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This position is in Region 2, Caribbean Environmental Protection Division. About: Region 2.
This is an office-centered position*--you must physically report to the duty station stated in this announcement on a regular basis.
*EPA offers work-from-home and work schedule flexibilities as described in the Benefits section.
12/18/2024 to 12/26/2024
$35,373 - $51,446 per year
Salary will be based on the grade level for which you are selected.
GS 04 - 05
1 vacancy in the following location:
No
Yes—NOTE: If you are an EPA employee who currently works at a remote work location (i.e., full-time telework), your approval for remote work does not transfer to this position.
Occasional travel - You may be required to travel for this position.
No
Internships - Initial period typically expected to last more than one year. Program end is generally the Intern’s projected graduation date, plus 120 days of conversion eligibility. Duration of appointment will be annotated in participant agreement.
Full-time
Excepted
12 - As a Pathways Intern, you may be promoted in accordance with agency policy. If you are converted after Pathways program completion, you will be converted to a position with the full performance level indicated above.
No
No
EPA-R2-OII-2025-0003
824655100
Enrolled students or individuals who have been accepted for enrollment seeking a diploma, certificate, bachelor’s degree, graduate degree, or professional degree from a qualifying educational institution on a full- or half-time basis, including awardees of the Harry S. Truman Foundation Scholarship Program.
At the GS-04 level, you will:
At the GS-05 level, you will:
You will spend less than 25% of your work time on contracts, grants/cooperative agreements, and/or interagency agreements.
One or more positions may be filled (in the organization advertised and/or in other organizations), if appropriate to the position.
This position is designated as Low Risk and requires a background investigation. Unless an appropriate background investigation is already on record with the Office of Personnel Management, you must undergo a background investigation. All conditions of the pre-employment security process must be met before an official letter of employment can be issued with a report for duty date.
You must have and maintain good academic standing as defined by your academic institution (typically a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0).
You must be enrolled at least half-time and maintain at least a half-time course load as defined by your academic institution (typically 6 undergraduate credit hours or 4.5 graduate credit hours per semester).
REAL ID requirements will become effective on 05/07/25. If you are selected and come on board with EPA on or after that date and plan to use your driver’s license or identification card during the onboarding process (i.e., for employment eligibility verification or to obtain your EPA identification card), the document must be a REAL ID-compliant state-issued driver’s license or identification card that includes the REAL ID-compliant star marking, or must be an Enhanced Driver’s License (EDL). You will receive information about alternative acceptable documents (e.g., passport) prior to onboarding. For more information about REAL ID, see Dept. of Homeland Security and REAL ID FAQs.
If you are selected, the entire period served under the Internship Program will be a trial period.
This position requires the use of personal protective equipment (PPE).
#LI-Onsite
NOTE: You must meet qualification requirements, including any requirements described in the Education section, by the closing date of this announcement.
In addition to the eligibility requirements for the Pathways Internship Program, you must have educational achievements as described below to qualify for this position. The required education must lead to a bachelor's degree with specialization directly related to this position.
To qualify for the GS-04 level, you need to have two full years of post-high school education or associate’s degree.
To qualify for the GS-05 level, you must meet the basic requirements as described in the Education section below (i.e., there are no additional requirements to qualify for this grade).
Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional, philanthropic, religious, spiritual, community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
*If you have part-time work experience, read this: EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures.
Life Scientist: You must have a bachelor's or higher degree from an accredited or pre-accredited college or university in biological sciences, agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines appropriate to the position; OR a combination of education and experience with courses equivalent to a major, as listed.
Environmental Engineer: All applicants must meet one of the following requirements to qualify for consideration for an engineering position:
OR
Please review the OPM page on specifics about required curriculum and for more information on qualifications, please visit GS-800: All Professional Engineering Positions qualifications.
Physical Scientist: You must have a bachelor's or higher degree from an accredited or pre-accredited college or university in physical science, engineering, or mathematics that included 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science such as mechanics, dynamics, properties of materials, and electronics; OR a combination of education and experience with education equivalent to one of the majors listed that included at least 24 semester hours in physical science and/or related engineering science, plus appropriate experience or additional education.
For information about accreditation requirements, visit EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures.
ACCELERATED PROMOTION PROGRAM
If you are converted to an entry-level Engineer position (GS-05, GS-07, or GS-09) after completion of the Pathways Intern program, you will be placed on an approved training agreement to intensify your development in order to prepare you for the next higher grade level on an accelerated basis (six months or more). After successful completion of the training program, you would be eligible for promotion to the next higher grade level.
If you are graduating from your present course of study at the end of the current semester/quarter: You may be hired prior to graduation; however, to continue in this program after graduation, you must be continuing your education next semester/quarter and be accepted for enrollment seeking a diploma, certificate, bachelor’s degree, graduate degree, or professional degree from a qualifying educational institution on a full- or half-time basis.
Except in special circumstances, those new to the federal government will be hired at the starting salary (step 1) of the applicable grade range listed in the Overview section.
EPA participates in E-Verify. E-Verify is an Internet based system operated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in partnership with the Social Security Administration (SSA) that enables participating employers to electronically verify the employment eligibility of their newly hired employees. For additional information: EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion are core values at EPA. Our excellence can only be fully realized by staff who share our commitment to these values. Successful candidates are committed to advancing equity and inclusion in the Agency’s workplace and mission. We encourage applications from candidates with a variety of personal experiences, values, and worldviews that arise from differences of culture and circumstance. At EPA, diversity is a vital element in bringing a balance of perspectives to bear on every challenge we face. We are committed to creating a diverse workforce because we know that the individual strengths and abilities of our employees make us a stronger organization. The more inclusive our employee base is, the greater the variety of ideas that are generated, and the more representative we are of the nation we serve. To learn more about how EPA values and supports our diverse workforce, visit Equal Opportunity Employment at EPA.
Interns without not-to-exceed dates who successfully complete the program may be converted to a term or permanent position in the competitive service without further competition; however, if you are being considered for conversion to a position that has positive education requirements, you must be enrolled in a degree program directly related to the position’s duties to be eligible for conversion to that position. The grade level you may be converted to will be dependent on the grade for which you qualify (based on your education and/or experience), but the grade level can be no higher than the promotion potential indicated in this announcement.
NOTE: To be eligible for conversion, you must complete 640 hours of work (if you meet all required criteria, up to 320 hours may be waived if: (1) you complete 320 hours of career-related work experience under an Internship Program appointment and have demonstrated high potential by outstanding academic achievement and exceptional job performance; or (2) you complete comparable non-federal internship experience in a field or functional area related to your target position).
If you are selected, travel, transportation, and relocation expenses will not be paid by EPA. Any travel, transportation, and relocation expenses associated with reporting to work in this position will be your responsibility.
This position is in the bargaining unit.
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
We will review your resume and required documents to ensure you are eligible for Pathways Intern employment and meet the basic qualification requirements. We will notify you of the results of our evaluation through USAJOBS. If you are referred for consideration, you may be subject to additional assessments (e.g., technical writing sample or other work sample, job knowledge test, case scenario analysis, scientific data assessment, structured interview, etc.). NOTE: Applicants who are referred to the selecting official for consideration and are entitled to veterans’ preference in the hiring process must be selected, or decline further consideration, before applicants who are ineligible for veterans’ preference can be selected (to learn more, visit Veterans' Preference).
Required documents to be submitted online:
ALL APPLICANTS
APPLICANTS CLAIMING VETERANS’ PREFERENCE
Separated veterans claiming 5-point preference:
Separated veterans claiming 10-point preference based on compensable service-connected disability of 10% or more:
Other separated veterans claiming 10-point preference OR spouses, widows/widowers, or mothers claiming 10-point derived preference:
Active duty service members:
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.
This is an interdisciplinary position (i.e., more than one possible series/title), and you will only be evaluated/considered for the series you select during the application process. Since you may qualify for more than one series and/or may not qualify for the series you anticipate, we encourage you to select all listed series.
You are strongly encouraged to read the entire announcement before you submit your application for this position.
To begin the application process, click the Apply button to the top right on this screen, follow the prompts to log-in/register, submit all required documents, and complete the assessment questionnaire. To be considered, you must submit a complete application package by 11:59 PM Eastern Time on the day the announcement closes.
All required supporting documents will be collected electronically via the USAJOBS document portfolio feature (see How to Upload Documents).
If you cannot apply online, you must contact the Human Resources Office listed below for assistance no later than two business days prior to the closing date of this announcement. You must provide complete application materials by the day the announcement closes.
For detailed instructions to assist you in ensuring your application package is received, go to EPA Announcement Policies and Procedures.
REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION
EPA welcomes applications from persons with disabilities. Through the reasonable accommodation process, we provide persons with disabilities an equal opportunity to enjoy the benefits and privileges of employment that persons without disabilities enjoy. A reasonable accommodation is any change in the work environment or in the way things are customarily done. An accommodation removes workplace barriers and enables an applicant with a disability to have an equal opportunity to participate in the application process, be considered for a position, and, if hired, perform the essential functions of their job.
The EPA National Reasonable Accommodation Coordinators will provide assistance to you, the Human Resources Office, and/or the hiring official as needed. For more information, refer to EPA’s Reasonable Accommodation website. Below is more detailed information about how to request a reasonable accommodation during the application, selection, and hiring process:
Please note: Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis.
You can track the progress of your application via your USAJOBS account by clicking the Track This Application link. Through your USAJOBS account, you will be notified of the status of your application at four touch-points (some of these notifications may be combined): (1) when your application is received; (2) when we conduct an eligibility and qualification review of your application package; (3) when applications are referred (or not) to the hiring manager; (4) when a selection is made (or not) for the position or the job is canceled. It is your responsibility to check your USAJOBS account for this application status information. In addition, you will be contacted if further evaluation or interviews are required. If you are selected, you will be contacted personally by the human resources office posting this announcement.
NOTE: We may verify all information you provide in your resume and questionnaire responses through reference and/or background check, and/or verification of your education. Any exaggeration of your experience, false statements, or attempt to conceal information may disqualify you for employment consideration.
The Federal hiring process is set up to be fair and transparent. Please read the following guidance.
This job originated on www.usajobs.gov. For the full announcement and to apply, visit www.usajobs.gov/job/824655100. Only resumes submitted according to the instructions on the job announcement listed at www.usajobs.gov will be considered.
Learn more about
The Pathways Internship Program is designed to provide students enrolled in a wide variety of educational institutions, from high school to graduate level, with opportunities to work in agencies and explore Federal careers while still in school and while getting paid for the work performed. The position must be related to the student’s academic field of study or the student’s career interests. Additional information about the Internship Program can be found at USAJOBS - Internship Program.
A good career for the good of our planet
The environmental challenges we face today are urgent. At the Environmental Protection Agency, we need professionals like you to join our diverse team dedicated to safe, clean, and healthy communities for all. Whether it’s tackling the climate crisis or advancing environmental justice, what you do here changes the world. That’s why there has never been a more crucial moment to be one of the scientists, engineers, community leaders, IT specialists, communicators, administrative professionals, technicians, problem solvers, and innovators united in our mission to protect our land, air, water, and people. Join us. Be EPA.
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