Job summary

About the Position: As a Pathways Intern, you will work with a diverse team of talented, committed professionals provide engineering and architectural analysis, designs, and services for the construction, operations, maintenance, and remediation of a wide range of water resource, infrastructure, and military projects to District customers, partners, and stakeholders. Click here for more information on Pathways program participation.

Major duties

Pathways Internship positions provide for development and training. Assignments become more responsible as incumbent increases knowledge and skills through work experience and academic training. At the full-performance level, you will be expected to: Depending on field of study, openings, and individual performance, students could work with different branches within the Engineering and Construction Division, to include Design, Construction, Geotechnical, Technical Services and Hydraulics Branch. Tasks will vary with assignment but upon the completion of the Pathways Program, incumbent will gain experience in some or all the following areas: Compile data for management actions. Research and editing technical report material. Write portions of technical reports. Take measurements or make observations of instrumented conditions and recording Collect and analyze water quality and/or geotechnical properties of the local environment to support ecosystem restoration and navigation improvement projects on the Mississippi River, Illinois Waterway, and surrounding areas. Calibrate and maintain scientific instruments. Perform computations on data collected. Assist in laboratory and field-testing materials.

Qualification

The initial cut-off for consideration is 30 days from the opening date of this announcement. Applications received after this date will be given consideration approximately every 30-45 days thereafter, as management requests, until the position is filled or the vacancy is closed. Applications expire 90 days after submission. Who May Apply: Students who are eligible for participation in the Department of the Army Internship Program Positions are open to current students pursuing a qualifying degree or certificate in an accredited high school, college (including 4-year colleges/universities, community colleges, and junior colleges); professional, technical, vocational, and trade school; advanced degree programs; or other qualifying educational institution on at least a half-time basis (as defined by the institution in which the student is enrolled). Short-term training programs (e.g., several two-week programs completed) are not considered an academic course of study. Internship for current students in good standing at an accredited education. For this internship, you must be able to work full-time during the summer months and may be allowed to work part-time while attending classes when school is in session. Student may be placed into a Leave Without Pay status to attend classes outside of the commuting area and can return to pay status during extended breaks. This intern position is designed to prepare a student trainee for employment after graduation as an Engineering, Natural Resource, or Physical Science series, GS-05/07/09, target grade GS-11. Interns will be assigned tasks designed to increase familiarity with the target occupation in a real world work environment. This opportunity follows a standard promotional path: Internship selection will be made at the GS-03/04/05/07. These grade levels are what typical college students in their Sophomore may qualify. Within 120 days after completion of Internship requirements, you may be eligible for conversion to the entry-level for the target occupation. Entry level for these positions are typically at the GS-05 level. The actual grade level at the time of conversion depends on academic achievement and other factors. The full performance level of this position is Student Trainee (Physical Science) position is GS-07. Progression from the entry-level to the full performance level for this occupation will depend on successful completion of all requirements for promotion. Promotions may be considered after a year at each grade level, but are not guaranteed to occur on a specific time schedule. See requirements for conversion to permanent or term position in the "Additional Information" section below. To qualify for a Pathways Internship as a GS-03, students must have completed one full academic year of post-high school study. To qualify for a Pathways Internship as a GS-04, students must have completed two full academic years of post-high school study or have an associate's degree. To qualify for a Pathways Internship as a GS-05, students must have completed 4 academic years of post-high school leading to a bachelor's degree or equivalent degree. To qualify for a Pathways Internship as a GS-07, students must have completed one full academic year of graduate level education; OR be eligible for Superior Academic Achievement with a bachelor's degree. In order to be creditable under the Superior Academic Achievement provision, it must have been gained in a curriculum that is qualifying for the position to be filled. Superior Academic Achievement is based on: (1) Class Standing - You must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision, such as the College of Liberal Arts or the School of Business Administration, based on completed courses; OR (2) Grade-Point Average (GPA) - You must have a grade-point average of either (a) 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B" or better) 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 the curriculum; or (b) 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 ("B+" or better) based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum; OR (3) Honor Society Membership - You may be considered eligible based on membership in one of the approved national scholastic honor societies listed by the Association of College Honor Societies (https://www.achsnatl.org/). CAUTION FOR STUDENTS IN THEIR FINAL YEAR: Students that are graduating and are not subsequently enrolled in another program might not meet the work-hour requirements prior to graduation and will be at risk for not being able to convert to a career or career-conditional appointment! For qualification purposes, an academic year is computed as follows: At the undergraduate level, successfully completed education that has not led to possession of a degree is credited based on its relationship to 120 semester hours or 180 quarter hours. For example, 30 semester hours or 45 quarter hours is comparable to 1 year of undergraduate education. Four years of progressive study or 120 semester hours meets the degree requirements. Additional credit cannot be given for duplicate course work. For study at a business or technical school, 36 weeks of study (20+ classroom hours per week) is comparable to 1 academic year above high school. An academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 academic year of full-time study. This determination is made based on normal course loads for a full year of study in the graduate program. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours or 27 quarter hours should be considered as satisfying the 1 year of full-time study requirement. Part-time graduate education is creditable in accordance with its relationship to a year of full-time study at the school attended. When academic credit is expressed in contract months, 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 appropriate institution in order to equate them to the semester or quarter hours specified in the standard. NOTE: If your college, vocational, trade, technical or high schools' definition of "academic year" differs from above, you must submit proof of this difference (e.g., copy of course catalog that defines an academic year). Absent this documentation, you will screened for academic qualifications based on the academic hours as defined in the bullets above. You will be evaluated on the basis of your level of competency in the following areas: Communications Physical Sciences

Education

For this internship, you must be a current student majoring in physical, natural science, or engineering degree program. This occupation has specific educational requirements for entry and applicants must show evidence that their planned academic program will meet those requirements (i.e. transcript reflecting enrollment in applicable programs). Students who graduate without meeting those requirements may not be converted to the target position and could be separated from federal service. Basic Educational requirements for conversion to the target position are: General Physical Science Series, 1301 (opm.gov) FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. This is a student internship opportunity. Your transcripts are a required part of your application. Additional information about transcripts is in this document.

Evaluations

Once the announcement has closed, a review of your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. If you are minimally qualified, your resume and supporting documentation will be compared against your responses to the assessment questionnaire to determine your level of experience. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility. You should list any relevant performance appraisals and incentive awards in your resume as that information may be taken into consideration during the selection process. If selected, you may be required to provide supporting documentation. Basis for Rating: Qualified candidates will be assigned to one of two quality categories: Ideal Candidate, and Eligible Candidate. Veteran preference eligibles are listed ahead of non-preference eligibles within each quality category. Ideal: This category will be used for those candidates who meet Sophomore or higher standing in a baccalaureate program, and has declared a major in physical or natural science, or engineering and maintains a 3.0 or higher GPA. Eligible: This category will be used for those candidates who meet the minimum qualifications of the position.