Student Trainee (Information Technology)

Summary

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) is an independent, nonpartisan agency that works for Congress. We accomplish our mission by providing objective and reliable information and analysis to the Congress, to federal agencies, and to the public, and recommending improvements, when appropriate, on a wide variety of issues to make government work better. This vacancy is for Fall internship positions. The anticipated start dates begin in August 2026.

Duties

• The internship opportunities are available in the Office of Information Systems and Technology Services (ISTS) and may be within the; Digital and Cloud Division (DCD); Chief of Staff (COS), or the Publishing & Web Division (PWD). The internships involve working closely with stakeholders, including management, agency executives, and subject matter experts (SME), to develop an overview of the agency's strategy, information, processes, and IT assets. Team members lead strategic technological planning to achieve business goals by prioritizing technology initiatives in collaboration with other teams and coordinating the evaluation, deployment, and management of current and future technologies. Specific duties include: Support IT investment analysis and decision making in support of business priorities. Obtain an understanding of the GAO IT governance process to capture changes to the technology architecture. Perform duties associated with technology data analysis, maintenance, and publication of roadmaps. Solicit and collaborate with stakeholders for updates to the strategic initiatives sequencing plan. Capture, analyze, and report quantitative measures. Attend and collaborate in Enterprise Architecture meetings. Execute self-study and professional research related to enterprise architecture standards and new technology related to the IT Strategy and/or GAO business requests. Work that interns would be supporting are as follow: Publishing and Web Division (PWD): Various publishing support activities including operations, quality assurance, print procurement, publishing technical support, and accessibility. Chief of Staff (COS): Various duties supporting internal communications, human resource functions, organizational reporting, decision support, process improvement, organizational change management, and budget execution and oversight activities. Digital & Cloud Division (DCD): Various duties assisting in the standardization and documentation of branch and/or product line delivery frameworks and assisting in the documentation of Cloud Operations and Cloud Engineering opportunities.

Qualifications

All qualification requirements must be met by the start of the internship. To qualify for the GS-4 level, you MUST be enrolled in a Bachelor's degree seeking program, and meet one of the following criteria: You must have completed 60 semester hours or 90 quarter credits of Bachelor's level education; or You must possess an Associate's degree. Applicants MUST also have at least 12 semester hours or 18 quarter hours in a combination of management information systems, computer science, business information technology, information assurance/security, statistics, math or other IT-related fields of study. NOTE: You must be a current student enrolled in an undergraduate program seeking a degree from an accredited educational institution on a full or half-time basis. If at any point during the internship (and for any reason) your status as a student changes to that of a non-student, your internship will be terminated.

Education

All applicants must submit their academic transcripts in order to be eligible. The transcripts may be unofficial or official and must show your status as a student, as well as support your educational claim. 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: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog

Requirements

You must be a U.S. Citizen. Must be at be at least 16 years of age. Selective Service: Males born after 12/31/59 must be registered or exempt from Selective Service (see http://www.sss.gov/). Employment is subject to the successful completion of a background investigation, verification of qualifications, completion of onboarding forms, submission of required documents, and any other job-related requirement before or after appointment. Must provide all transcripts/proof of enrollment/acceptance, and/or current class schedule in an accredited degree program throughout the duration of the internship. You MUST complete a minimum of 400 hours to be considered for conversion after your degree has been conferred.

Evaluations

You will be evaluated in accordance with the Category Rating procedure as defined in the GAO's Order for Competitive Examining. Applicants will be further evaluated against criteria for placement placed into a Quality category. This evaluation is based on the level of your experience, education, and/or training as described by your responses to the Assessment Questionnaire. If your application receives a sufficient rating, you will be assigned to one of three categories: Best Qualified, Well Qualified, or Qualified. Follow all instructions carefully as incomplete answers, errors or omissions may affect your rating. It is important to have a well-written, thoughtful response to the essay question that is supported by your resume. You should draw upon academic, volunteer, and/or work experience as a basis for your response. Each essay cannot exceed 500 characters including spaces. You MUST provide detailed and descriptive narrative responses that explains how you have gained the experience that demonstrates that you meet each KSA. Any application that says "Please see resume" or the equivalent or "N/A" will not be accepted. One word or one phrase responses such as "advance," "basic," or "well," will not meet the requirement for the narrative and may result in a disqualification. The information you provide in your essays must be supported by your resume. Failure to provide a narrative may result in a disqualification rating. All applicants will be rated based on their response to the essay questions, in conjunction with the following competencies: Oral Communication Research Self-Management Teamwork Writing Veterans' preference applies to this vacancy. The Category Rating process does not add veterans' preference points or apply the "rule of three" but protects the rights of Veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligible applicants within each quality category. For more information regarding veterans' preference please visit http://www.fedshirevets.gov/.It is important that you do not overstate or understate your level of experience and capability. Providing inaccurate information on Federal documents could be grounds for non-selection or disciplinary action up to including removal from the Federal service. To preview the assessment, click here: https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12986177

How to apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. - To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application. - Follow the prompts to select your résumé and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. - After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process. - You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.

What to expect next

Once your online application is submitted you will receive a confirmation notification by email. Your application will be evaluated by the Human Resources Office to determine your eligibility for the position. Applicants who are determined to be "best-qualified" may be contacted for an interview. GAO may contact applicants to determine the most appropriate method for conducting the virtual interview. If you do not meet the key requirements, basic qualifications or fail to submit all required application materials, your application will not be considered. You can check the status of your application at any time through your personal USAJOBS account.

Required documents

All required documents listed below, that are applicable to you, must be submitted to our automated system by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on the closing date of this announcement. Resume - must be no more than two pages in length; resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. Resume should include applicants' name, email address, phone number, relevant work/volunteer experience, education and training. Include the start and end dates (from month/year to month/year), work schedule (e.g. part or full-time), the number of hours per week worked/volunteered, job title and description of duties performed. Education/Certification/Licensure when relevant or required for position. See Guidance for Applicants on 2-Page Resume and visit the USAJOBS Help Center for more information. Transcripts, if applicable and you are qualifying based on education. See the Qualification and Education sections of this announcement for more information. If selected, an official/sealed college transcript(s) will be required to verify education prior to employment. Veterans' Preference documentation, if applicable: The Category Rating Process does not add veterans' preference points or apply the "rule of three," but protects the rights of veterans by placing them ahead of non-preference eligibles within each category. Preference eligibles who meet the minimum qualification requirements and have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent or higher will be listed in the highest quality category (except in the case of scientific or professional positions at the GS-09 level or higher). To claim 5-point preference, submit a copy of your DD-214 Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty. To claim 10-point preference, submit the SF-15 (Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference) AND all required documentation outlined on the form to support your claim (e.g., DD-214, official statement from the Department of Veterans Affairs, etc.). If we cannot verify your 10-point preference claim, your application will be reviewed for 5-point preference. To claim 10-point derived preference (i.e., spouses, widows, widowers or mothers of veterans), submit a completed SF-15 andall required documentation listed on the SF-15 to support your claim. To claim 0-point Sole Survivorship preference, submit a copy of your DD-214 or another form of official documentation showing that your discharge or release from active duty occurred on or after August 29, 2008 and was based on a sole survivorship discharge. For all preference claims: DD-214 must show the dates of service, type of discharge, and any qualifying service campaign medals. If you are currently on active duty and applying based on eligibility under the Veterans Opportunity to Work (VOW) Act, you must provide a certification on letterhead from your military branch which contains your military service dates, expected date of discharge or release, and the character of service to show that your military service was performed under honorable conditions. The expected date of discharge or release must be no later than 120 days after the certification is submitted for consideration for this vacancy announcement. For more veterans' preference information, visit the USAJOBS Help Center. 4. Other Qualification Documentation (e.g. certificates, certifications, etc.), if applicable. See the Qualification section of this announcement for more information.

Other information

GAO student intern positions are temporary appointments and may last up to one year, at the agency's discretion, with the possibility of an extension for an additional year. Student Interns on a temporary appointment may NOT be promoted; may NOT be converted to a new appointment at a higher grade; and is not eligible for within grade increases. This position is NOT in the bargaining unit. This position does NOT have promotion potential. Student interns may have an opportunity for a permanent position based on a successful intern experience (completion of a minimum of 400 hours) and successful completion of degree requirements. The ability to convert to a permanent position is contingent upon budgetary conditions and staffing needs at the time of eligibility. Applicants who are selected for this position will be required to provide an official transcript on the day of your orientation or within 3 business days after orientation. This transcript must show that you meet the education requirements for the GS 7 grade level, and that you are currently enrolled through at least December 2026. Failure to meet the requirements or provide the transcript will result in termination of your internship. Form I-9, Employment Verification and the Electronic Eligibility Verification Program - GAO participates in the Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification Program (E-Verify). E-Verify helps employers determine employment eligibility of new hires and the validity of their Social Security numbers. If selected, the Form I-9 will be required at the time of in-processing. Click here for more information about E-Verify and to obtain a copy of the Form I-9. Federal agencies will only accept resumes up to two pages in length to comply with the Merit Hiring Plan. USAJOBS will not allow you to upload or build resumes longer than two pages, and you will need to update the resumes in your profile before applying to a job. OPTION FOR ADDITIONAL SELECTIONS: Based on the staffing needs, additional selections may be made through this vacancy announcement. You MAY be required to file a financial disclosure report. Travel and relocation expenses will NOT be paid for by the GAO. Selectees will be required to complete questions contained on the Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306) at the time a tentative job offer is made. If selected, at the time of appointment, selectees will be required to update the OF-306. REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION: GAO provides reasonable accommodations to applicants and employees (and interns) with disabilities. To request an accommodation, please email [email protected]. If you are a veteran with preference eligibility and are claiming 5-points veterans' preference, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 or other proof of eligibility. If you are claiming 10-point veterans' preference, you must also submit an SF-15, "Application for 10-Point Veterans' Preference" plus the proof required by that form. For more information on veterans' preference visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Veterans. The U.S. Government Accountability Office's policy is to provide equal employment opportunity for all regardless of race, religion, color, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, or gender identity.