy, public health, environmental studies, environmental policy, political science, or related areas.

How you will be evaluated

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

Your package must be complete and submitted in the manner specified in this section. Packages that are submitted in any other manner without prior approval from the agency point of contact will not be considered.

In addition to your resume, the following documents are required for this position: 

If you are a Veteran claiming 5-point Veterans' Preference, you must submit a copy of your DD-214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, or other proof of eligibility. If you are a Veteran claiming 10-point Veterans' Preference, you must submit a SF-15, Application for 10-point
Veterans' Preference, plus the proof required by that form. You can find additional information about Veterans' Preference.

You must submit your college transcripts (unofficial are acceptable).

You must submit proof of enrollment for Spring 2026 or Fall 2026.

All applicants: Your application will be reviewed in three phases to determine how you move forward in the hiring process.

Phase I: Your resume will be reviewed to determine your technical qualifications for this position based on the required specialized experience. ONLY two (2) pages of your resume will be reviewed. Additional information beyond your resume (e.g., cover letter, links embedded in your resume) will not be reviewed.

Phase II: If determined to be eligible, your application will be reviewed and rated based on the competencies listed in the vacancy announcement by a Subject Matter Expert (SME). Your qualifications will be evaluated based on your application materials (e.g., resume, supporting documents). Applicants who do not respond to the application questions may be rated ineligible.

Phase III: If successful in Phase II, you will be invited to participate in a structured interview to be conducted by a SME panel will conduct, who will assign a score for each of the required Competencies listed below, based on your responses to the interview questions.

You will be assessed on the following competencies:

1. Administration and Management
2. Auditing
3. Audit Reporting
4. Performance Measurement

NOTE:

• If you are referred for consideration, you may be subject to additional assessments by the selecting official (e.g., technical writing sample or other work sample, job knowledge test, case scenario analysis, scientific data assessment, structured interview, etc.).
• If you exaggerate or falsify your experience, education, or responses to questions, or if you engage in cheating on any assessment (including using a consultant or an AI tool), your rating may be adjusted, and you may be removed from further employment consideration.
• Applicants who apply under this job opportunity announcement agree to have their application, associated documents and applicable personal information shared with other Offices within the OIG community who have vacancies with the same occupational series, grade, full performance level and in the same geographic location(s). Applying to this announcement does not replace the need to apply to other job opportunity announcements for which you wish to receive consideration.
• You may choose to opt in to have your information shared with other agencies when applying for this position. If an agency requests a copy of a certificate, you are on, you will be notified.

Documents are submitted online:

• NOTE: You should ensure your social security number, date of birth, and any other personal information are redacted.
• Your package must be complete and submitted in the manner specified in this section.
• Packages that are submitted in any other manner without prior approval from the agency’s point of contact will not be considered.

A complete application includes:

• Resume  (maximum 2 pages)
• Resumes that exceed 2 pages will be considered ineligible for further consideration. See How to Apply section for more information.
• Clearly describe experience related to the Duties and Qualification sections.
• Be clear and specific; we will not make assumptions about your experience.
• Utilizes specific dates (MM/DD/YY-MM/DD/YY).

• Dates are used to determine whether you meet the required amount of experience (if applicable).

• Includes:
  • Position titles
  • Start and end dates for each position
  • Average hours worked per week
  • Salary
  • Duties performed for each position
  • If you are a current or former federal employee: position series and grade level/pay band
• See OPM 2-Page Resume Guidancefor information on maximizing the content of your resume.
• See USAJOBS Resume Infofor additional guidance and information about the recommended formatting (e.g., file type, font size/type, margins).
• Responses to the vacancy questions
• All required documents

• • If you do not provide all required information, as specified in this announcement, you may not be considered for this position or may not receive any special consideration for which you may be eligible.

Current or former federal employees, in addition to the items above, include:

• Your most recent copy of SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) showing:
  • Block 24: Tenure 1 (permanent) or 2 (career-conditional)
  • Block 34: Position Occupied – Competitive Service (code 1)
• To be considered under noncompetitive eligibility, your SF-50 must show the highest grade level or promotion potential attained competitively, and that grade must be equivalent to or higher than the grade for which you are applying.
• Indicate the highest permanent grade you have held.
• If this grade is different from your current grade, include a copy of an additional SF-50 showing that grade. 

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.

APPLICANTS CLAIMING VETERANS’ PREFERENCE

To be eligible for veterans’ preference, you must claim preference in your USAJOBS account; you must also submit proof of eligibility as indicated below.

Separated veterans claiming 0-point preference:

DD-214 Member 4 copy (or other copy indicating character of service) or other official document/statement from the Armed Forces showing separation, discharge, or release from active duty; document must show separation is under honorable conditions (Honorable or General Discharge) and that the release or discharge was due to sole survivorship

Separated veterans claiming 5-point preference:

• DD-214 Member 4 copy (or other copy indicating character of service) or other official document/statement from the Armed Forces showing separation, discharge, or release from active duty; document must show separation is under honorable conditions (Honorable or General Discharge)

Separated veterans claiming 10-point preference based on compensable service-connected disability of 10% or more:

• DD-214 Member 4 copy (or other copy indicating character of service); document must show separation is under honorable conditions (Honorable or General Discharge); and
• VA letter stating overall/combined disability rating (percentage); and
• SF-15 (use current version: SF-15 Form)--see page 2 for documents that can be submitted in lieu of the DD-214 and VA letter

Other separated veterans claiming 10-point preference OR spouses, widows/widowers, or mothers claiming 10-point derived preference:

• SF-15 (use current version: SF-15 Form); and
• Other required documentation indicated on the SF-15

Active-duty service members:

• Certification from the Armed Forces (Statement of Service) documenting active duty dates, expected discharge/release date, campaign medals/badges, and character of service (a certification is any written document from the Armed Forces that certifies you are expected to be discharged/released from active duty service in the Armed Forces under honorable conditions (Honorable or General Discharge) within 120 days after you submit the certification)
• You can find additional information about Veterans' Preference at fedshirevets.

 DISPLACED FEDERAL EMPLOYEES WHO ARE ICTAP/CTAP ELIGIBLE

• Most recent performance appraisal
• Proof of eligibility
• Most current SF-50 noting position, grade level, tenure, and duty station

Next steps

Additional locations