This position is located in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), Physical Sciences Laboratory (PSL) with one vacancy in Boulder, CO.Qualifications: Eligibility Requirements
In order to be eligible for an appointment under the Pathways Internship Program:
- You must be a student accepted for enrollment or enrolled in a degree or certificate program on a full- or half-time basis as defined by the school (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); AND
- Enrollment is with a qualifying educational institution such as a high school or state-approved homeschool; or accredited technical or vocational school; a 2- or 4-year college or university; a graduate or professional school (e.g., law school, medical school); or a post-secondary home school curriculum; AND
- Students currently enrolled must be in good academic standing maintaining a 2.0 grade point average on a cumulative basis; AND
- The duties of this position should be related to your academic or career goals.
- You must continue to meet these eligibility requirements throughout the duration of your appointment under the Pathways Internship Program.
Qualification Requirements
Qualification requirements in the vacancy announcements are based on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards Handbook, which contains federal qualification standards. This handbook is available on the Office of Personnel Management's website located at: https://www.opm.gov/policy.
To qualify at the ZP-2 or GS-07 level:
EDUCATION:
A. One full year of graduate level education.
or
B. SUPERIOR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT: As demonstrated by a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with one of the following. NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your application clearly states how you meet the provision below:
- A grade point average (GPA) of 2.9 or higher based on a 4.0 scale for all completed undergraduate courses, or those completed in the last 2 full years of undergraduate study;
- A GPA of 3.5 or higher based on a 4.0 scale for required courses completed in a major field of study, or those courses completed in a major field of study during the last two years of undergraduate study;
- Class standing of upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision of the college;
- Membership in a national Scholastic Honor Society certified by the Association of College honor Societies, excluding freshman honor societies.
-OR-
EXPERIENCE:
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Applicants must possess one year of specialized experience equivalent in difficulty and responsibility to the next lower grade level in the Federal Service. Specialized experience is experience that has equipped the applicant with the particular competencies/knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties of the position. This experience need not have been in the federal government. 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.
Experience must be IT related; the experience may be demonstrated by paid or unpaid experience and/or completion of specific, intensive training (for example, IT certification), as appropriate.
Applicants must have IT-related experience demonstrating each of the following four competencies:
- Attention to Detail - Is thorough when performing work and conscientious about attending to detail.
- Customer Service - Works with clients and customers (that is, any individuals who use or receive the services or products that your work unit produces, including the general public, individuals who work in the agency, other agencies, or organizations outside the Government) to assess their needs, provide information or assistance, resolve their problems, or satisfy their expectations; knows about available products and services; is committed to providing quality products and services.
- Oral Communication - Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.
- Problem Solving - Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations.
SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: In addition to meeting the IT Competencies above, applicants must possess one full year (52 weeks) of specialized experience equivalent to the ZP-1 or GS-05 in the Federal service. Specialized experience MUST include all of the following:
- Assisting with Information Technology systems (IT) testing and implementation; and
- Assisting with troubleshooting of IT issues.
Definition of Student: Student is defined as an individual accepted for enrollment or enrolled and seeking a degree (diploma, or certificate) in a qualifying academic institution, on a half or full-time basis. Half-time is defined by the educational institution in which the student is enrolled. Students do not have to be in actual physical attendance in school, online curriculums are acceptable as long as the school is accredited by the Department of Education.
Proof of Enrollment: NOAA will use applicant's transcript as proof of enrollment in the identified college/university provided it demonstrates definition of eligible student. A letter from an educational institution indicating acceptance may be used as proof of enrollment for those students who are continuing studies at a new college or university or for those student whose transcripts do not reflect in-progress courses. An official transcript will be required before you can report to duty.
- Education completed in colleges or universities outside the United States may be used to meet the above requirements. You must provide acceptable documentation that the foreign education is comparable to that received in an accredited educational institution in the United States. For more information on how foreign education is evaluated, visit: OPM Foreign Education Evaluation