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Information Technology and Cybersecurity (ITC Auditor Intern) Student Trainee

Employer
USAJobs
Location
District of Columbia, D.C
Closing date
Sep 30, 2020
Duties

Summary

This position is located in the GAO Information Technology and Cybersecurity (ITC) Team. The ITC Team audits and evaluates federal agencies' information management and technology programs that cover a wide range of IT-related areas, such as, IT acquisitions, cybersecurity and program management.

This vacancy is for Summer IT internship positions. The anticipated start date for the Summer internship is May/June 2021.

Learn more about this agency

Responsibilities

As part of a team, you will assist in planning and conducting in-depth audits and evaluations of federal executive and legislative branch IT programs. The audits cover a range of topics, such as, system acquisition and development; program/project planning and management; requirements management; investment management; information assurance; cloud computing; CIO responsibilities; IT contractor oversight; IT workforce planning; cybersecurity of critical infrastructures; electronic records management; and IT privacy. You will collect appropriate data, analyze the data, develop data-based findings and conclusions, and present the information both orally and in writing to diverse audiences.

Specific duties are:

• identifying or developing methodologically sound techniques to audit and evaluate federal IT programs;

• learning new and complex IT-related material quickly to understand issues;

• researching and collecting relevant information that helps achieve audit objectives;

• conducting analyses to assess information collected about federal agencies IT practices and comparing them against IT best practices;

• developing findings and conclusions based on analyses;

• interviewing agency officials to obtain testimonial evidence to support audit findings and conclusions;

• observing federal agencies' IT systems management and security practices;

• writing reports and other written products that effectively communicate findings and information;

• communicating relevant information to agency officials, team members, internal stakeholders, and congressional staff, during formal and informal presentations, meetings, and/or interviews;

• collaborating with others to address issues or solve problems and follow up with others to ensure needs are met; and

• soliciting, listening to, and considering diverse perspectives, approaches, or viewpoints.

Some interns may also have the opportunity to assist in the operation and maintenance of a production and test computer center/network to further enhance and develop new cybersecurity skill sets.

Travel Required

Occasional travel - May be authorized

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
NA

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

  • You must be a U.S. Citizen.
  • You will be subject to a background/suitability investigation.
  • You must be registered for Selective Service, if applicable (www.sss.gov).
  • You may be required to submit a financial disclosure statement.
  • You must be currently enrolled in an accredited educational institution.


You must be able to work a minimum of 400 hours (approximately 10-16 weeks) during the internship.

Qualifications

To qualify for the GS-7 level, you must be enrolled in an IT-Related Graduate degree program AND meet at least one of the following:

1. Have a bachelor's degree with superior academic achievement (defined below) in computer science, engineering, information science, information systems management, mathematics, operations research, statistics, or technology management; OR

2. Have a bachelor's degree with superior academic achievement (defined below) that provided a minimum of 24 semester hours in one or more of the IT-related fields identified above, and required the development or adaptation of applications, systems or networks; OR

3. Have one full year of graduate-level education in one or more of the fields identified above; OR

4. Have one year of specialized experience at the GS-5 level or equivalent. Specialized experience is defined as performing duties that involve evaluating information about IT management and security topics, such as systems development; program planning and management; requirements management; investment management; information assurance; cloud computing; IT contractor oversight; IT workforce planning; cybersecurity of critical infrastructures; electronic records management; and/or IT privacy; and developing recommendations based on findings, and presenting such recommendations to decision makers. In addition, you must have IT-related experience demonstrating each of the following four competencies: (1) Attention to Detail - demonstrates the ability to take thorough notes, prepare accurate written summaries, and synthesize information and drawing preliminary conclusions; (2) Teamwork - demonstrates the ability to collaborate and work effectively in a team-based setting (3) Written and Oral Communication - demonstrates the ability to conduct and participate in meetings, and present information in writing and orally to team members, management, and stakeholders; and (4) Problem Solving - demonstrates the ability to apply analytical methods to identify patterns, trends, or irregularities, and to assess evidence to develop findings and recommendations for improvement.

Superior Academic Achievement is defined as : a) Class Standing - upper third of the graduating class based on completed courses in the college, university, or major subdivision; b) Grade Point Average - 3.0 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 3.5 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).

To qualify for the GS-9 level, you must be enrolled in an IT-related Graduate degree program and meet at least one of the following:
  • Have a graduate degree, that provided a minimum of 24 semester hours in one or more of the following subjects: computer science, engineering, information science, information systems management, mathematics, operations research, statistics, or technology management; and required the development or adaptation of applications, systems or networks; OR
  • Have at least one year of specialized experience at the GS-7 level or equivalent. Specialized experience is defined as performing duties that involve evaluating information about IT management and security topics, such as systems development; program planning and management; requirements management; investment management; information assurance; cloud computing; IT contractor oversight; IT workforce Planning; cybersecurity of critical infrastructures; electronic records management; and/or IT privacy; and developing recommendations based on findings, and presenting such recommendations to decision makers. In addition, you must have IT-related experience demonstrating each of the following four competencies: (1) Attention to Detail - demonstrates the ability to take thorough notes, prepare accurate written summaries, and synthesize information and drawing preliminary conclusions; (2) Teamwork - demonstrates the ability to collaborate and work effectively in a team-based setting (3) Written and Oral Communication - demonstrates the ability to conduct and participate in meetings, and present information in writing and orally to team members, management, and stakeholders; and (4) Problem Solving - demonstrates the ability to apply analytical methods to identify patterns, trends, or irregularities, and to assess evidence to develop findings and recommendations for improvement.

    At the start of the program, all qualifications must be met and proof of enrollment through August 2021 leading towards an IT-related Graduate degree must be evident.

    NOTE: 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

    You must be currently enrolled and good standing in an accredited degree program throughout the duration of the internship.

    All academic degrees and coursework must be from accredited institutions.

    Please ensure that you will have the required number of IT-related educational hours at the start of the Summer 2021 internship.

    Additional information

    This position does not have promotion potential. Interns are considered for the grade level for which they apply and the pay for these intern positions are at the grade level, step 1.

    GS-7, step 1, annual salary, Washington DC location:

    $48,670

    GS-9, step 1, annual salary, Washington DC location:

    $59,534

    This is a non-bargaining position

    The anticipated start dates are pay periods beginning May 9, 2021 to June 20, 2021. Telework eligibility will be reassessed at the start date.

    Appointments for student intern positions are nonpermanent and generally last from 10 to 16 weeks. Student interns may have an opportunity for a permanent or term position based on a successful intern experience (completion of a minimum of 400 hours of work, not to exceed a total of 640 hours) and successful completion of degree requirements. The ability to convert to a permanent or term appointment with a minimum 400 hours of work experience is contingent upon budgetary conditions and staffing needs at the time of eligibility.

    Travel and relocation expenses will not be paid for by the GAO.

    Males born after 12/31/59 and at least 18 years of age must be registered with the Selective Service System. Visit http://www.sss.gov.

    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 ReasonableAccommodations@gao.gov

    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.

    The U.S. GAO is part of the Legislative Branch of the Federal government. As such, all positions are in the excepted service.

    This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate.

    If you have exceptional analytical, communication, and collaboration skills, and can demonstrate high levels of initiative, then GAO is where you want to be!

    To learn more about GAO and our IT Team, please visit us on the web at: https://www.gao.gov/about/careers/why-work-for-gao.

    How You Will Be Evaluated

    You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

    After you submit your application, it will be reviewed to determine whether you have submitted all of the required documents as set forth below by the closing date of the announcement and meet the eligibility and qualification requirements. If you have submitted all required documents in a timely fashion and meet the eligibility and qualification requirements, your application will be reviewed by a screening panel. The panel will assign a score to your application based on the answer you provide to the essay question contained in this announcement and your resume. If your application receives a sufficient rating by the panel, you will be placed in one of three appropriate categories based on your rating: Best Qualified, Well Qualified, or Qualified. Within these categories, applicants eligible for veteran's preference will receive selection priority over non-veterans. 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. The essay cannot exceed 3,000 characters including spaces. You must provide an actual narrative response. Any application that says "Please see resume" or the equivalent or "N/A" will not be accepted. It is important that you do not overstate or understate your level of experience and capability.

    All applicants will be rated based on their response to the essay question, in conjunction with the following Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSA's):
    • Knowledge of and experience with analytical concepts, principles, and practices (methods) that provides the ability to analyze and evaluate qualitative and quantitative data to make logical inferences and/or draw logical conclusions.
    • Ability to prepare written documents that effectively communicate information, some of which are complex, that are complete, organized, and grammatically correct.
    • Ability to learn new and complex material quickly in order to understand the issues and obtain relevant and sufficient information about the research problem/issue.

    To preview questions please click here .

    Background checks and security clearance

    Security clearance
    Other

    Drug test required
    No

    Required Documents

    You must provide a complete application package which includes:

    - Resume: must be created using the USAJOBS resume builder and show relevant work experience.

    - You must submit your college or university undergraduate and/or graduate transcripts (official or unofficial) that supports the number of hours completed and grades and hours earned. If you are submitting a transcript from a non-US educational institution, applicants must submit all necessary documents to a private U.S. organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign educational credentials, commonly called a credential evaluation service. For additional information please visit http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/policy/ApplicationOfStds-04.asp

    - Current proof of enrollment (i.e., transcript, proof of registered courses, or letter from school registrars office).

    - If applicable, you must submit proof of membership in a national scholastic honor society. For additional information please visit http://www.opm.gov/qualifications/policy/ApplicationOfStds-04.asp

    - If you are claiming veterans' preference you must submit adequate proof of active service in the Armed Forces including Member 4 copy of your DD-214, which indicates character of service. To claim 10-point veterans' preference, you must also submit an SF-15 and a letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs verifying the percentage of your disability and preference in hiring. To claim 5-Point veterans' preference, you must submit a Member 4 copy of the DD - 214 or if you are currently active duty and are within 120 days of discharge or release from active duty, you must submit certification of expected discharge or release under honorable conditions with your application. The certification must be an official statement of service from the armed forces command.

    Veterans Preference applies to this announcement. For more information regarding veterans' preference please visit http://www.fedshirevets.gov/index.aspx

    You must submit academic transcripts with your application in order to be eligible. These transcripts may be unofficial and should show your status as a student.

    If you are selected for this position you 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 grade level in which you have applied, and that you are currently enrolled through at least August 2021 for the Summer 2021 internship. Failure to meet the requirements or provide the transcript will result in termination of your internship.

    Failure to submit any of the above mentioned required documents will result in loss of consideration due to an incomplete application package. It is your responsibility to ensure all required documents have been submitted.

    If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:

    Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education .

    Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.

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