Summary This is a Student Internship position under the Pathways Internship Program. 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. Responsibilities These internships are located in the Acquisitions and Contracts Branch of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Eastern Federal Lands Highway (EFLHD) located in Ashburn, VA. EFLHD provides transportation and engineering services to Federal agencies to include planning, design, construction, and rehabilitation of federally-owned highways and bridges. The Pathways Student Intern (Contracting) will support Contract Specialists in performing the following contracting/procurement activities: Assisting in preparing documents for award of contracts/task orders and contract/task order modifications. Reviewing, reformatting, and editing solicitation statements of work using Word documents and assembling/converting various Word/Excel documents into an Adobe version of the solicitation. Aiding in preparing negotiations and in recording receipt of bids, offers, and other offer data. Responding to vendor and staff inquiries. Tracking progress of solicitations, contracts, and task orders through the solicitation process; updating spreadsheets; and maintaining contract/task order electronic files. The ideal candidates are current students who work well in a team environment, are interested in learning and applying procurement laws, regulations, and policies and performing a variety of procurement tasks, and can work full-time in the office during the summer. 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 16 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 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: You will be required to complete a background/security investigation and meet preliminary requirements prior to onboarding. DECLARATION FOR FEDERAL EMPLOYMENT: Selectee is required to complete a Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306) to determine suitability for federal employment. TRIAL PERIOD: The intern is in a trial period throughout the entire Pathways Internship appointment. GOVERNMENT TRAVEL CARD: A government contractor-issued travel card will be issued and must be retained for official business only. TELEWORK ELIGIBILITY: You may be eligible for occasional and/or regularly scheduled telework however, it is expected that interns be able to work full-time in the office over the summer. The number of telework days approved are 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 Please be sure that you have read and meet the Pathways program requirements under the Requirements section. Then, to further meet the minimum qualifications for this position, review the following grade specific education requirements to determine full eligibility before applying. You must meet the following education requirements for each grade. Be sure to apply only to the grades that you are eligible for and provide the applicable supporting documentation. GS-02: Completion of high school or GED diploma. GS-03: Completion of one (1) academic year of post-high school study. GS-04: Completion of two (2) academic years of post-high school study or associate's degree. GS-05: Completion of four (4) academic years of post-high school study leading to a bachelor’s degree or equivalent degree. GS-07: Completion of one (1) academic year of graduate level education (above a Bachelor's); OR eligibility under the Superior Academic Achievement* provision, as defined in the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Operating Manual for Qualification Standards. *Superior Academic Achievement for GS-07 eligibility option: Completion of a Bachelor's degree and in the upper one-third of graduating class; OR a GPA of 3.0 or higher out of 4.0, as recorded on official transcript, or based on courses completed during final 2 years of curriculum; OR a GPA of 3.5 or higher out of 4.0, based on average of required courses completed in major or required courses in major completed during the final 2 years of curriculum. Academic Year Clarification: At the undergraduate level, 30 semester hours or 45 quarter hours is comparable to 1 year of undergraduate education. When academic credit is expressed in units or other terms that differ from conventional semester or quarter hours, it is the responsibility of the applicant to provide an interpretation of such credits from the institution. At the graduate level (above a Bachelor's degree), one year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours should be considered as satisfying the 1 year of full time study requirement for GS-07. When academic credit is expressed in units or other terms that differ from conventional semester or quarter hours, it is the responsibility of the applicant to provide an interpretation of such credits from the institution. You may use 2024 in-progress semester/quarter hours to qualify for a higher grade level. Qualifications will be determined based on completed and in-progress hours stated on your unofficial transcript submitted at the time of application. To be qualifying, you must successfully complete and receive credit for the courses and provide an updated official transcript before you enter on duty. 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: Oral Communication - Makes clear and convincing oral presentations. Listens effectively; clarifies information as needed. 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. Proposed start date is 4/1/24. Education Refer to the Qualifications section for Mandatory Education Requirements and the Requirements section for information pertaining to the Pathways Internship Program. Additional Information Additional Conditions of Employment: FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE: The Ethics in Government Act of 1978 requires the applicant selected for this position to submit a Confidential Financial Disclosure Report (OGE Form 450) within 30 days of appointment and annually thereafter. Please note that a financial disclosure is not required for the GS-2, GS-3, or GS-4 grades, but it is required for the GS-5 and GS-7 grades. WORK SCHEDULE: Pathways intern hours worked cannot interfere with academic studies. Interns may work either full-time or part-time hours. Excepted Service Appointments - Per the Pathways Internship Program, the appointments may be extended until the selectee's educational program requirements have been completed. And the student intern may be converted, without a break in service to a term (time-limited) or permanent appointment upon graduation, to a position that has a career ladder targeted up to the GS-12, provided they are a US citizen who has worked at least 640 hours in an appropriate program and receive a favorable recommendation from the supervisor for retention. There is no guarantee of a permanent position following this internship. The selectee is on a trial period while on a Pathways Internship appointment. Note that these appointments are Not To Exceed (NTE) 9/30/24 but they may be extended. This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if similar vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.