Job summary

The PALACE Acquire Program offers you a permanent position upon completion of your formal training plan. As a Palace Acquire Intern you will experience both personal and professional growth while dealing effectively and ethically with change, complexity, and problem solving. The program offers a 3-year formal training plan with yearly salary increases. Promotions and salary increases are based upon your successful performance and supervisory approval.

Major duties

Performs developmental assignments in support of projects assigned to higher level analyst. Performs minor phases of a larger assignment or work of moderate difficulty where procedures are established, and a number of specific guidelines exist. Applies the various steps of accepted psychology procedures to search for information. Performs general operations and assignments for portions of a project or study consisting of a series of interrelated tasks or problems. The employee applies judgment in the independent application of methods and techniques previously learned. Assist higher graded Psychologist in finding solutions to problems requiring a variety of sources and utilizes suggested work methods, practices, or procedures to work unfamiliar tasks. Participates in the special initiatives, studies, and projects. Performs special research tasks designed to utilize and enhance knowledge of work processes and techniques. Assists in preparing reports and briefings outlining study findings and recommendations. Prepares correspondence and other documentation. Drafts or prepares a variety of documents to include newsletter items, responses to routine inquiries, reports, letters, and other related documents.

Qualification

In order to qualify, you must meet the basic requirement and specialized experience requirements described in the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Standards for General Schedule Positions, Professional and Scientific Positions. Individual Occupational Requirements Basic Requirements Degree: major or equivalent in psychology for all specializations except clinical psychology and counseling psychology. These two specializations have additional educational requirements, as stated below: Clinical psychology: For positions at grades GS-11 and above, satisfactory completion of all the requirements for the doctoral degree (Ph.D. or equivalent) directly related to full professional work in clinical psychology is required. Counseling psychology: For positions at grades GS-9 and above, satisfactory completion of 2 full academic years of graduate study directly related to professional work in counseling psychology, or satisfactory completion in an accredited educational institution of all the requirements for a master's degree directly related to counseling psychology is required. SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: 1. GS-7: You must have completed a 4 year course of study leading to a bachelor's from an accredited institution AND must have documented Superior Academic Achievement (SAA) or one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least a GS-05 at the undergraduate level in one of the following: 2. GS-9: You must have completed 2 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree or one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least a GS-07 at the graduate level in one of the following: a) Class Standing - upper third of the graduating class based on completed courses in the college, university, or major subdivision; b) Grade Point Average - 2.95 or higher out of a possible 4.0 as recorded on your official transcript or as computed based on 4 years of education or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of curriculum; OR 3.45 or higher out of a possible 4.0 based on the average of the required courses completed in your major field or the required courses in your major field completed during the final 2 years of your curriculum. If more than 10 percent of total undergraduate credit hours are non-graded, i.e. pass/fail, CLEP, CCAF, DANTES, military credit, etc, you cannot qualify based on GPA; c) Election to membership in a national scholastic honor society (note: freshman honor society cannot be used to meet the requirements of this position). (If qualifying based on class standing or honor society membership, provide appropriate documentation). OR 2. You have one full year (18 semester hours or the equivalent) of graduate level study, or possess a master's or higher degree, e.g., LL.B., J.D., LL.M., Ph.D., in a field that provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities to do the work of this position. Such fields include business administration, industrial management, industrial engineering, industrial psychology, public administration, political science, or government.(Submit copy of transcripts). OR 3. You have at least one year (12 months) of specialized experience, that provided knowledge of to perform successfully the duties of the position. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower qualifying pay band or equivalent grade under the General Schedule (GS) or other pay systems. Equivalent experience may be at the level of the lowest GS grade covered by the applicable pay band; however, the experience must demonstrate KSA's to successfully perform the duties of the position being filled. OR 4. You must have a combination of graduate education as described above and the type of specialized experience as described above, which when combined would equate to 100%. (To compute, first determine your total qualifying graduate level education as a percentage of the graduate education required; then determine your total qualifying experience as a percentage of experience described above; add the two percentages. The total percentage must equal to at least 100 %.) (Submit a copy of your transcript.) 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: 1. Professional knowledge of the principles, concepts, and theories of Psychology, and the standard practices, methods, and techniques of the occupation sufficient to perform difficult, but well-precedented assignments. 2. Knowledge of analysis, evaluation, fact-finding, and investigative techniques in order to gather data, identify significant factors and recommend a solution from a number of possible alternatives. 3. Knowledge of Psychology to perform studies and prepare reports, documentation, and correspondence to communicate factual and procedural information clearly. 4. Skill in applying the principles, concepts, and practices of the occupation sufficient to perform moderately difficult assignments. 5. Ability to communicate clearly, concisely, and with technical accuracy, both orally and in writing, as well as work in a professional manner with peers and management. 6. Ability to learn and apply analytical investigative techniques to accomplish work i the subject-matter field. PART-TIME OR UNPAID EXPERIENCE: Credit will be given for appropriate unpaid and or part-time work. You must clearly identify the duties and responsibilities in each position held and the total number of hours per week. VOLUNTEER WORK EXPERIENCE: Refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service Programs (i.e., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student and social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge and skills that can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Education

This position has an education requirement. You MUST provide transcripts to support your educational claims. Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. http://www2.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html Please submit copies of all Transcripts to include Transferred hours - Official copies are not required at time of application. If selected, you will be required to provide official copies of all Transcripts. ***NOTE***Degree Audits are not accepted. If you qualify based on undergraduate education and you have not graduated prior to applying to this position. You may be offered a position contingent upon your final grade point average or class ranking. IF USING EDUCATION TO QUALIFY: You MUST provide transcripts to support your educational claims. Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. FOREIGN EDUCATION: Education completed in foreign colleges or universities may be used to meet the requirements. You must show proof the education credentials have been deemed to be at least equivalent to that gained in conventional U.S. education program. It is your responsibility to provide such evidence when applying.

Evaluations

For DHA Positions: These positions are being filled under Direct-Hire Authority for the DoD for Post-Secondary Students and Recent Graduates. The Secretary of the Air Force has delegated authority by the Office of the Secretary of Defense to directly appoint qualified students and recent graduates directly into competitive service positions; positions may be professional or administrative occupations and located Air Force-Wide. Positions may be filled as permanent/term with a full-time/part-time work schedule. Pay will vary by geographic location. *** The term "Current post-secondary student" means a person who is currently enrolled and in good academic standing at a full-time program at an institution of higher education; and is progressing toward a baccalaureate or graduate degree; and has completed at least 1 year of the program. *** The term "recent graduate" means a person awarded a degree by an institution of higher education not more than 2 years before the date of the appointment of such person, except in the case of a person who has completed a period of obligated service in a uniform service of more than 4 years. Your latest resume will be used to determine your qualifications. Your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine your eligibility, qualifications, and quality ranking for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment. Your responses to the questionnaire may be compared to the documents you submit. The documents you submit must support your responses to the online questionnaire. If your application contradicts or does not support your questionnaire responses, you will receive a rating of "not qualified" or "insufficient information" and you will not receive further consideration for this job. Applicants who disqualify themselves will not be evaluated further.