Student Trainee (Information Technology)

Student Trainee (Information Technology)

Department: Legislative Branch

Location(s): Washington, District of Columbia

Salary Range: $27.39 - $33.5 Per Hour

Job Summary: The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) is an independent, nonpartisan agency that works for Congress. We accomplish our mission by providing objective and reliable information and analysis to the Congress, to federal agencies, and to the public, and recommending improvements, when appropriate, on a wide variety of issues to make government work better. This vacancy is for graduate internship positions. The anticipated start dates begin in May 2026.

Major Duties:

• 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 include: 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 skillsets.

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: Have completed between 18 to 35 semester hours or 27 to 53 quarter hours of graduate level education in one of the following IT-related majors: computer science, engineering, information science, information systems management, mathematics, operations research, statistics, or technology management; Have a Bachelor's degree with Superior Academic Achievement (defined below) majoring in one of the areas listed above; Have a Bachelor's degree with Superior Academic Achievement in any major 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 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 completed 36 or more semester hours or 54 or more quarter hours of graduate level education 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 network; Have a Master's Degree or equivalent graduate degree in one of the majors listed above; 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. NOTE: You must be a current student enrolled in a graduate program seeking a degree from an accredited educational institution on a full or half-time basis. 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.

How to Apply: To apply for this position, you must complete the online application and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. A complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on the closing date of the announcement to receive consideration. - To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application. - Follow the prompts to select your résumé and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. - After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process. - You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://my.usajobs.gov/Account/Login), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://www.usajobs.gov/Help/how-to/application/status/.

Application Deadline: 2026-01-05