Student Trainee (Congressional & Public Affairs) - Pathways Internship

Summary

Join the Small Business Administration (SBA), Office of Inspector General (OIG), where our team promotes accountability, integrity, and effectiveness through audits, investigations, and oversight. The OIG Pathways Internship Program offers students enrolled in qualifying educational institutions paid opportunities to gain valuable experience, develop professional skills, and explore Federal careers while completing their education.

Duties

As a Student Trainee (Congressional and Public Affairs) with the SBA Office of Inspector General (OIG), you will receive hands-on training and experience supporting congressional affairs, legislative research, public communications, and administrative operations. Duties include: Congressional Affairs Support: Assist in monitoring, tracking, and researching congressional legislation, amendments, hearings, and policy developments affecting SBA OIG programs. Maintain congressional contact lists, legislative tracking records, and stakeholder databases. Congressional Correspondence and Briefings: Assist in drafting congressional correspondence, briefing materials, reports, and testimony. Attend and summarize congressional hearings, briefings, and meetings, and support the coordination of congressional inquiries and related activities. Research and Policy Analysis: Conduct research on legislative developments, federal policies, and oversight issues affecting SBA OIG operations. Assist in preparing research summaries, memoranda, reports, and data presentations to support leadership decision-making. Public Affairs and Media Relations: Assist in drafting press releases, talking points, public statements, and other communication materials. Monitor news coverage and social media, maintain media contact records, and support responses to media inquiries. Strategic Communications: Support the development of communication strategies, public information campaigns, and social media content to promote awareness of SBA OIG activities, initiatives, and oversight responsibilities. Administrative and Executive Support: Perform administrative duties, including maintaining records, entering data, scheduling meetings, and coordinating events. Assists the Executive Officer with administrative and operational task in support of the Inspector General and the overall mission of the Office of the Inspector General. Qualifications

GS-0399-04: Completion of 2 academic years of post-high school study OR successful completion of the requirements for an Associate's degree (please verify by attaching a copy of your college transcripts). Academic year of undergraduate education (post-high school study): A minimum of 30 semester or 45 quarter hours at an accredited college or university; or A minimum of 36 weeks at an accredited business, technical, vocational, or qualifying educational institution for at least 20 classroom hours per week. Additional information on the qualification requirements is outlined in the OPM Qualifications Standards Handbook of General Schedule Positions. It is available for your review on OPM's Qualifications website. All qualification requirements must be met by 11:59 pm (Eastern Time) on 11/03/2026.

Education

You MUST submit transcripts (official or unofficial), student schedule or enrollment letter with this application if you wish to be considered for this vacancy. APPLICANTS PLEASE NOTE: 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 (particularly positions with a positive education requirement.) Therefore, applicants must report only attendance and/or degrees from schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Verify School accreditation. All education claimed by applicants will be verified by the appointing agency accordingly. If you are selected for this position, you will be required to provide an OFFICIAL transcript prior to your first day on duty. *** If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. *** For further information, click on: Foreign Education. How You Will Be Evaluated

Applicants meeting basic eligibility requirements will be further evaluated based on additional assessments. One of these assessment is USA Hire. Based on your application and your responses to the application questionnaire, you may be presented with instructions on how to access the USA Hire system to complete the online assessments. The online assessments must be completed within 48 hours following the close of this announcement. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation for the assessment should you have a disability covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Your USA Hire assessment results will be kept on record for one year and used toward future positions for which you might apply that require the same assessments. The assessments relate to the following Competencies required to do the work of this position: Customer Service Interpersonal Skills Oral Communication Writing In order to be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. One of the required assessments for this position is an online assessment that measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. The assessment includes a cut score based on the minimum level of required proficiency in these critical general competencies. You must meet or exceed the cut score to be considered. You will not be considered for the position if you score below the cut score or fail to complete the assessment. Your application will be evaluated under the Category Rating method based on your assessments. You will receive a score based on the responses to the assessment questions. If, after reviewing your resume and or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience your score can and will be adjusted to more accurately reflect your abilities. If you meet basic requirements for the position, your application will be evaluated and placed into one of three categories: 1. Best-Qualified: highly proficient with an overall comprehensive level of knowledge, skills and abilities related to the job based on a complete review of experience, education, and training as described in an applicant's responses to the assessment questions and resume. 2. Well-Qualified: competent in the position with an overall accomplished level of knowledge, skills, and abilities related to the job based on a complete review of experience, training, and education as applicable, as described in an applicant's responses to the assessment questions and resume. 3. Qualified: an overall basic level of knowledge, skills, and abilities related to the job based on a complete review of experience, education, and training, as described in an applicant's responses to the assessment questions and resume. Candidates eligible for veterans' preference will be placed ahead of other candidates in the appropriate category for which they have been rated. Additionally, preference eligibles who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent and who meet Minimum Qualification Requirements will automatically be placed in the Best Qualified Category. Other Information

Reasonable Accommodation Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended and Americans with Disabilities Act 1990 as amended, that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a reasonable accommodation in your online application. Requests for Reasonable Accommodations for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for Reasonable Accommodation must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for Reasonable Accommodations are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a Reasonable Accommodation, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments