Student Cooperative for Communications (PAID)

Student Cooperative for Communications (PAID)

Department: Other Agencies and Independent Organizations

Location(s): Arlington, Virginia

Salary Range: $23.81 - $26.99 Per Hour

Job Summary: Are you a college or graduate student specializing in communications, marketing, or a related field? The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General Communications team has an opportunity for you! We have an opening for a paid student cooperative to assist us with internal and external communications. We want a team player who is willing to learn and able to work on-site in our Arlington, VA, headquarters. Bring your skills and voice to our team!

Major Duties:

• Communications roles are in higher demand across various industries. Having professional experience, especially in a government agency, will give you the knowledge, mentorship, and skill sets you need to stand out. The USPS Office of Inspector General Communications team has such an opportunity for you! We're looking for a self-motivated college or graduate student in the Washington, D.C., area who is passionate about thoughtful and engaging communication. Our ideal candidate is a quick learner, outgoing, and a team player who will help our fast-paced and dynamic team with our communications strategies. This is a paid student cooperative position located on-site in our Arlington, VA, headquarters, and we are looking for a commitment through at least May 2027, with the possibility of year-round employment. Is preventing waste, fraud, and abuse important to you? Come discover what our 900-plus employees already know: that the work we do here at the OIG matters and directly impacts every household and business in the nation. Many of our co-ops have been so moved by their experience that they have gone on to pursue a full-time career with our agency. Be part of an innovative team that is responsible for shaping the agency's communications strategy to inform, engage, and inspire targeted audiences. We have a great story to tell and are looking for skilled and detail-oriented storytellers and wordsmiths to help inform and engage targeted audiences. If you are a self-motivated, enthusiastic, and creative undergraduate or graduate student who is comfortable alternating between working independently and as part of a team and managing multiple assignments, this could be a great fit. Your work on our team is important because what we do reaches not only a 900+ geographically dispersed OIG staff, but also an external audience that includes Congress, USPS executives, employees, the general public, and members of the shipping/logistics industry. The student co-op will work closely with the Communications team's writers/editors and graphic designers to support creating communications for our audiences. The position comes with a wide range of responsibilities, including gathering information and producing daily and weekly agency-wide publications; publishing content to our intranet; assisting with our social media and website management; writing, editing and creating PowerPoint presentations; assisting with employee engagement programs; and other duties as assigned. The Student Cooperative Program is available for continuous employment throughout the year, while enrolled in school. Candidates will be evaluated on the skills that they possess that are directly related to the duties of the position and the experience, education and training that indicate the applicant's ability to acquire the particular knowledge and skills needed to perform the duties of the position. Only those candidates who meet all qualification and eligibility requirements and who submit the required information by 11:59 PM EST on 03/31/2026 will be considered. The USPS OIG uses a Pay Banding system, which is equivalent to the Federal GS scale. Grade and salary determinations will be made based upon a candidate's education and professional experience. This position is being advertised at the Administrative Band level. The base salary range for this position is $17.78 - $20.15/hour. Locality Pay is authorized. Junior/Senior $23.81 per hour includes locality pay Graduate or Law Student $26.99 per hour includes locality pay Student Cooperatives are not eligible for USPS OIG Employee Benefits. Please note the duties and responsibilities associated with this position may vary - candidates should have experience in managing multiple tasks and responsibilities simultaneously. The following description of major duties and responsibilities is only intended to give applicants a general overview of the expectations: The student cooperative performs a wide range of duties to support the Communications team, including, but not limited to: Compiling and sending out a daily news recap email highlighting relevant news and updates. Assisting the Communications staff with internal and external communications. Assisting with website and social media monitoring and reporting on content updates, broken links, and site performance. Assisting with managing and updating the agency's calendar of events. Maintaining and managing our intranet by posting regularly and working with colleagues to update SharePoint sites and pages. Assisting in employee engagement programs.

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 Senior or Graduate student. (MUST SUBMIT TRANSCRIPT STATING CURRENT ENROLLMENT STATUS AND GPA, 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 currently enrolled in a Journalism, Communications, Public Relations, Marketing, or related field of study in an undergraduate, current undergraduate seniors advancing to a graduate program, or graduate degree program and not graduating before May 2027. AND Must be able to report to work in the USPS OIG Rosslyn, VA office. AND Must be able to work at least 30 hours per week (Monday-Friday) during core business hours. EVALUATION FACTORS Failure to demonstrate that you meet all of the evaluation factor requirements as listed below will result in a score of zero (0); an ineligible status, and you will not be referred for further consideration. Include your major accomplishments relevant to the evaluation factors in your resume. Demonstrated ability to follow instructions. Demonstrated written communications skills. Experience using Microsoft Office programs, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Applicant must submit an original one-page writing sample of their recent work.

How to Apply: To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section. IMPORTANT UPDATE: Your resume must not exceed two (2) pages. You will no longer be considered for this announcement if your resume exceeds the two-page limit. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date, 03/31/2026, to receive consideration. To begin, click Apply Online to access an online application. Follow the prompts to select your USAJOBS resume and/or other supporting documents. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account or you may need to create a new account. You will be taken to an online application. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation, and submit the application. You will receive an email notification when your application has been received for the announcement. To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account, https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login, select the Application Status link and then select the More Information link for this position. The Application Status page will display the status of your application, the documentation received and processed, and your responses submitted to the online application. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. You are strongly urged to read and print the entire vacancy announcement.

Application Deadline: 2026-03-31