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Student Cooperative for the Office of the Chief Information Officer Team (PAID)

U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General
Email

Please visit our website at www.uspsoig.gov or see link below.

 https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/858719200

 

Are you a college or graduate student interested in working for a fun, fast-paced team where you can make an impact?

The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS OIG) has an opportunity for you! The USPS OIG is seeking students enrolled in college/university programs to fill our Student Cooperative - (Paid) position in the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) located in Arlington, VA. Bring your skills and voice to our team!

Duties

An OCIO Student Co-op role is a fantastic opportunity for students to gain hands-on experience in software quality assurance, development lifecycles, and IT operations. Working closely with developers, test managers, and multiple teams in the CIO, the Co-op will participate in the systematic testing and evaluation of software solutions to ensure performance meets agency standards and customer requirements.

This role provides direct exposure to enterprise-level software development, tasking the student with translating business needs into technical test cases, executing those tests against new software deployments, and documenting and presenting test results to developers and management, directly contributing to successful software deployment. The successful candidate will assist in identifying system defects, collaborating with developers to troubleshoot issues, and working with management to ensure that delivered software is error-free and fit-for-purpose.

The selected candidate has the potential to transition into other technical roles as their abilities are successfully demonstrated over time. Including but not limited to a quality engineering, software development, database administration, or Azure development.

The successful Student Cooperative is eligible 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 03/11/2026 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 $16.73 - $20.15/hour. Locality Pay is authorized.

Sophomore $22.41 per hour includes locality pay
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 that the duties and responsibilities associated with this position may vary based upon the area of assignment. The following description of major duties and responsibilities is only intended to give applicants a general overview of the expectations. The student cooperative performs specialized duties with continuing responsibility for projects, questions, or issues that arise in the area of assignment/curriculum. Each assignment typically consists of a series of related actions or decisions prior to final completion.

  • Assist with the quality assurance lifecycle by identifying potential risks and ensuring code stability before agency-wide releases.
  • Assist in executing systematic software testing by performing functional, regression, and usability testing.
  • Leverage automated testing platforms to streamline the bug-reporting process and support continuous integration initiatives.
  • Assist in verifying that software applications correctly connect to and retrieve data from internal sources, ensuring systems perform tasks accurately and autonomously.
  • Participate in meetings with developers, test managers, and stakeholders to help translate complex business needs into clear, actionable technical requirements and test cases.
  • Assist in creating comprehensive test plans, bug reports, and user-facing guides to simplify technical software updates for end-user groups.
  • Assist in optimizing development operations by identifying bottlenecks in the testing process and researching emerging industry trends in software quality assurance.
  • Research automation test tools and development tools that will enhance the quality and speed of our software releases.

Conditions of employment

  • Must be a U.S. Citizen.
  • Must be able to pass a drug screening.
  • Must be able to obtain and maintain a Moderate Background Investigation (MBI) clearance.
  • Must be able to work a minimum of 10 hours per week (while school is in session students can work up to 30 hours per week, and while school is not in session students can work up to 40 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. (MUST SUBMIT TRANSCRIPT STATING CURRENT ENROLLMENT STATUS, GPA AND IN GOOD STANDING - an unofficial transcript from the university is acceptable. May be required to produce an official transcript prior to receipt of a formal offer.)

AND

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

AND

  • Must be currently pursuing a degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, Business, or a related field.

AND

  • Must be able to report to work year-round in the USPS OIG office. (Minimum one-year commitment)


DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

  • Knowledge or experience testing types such as unit, functional, regression, and user acceptance testing (UAT).
  • Experience working within Azure PaaS.
  • Experience using Azure DevOps or similar platforms to document test cases and track software defects through the resolution process.
  • Exposure to software environments and the ability to read technical documentation to collaborate effectively with developers on system improvements.
  • Working knowledge of web development including Single Page Application (SPA) design.
  • Working knowledge of object-oriented programming.
  • Working knowledge of JavaScript, JSON, or HTML.
  • Working knowledge of .NET.
  • Experience with Microsoft SQL server and writing T-SQL or similar.
  • Experience with AI tools and technologies.
  • Knowledge of Microsoft 365 services, including Teams, OneDrive, and Azure.
  • Familiarity with IT governance, cybersecurity, and cloud computing is a plus.


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.

  • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
  • Excellent communication and teamwork abilities.
  • Ability to work independently and manage multiple tasks.
  • Ability to work effectively within a team and assist in developing actionable technical solutions.
  • Demonstrated written and oral communications skills.
  • Experience using Microsoft Office programs, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
  • Knowledge of modern development lifecycles (e.g., SDLC, Agile) and bug-tracking workflows and an aptitude for learning software testing principles.

We're looking for a year-round, paid student cooperative. We want a team player who enjoys learning and able to work in our Arlington VA, headquarters office. We are looking for a high-energy student who is comfortable alternating between working independently and as part of a team
 

Education

Education must be accredited by an institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Applicants can verify accreditation here: https://www.ed.gov/laws-and-policy/higher-education-laws-and-policy/college-accreditation.

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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications

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.

Hide additional information

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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, 03/11/2026, 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.