Student Trainee (Geography) Interior, US Fish and Wildlife Service - Portland, OR

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This Pathways Program internship will provide you opportunities to assist senior geographers with portions of multi-stage projects. Work involves operating GIS and GPS analysis software, equipment, and associated utilities or peripherals in the preparation of data or databases for drawings, forms, graphs, and maps. 
For more information on the Federal Government’s Pathways Internship Program, see the following: http://www.opm.gov/HiringReform/Pathways/program/interns/ . 

Eligibility for the Internship Program:

• You must be accepted for enrollment or enrolled and seeking a degree (diploma, certificate, etc.) in a qualifying educational institution, on a full or half-time basis (as defined by the institution in which you are enrolled); or an awardee of the Harry S. Truman Foundation Scholarship Program under Public Law 93-842. 
• Online degree programs and online courses are creditable towards meeting the half-time enrollment requirement. 
• For a certificate program to be eligible under Pathways, it must be equivalent to at least one academic year of study. 
• You do not need to be enrolled at least half-time during the summer months if you are enrolled for courses in the upcoming fall term/semester on at least a half-time basis. 
• The requirement to be enrolled at least half-time is waived if you are in your final term/semester immediately preceding graduation, and you require less than a half-time academic course load to complete your degree requirements. 

Qualifying Educational Institution means:
(1) A public high school whose curriculum has been approved by a State or local governing body, a private school that provides secondary education as determined under State law, or a homeschool that is allowed to operate in a State; and 
(2) Any of the following educational institutions or curricula that have been accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education: (i) A technical or vocational school; (ii) A 2-year or 4-year college or university; (iii) A graduate or professional school (e.g., law school, medical school); or (iv) A post-secondary homeschool curriculum. 

Work Schedule:
A formal work schedule will be arranged, so that your work responsibilities do not interfere with your academic schedule including adjusting the number of hours worked, if necessary. TRAVEL REQUIRED 
Occasional Travel 

• Occasional travel is required to attend meetings and training, and to visit study sites RELOCATION AUTHORIZED

No KEY REQUIREMENTS 
U.S. Citizenship and Background Investigation 
Transcripts required with application (See How to Apply) 
The duration of your Pathways appointment is a trial period. 
A valid State driver's license is required. 
Direct deposit of salary payment to a financial institution is required. DUTIES: Back to top 

As a Student Trainee (Geography), you will be responsible for performing the following major duties: 

• •Use advanced information technology in support of Region 1 Fire Management with an emphasis on GIS and Global Positioning System (GPS) to create or acquire digital data; access and organize data on computer systems; and structure, compile, and convert digital data to produce cartographic or GIS products. 
• Manage GIS data through manipulation, analysis, digitization, integration, storage, retrieval, and display. 
• Locate, examine, evaluate and select, from a variety of graphic, textual and other source material, information necessary for use in accurately depicting the location and standardizing the nomenclature of features on a map, chart, etc. 
• Compile and synthesize geographic data showing and/or comparing the distribution of various phenomena. 
• Serve as a technical contact to transfer GIS data, reports, databases, and cartographic products, and provide technical assistance related to GIS technology. 
• Assist with maintaining GIS and GPS hardware, software, equipment and infrastructure in coordination with the information technology staff. 

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED: 

You must meet all qualification requirements outlined in this vacancy by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date of the announcement. 

QUALIFICATIONS 
Note: All applicants must submit copies of transcripts, which include grades, credit hours earned, major(s), and grade point average or class ranking. Even if you are in or have previously held a position in the series, you must submit the required documents to be considered for this position. If any required course work is not easily recognizable on transcripts, you must submit written course descriptions from the school (e.g., from the school catalog, official course syllabus, or course description verified by the school) for those classes to be credited. 

To qualify for the GS-7 grade level, applicants must :

• Have successfully completed one year of appropriate professional experience in geography that is equivalent to at least the GS-06 level in the Federal service. Examples of specialized experience include compiling and evaluating basic geographical facts from a variety of specified sources, ascertaining discrepancies in data, and presenting geographical information from specified maps, charts, and other source materials in the most useful format. This level of work would have involved following established procedures or detailed instructions and would have required a familiarity with a variety of basic geographic tools and sources.

(OR) 

• Have successfully completed 1 full year of graduate level education above the bachelor's degree level, from an accredited college or university directly related to the position to be filled.

(OR) 

• Have completed a Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university, AND placed in the upper third of my graduating class OR I have completed a Bachelor's degree AND have a grade point average of 3.0 or higher based on 4 years of education, or based on courses completed during the final 2 years of my undergraduate curriculum OR have completed a Bachelor's degree AND have a grade point average of 3.5 or higher for all courses in my major field of study, or in courses completed during the final 2 years of my undergraduate curriculum OR I have completed a Bachelor's degree AND election to membership in a national scholastic honor society which meets the requirements of the Association of College Honor Societies (other than freshman societies).

(OR) 
possess a combination of education and experience that, when computed as percentages of their respective requirements, equals at least 100% when combined. 

EDUCATION 

All qualifying education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. You can verify accreditation at http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/index.html . 

Foreign Education: You can receive credit for education earned outside the United States if you provide evidence that it is comparable to an accredited educational institution, or that full credit has been given by an accredited institution in the United States. For more information, see http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html 

It is your responsibility to provide evidence that educational provisions are met when applying. 

OTHER KEY REQUIREMENTS (conditions of employment) 
You must be at least 16 years of age by the closing date of the announcement. 
You must maintain eligibility for participation in the Internship Program throughout the duration of your appointment (at least half-time enrollment in a degree, diploma, or certificate program at a qualifying educational institution). 
You must complete an Internship Program Participant Agreement. 

Physical Demands : This is a field position which involves prolonged standing, bending, stooping, walking, and moderate amount of physical exertion. You will be required to lift items weighing up to 40 pounds. 

Work Environment : Work is performed both indoors and outdoors. The indoor work area has adequate light, heat and ventilation. Temperature and weather extremes will be encountered in the performance of outdoor work. HOW YOU WILL BE EVALUATED: 

Your application will be evaluated and rated under the Category Rating and Selection Procedures. 

If you meet the minimum qualifications for this job, your evaluation will be based on a review of your complete application package and the extent to which your responses to the Questionnaire relate to the knowledge, skills and abilities listed below: 

Knowledge of the concepts, principles and practices of geography 
Knowledge of GIS hardware, software, and equipment 
Ability to integrate geographical information and data into systems and databases 

To preview the Questionnaire, click View Assessment Questions . 

We will then place you in one of three categories:
Qualified: Meets minimum qualifications established for the position, but fails to meet the benchmark definition for the Well Qualified category 
Well Qualified: Demonstrates overall competency in the knowledge, skills, and abilities of the position. 
Best Qualified: Demonstrates high proficiency and comprehensive level of knowledge, skills, and abilities of the position. 

Please make sure that your responses to the questionnaire are supported in your resume. Also, follow all instructions carefully as errors and omissions may affect your score. 

Note: If a determination is made that you have rated yourself higher than is apparent in your description of experience and/or education, OR that your application is incomplete, you may be rated ineligible, not qualified, or your score may be lowered. 

Application of Veterans’ Preference : Category rating and selection procedures place those with veterans’ preference above non-preference eligibles within each category. Veterans who meet the eligibility and qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent are listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-9 grade level or higher. BENEFITS: Back to top 
The Federal government offers a number of exceptional benefits to its employees. For more information about these benefits, please visit https://help.usajobs.gov/index.php/Pay_and_Benefits . 

Travel, transportation, and relocation expenses WILL NOT be paid by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Any moving expenses associated with reporting for duty in this position will be the responsibility of the selected employee. 
Trial Period: The entire period served under the Internship Program counts as the participant's trial period. 
Conversion: An agency may convert an intern non-competitively from the Internship Program to a term or permanent position in the competitive service; however, conversion is not mandatory or guaranteed. To be eligible for conversion, an intern must: 
• Have completed the required number of hours of work experience; 
• Have completed educational requirements from a qualifying institution; 
• Have received a favorable recommendation by an official of the agency; and, 
• Meet the qualifications requirements for the position to which the intern will be converted. 


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