Duties

Summary

The USPS OIG is seeking students enrolled in college/university programs to fill our Student Cooperative position in the Research and Insights Solution Center (RISC) located in Arlington, Virginia.
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Responsibilities

Are you someone who loves data, analysis, visualizations, and problem solving for high impact projects? If so, then you are the perfect candidate to apply for the student cooperative opening at the United States Postal Service, Office of Inspector General's Research and Insights Solution Center (RISC). RISC offers the opportunity to further develop your research, analytical, visualization, communication, and critical thinking skills, through hands-on experience providing support to our investigations, audits, and operations groups.

If you are a student who is self-motivated, detail-oriented, a fast learner, and possess excellent written and verbal communication skills, then this job is right for you. RISC supports the Office of Investigations and the Office of Audit by performing a wide range of analysis from a variety of data systems, covering mail operations, narcotics, mail theft, healthcare, financial, and contracting program areas.

As a co-op, you may also be exposed to data analysis, visualization tools and platforms including Excel, Python, Power BI, Qlik, Azure, and others. You may be expected to perform the following tasks:

• Support analytics projects with basic data collection, manipulation, and analysis from a variety of sources.
• Visualize analysis results using tables, graphs, filters, and other techniques.
• Collect project status information and provide summary data in various formats.
• Document analytics products and solutions using sound technical writing skills and project management software.
• Effectively communicate with peers and management, orally and in writing, the status of tools, projects, support requests, and other tasks, as assigned.
• Perform administrative tasks in support of analytics projects as required.

This opportunity is ideal for those looking to gain experience at a federal level, while continuing their studies and gaining practical knowledge and skills. You will be assigned a mentor who will help guide you throughout your work.

Students who enjoy a healthy work-school balance and seek continuous employment with the possibility of working 10-30 hours while in school, and up to 40 when school is not in session, are especially encouraged to apply.

This position is being advertised at the Administrative Band level. The base salary range for this position is $14.62-$17.61/hour. Locality Pay is authorized.

Sophomore $19.08 per hour plus locality pay
Junior/Senior $20.08 per hour plus locality pay
Graduate or Law Student $22.98 per hour plus locality pay

.

Travel Required

Not required

Supervisory status
No

Promotion Potential
00

Requirements

Conditions of Employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen
• Must be able to pass a drug screening and medical assessment questionnaire.
• Must be able to pass a background investigation
• Must be able to work a minimum of 10 hours per week

Qualifications

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

You must meet ALL of the minimum requirements.

• Students must be currently enrolled full or half-time in an accredited college or university program, classified or academically ranked by semester hours as a Sophomore, Junior, Senior or Graduate student, not graduating prior to May 2022. (MUST SUBMIT TRANSCRIPT STATING CURRENT ENROLLMENT STATUS, GPA AND IN GOOD STANDING)

AND

• Must be in academic good standing as defined by the college or university, earning at least a 2.75 GPA on a 4.0 GPA scale.

AND

• Must be able to report to work year-round in the USPS OIG Arlington, VA, office a minimum of 10 hours per week (Monday-Friday) during core business hours.

AND

Must possess the following:

• Knowledge of data extraction languages such as SQL, Python, R, etc.
• Demonstrated analytical ability and problem-solving skills
• Creativity
• Initiative
• Integrity
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience using Microsoft Office programs including Word, Excel, PowerPoint
• Interest in the application of data science and data analytics
• Knowledge of creating visualizations or analytical models using Power BI or other business intelligence software, whether in a work, school, or other environment
• Knowledge of analysis techniques including trends, predictions, and performance analysis sufficient to work independently using conventional procedures and practices
• Demonstrated experience in researching, tracking, and analyzing data using database applications, whether in a work, school, or other environment

EVALUATION FACTORS

Include your major accomplishments relevant to the evaluation factors in your resume.

• Knowledge of data extraction languages such as SQL, Python, R, etc.
• Knowledge of data analysis and visualization tools and techniques such as Excel, Power BI, Tableau, etc.
• Exposure to and/or interest in basic data science or data analytics
• Basic knowledge of qualitative and quantitative analytical methods to assess and validate data, determine risk probabilities, and develop conclusions

Education

Education must be accredited by an institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Applicants can verify accreditation here: www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred. Special Instructions for Candidates with Foreign Education: Education completed outside the United States must be deemed equivalent to that gained in U.S. education programs. You must submit all necessary documents to a private U.S. credential evaluation service to interpret equivalency of your education against courses given in U.S. accredited colleges and universities. For further information visit: http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Additional information

Student Cooperatives are not eligible for USPS OIG Employee Benefits.

This agency provides Reasonable Accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you require accommodations for any part of the application and/or hiring process, please send an email to jobs@uspsoig.gov . The decision on granting an accommodation request will be made on a case by case basis.

How You Will Be Evaluated

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

The Human Resources Office will review your resume and supporting documentation to ensure that you meet the minimum qualifications required for this position. You will no longer be considered for this position if you: receive a zero (0) rating on any evaluation factor; fail to attach all required documentation; if your application materials indicate that you are not minimally-qualified for this position; or if you fail to qualify on the interview. Only the top-rated candidates will be referred to a review official or the selecting official for further consideration. Top-rated applicants may be required to participate in an interview. Your rating may be further adjusted or rated as ineligible by the review official or the selecting official based on your interview performance. Once all applicant scores are finalized, the selecting official will make a final decision. NOTE: If you receive a zero (0) rating on any evaluation factor or on the interview, you will be considered NOT MINIMALLY QUALIFIED for the position and rated ineligible.

Background checks and security clearance

Security clearance
Other

Drug test required
Yes

Required Documents

You must submit all required documents by 11:59 PM EST on the closing date of this announcement, Vacancy Announcement 2021-97-11136353-PC, by closing date 06/18/2021 .

1. RESUME. When completing your online application or uploading your resume, you must categorize it as a "Resume" document).

2. TRANSCRIPTS from an accredited college or university. The information presented in the transcript must be verifiable and should contain the name of the institution, applicant's name, list of completed courses, semester hours, GPA, date and type of Bachelor's Degree issued. Education completed outside the United States must be deemed equivalent to that gained in conventional/accredited U.S. education programs to be acceptable for Federal employment. Attach document verifying that it has been deemed equivalent. For further information visit: http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html . (Required: Upload and save as "Transcript" document.)

3. UPLOAD SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS which may include:

Certificates or Licenses, if applicable. Upload and save as "Other" document. Veterans Preference Documentation. If you are claiming veterans preference you must submit the Member 4 copy of your DD-214 Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, and/or other proof of veterans preference eligibility including your VA letter, form SF-15 (www.opm.gov/forms) and all required documents related to your SF-15 claim. Veterans can request the Member 4 copy of their DD-214 at http://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records, and can download a copy of their VA letter from https://www.ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits-portal/ebenefits.portal. (If applicable to you, you are required to upload each veterans' preference document and categorize as "DD-214" or "SF-15" or "Other Veterans Document") Reasonable Accommodation Documentation. If you are requesting a reasonable accommodation to the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, submit documentation to support your request, including the Reasonable Accommodation Request Form found at http://help.usastaffing.gov/Apply/index.php?title=Reasonable_Accommodations_for_USA_Hire .
• SF-50 if you are or have been a Federal employee to demonstrate tenure and competitive/excepted service for eligibility purposes. (If applicable to you, you are Required to upload each applicable SF-50 and categorize as a "SF-50" document.)

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.