Summary
Are you currently enrolled in a college or graduate program and seeking a valuable opportunity while you study?
The Office of Audit within the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General is looking for passionate and driven students for our Student Cooperative program. These opportunities will support multiple directorates in:
- Arlington, VA
- Bethesda, MD
- Denver, CO
- Raleigh, NC
- Woburn, MA
Bring your skills and voice to our team!
Learn more about this agency
Duties
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IMPORTANT NOTE: The Student Cooperative Program provides year-round, part-time employment for students actively enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate degree program. It is
not a semester-only opportunity and cannot be limited to spring, summer, or fall participation.
About the Office of Audit
The
USPS OIG' s Office of Audit conducts and supervises objective, independent audits and reviews of U.S. Postal Service and Postal Regulatory Commission programs and operations to:
- Prevent and detect fraud, waste, and misconduct;
- Promote economy, efficiency, effectiveness, and program integrity;
- Keep the Board of Governors, Congress, Postal Regulatory Commission, and Postal Service management informed of problems, deficiencies, and corresponding corrective actions;
- Foster transparency through timely and well-messaged reports to a myriad of stakeholders.
- Learn more about our audit process here.
About Our Directorates
- Audit Services directorate provides guidance and support to the Office of Audit, including budgeting, contracting, audit policies, quality assurance, data analysis, statistical sampling, audit reporting, training, strategic planning, project administration, and coordination across the OIG.
- Contracts & Supply Management directorate audits major Postal Service contracting efforts to determine if costs are being effectively and efficiently controlled by current purchasing policies, initiatives, and practices.
- Human Capital Management directorate conducts audits of Postal Service human resources, security, government relations, and environmental sustainability programs. The U.S. Postal Service employs more than 634,000 individuals nationwide to provide reliable, universal service that connects people and grows businesses.
- Mail Safety & Security directorate coordinates with the United States Postal Inspection Service in performance audits. Our audits aim to protect the sanctity of the mail and promote program integrity, efficiency, and effectiveness within the US Postal Service and US Postal Inspection Service.
- Network Operations directorate audits the Postal Service's processing, transportation, and delivery operations.
- Technology Operations directorate conducts various types of audits and evaluations of the Postal Service's cybersecurity and technology processes, tools, and operations. The directorate audits one of the world's largest technology infrastructures, which includes five national deployment and solution centers, 32,000 network locations, 20,000 servers, and more than 930 applications operating on more than 180,000 devices.
About the Student Cooperative Position
The student cooperative will gain valuable experience by contributing to audits and projects. A student cooperative:
- Performs specialized administrative duties with continuing responsibility for projects, questions, or problems related to a review/project. Each assignment typically consists of a series of related actions or decisions prior to final completion.
- Addresses a wide variety of problems or situations common to the segment of the program or function to which the employee is assigned. Decisions or recommendations are based on the development and evaluation of information that comes from various sources.
- Identifies and studies factors or conditions and determines their interrelationships as appropriate to the defined area of work.
- Takes or recommends actions that are consistent with the objectives and requirements of the program or functions.
- Recognizes the dimensions of the problems involved, collects the necessary information, establishes the facts, and takes or recommends action based upon application or interpretation of established guidelines.
- Provides applicable oral and written support for briefings and other related products.
- Adapts and interacts well in situations that involve diverse team and work dynamics.
Please note that the duties and responsibilities associated with these positions may vary based upon the area of assignment. The preceding description of major duties and responsibilities is only intended to give applicants a general overview of the expectations.
Position Compensation
These positions are being advertised at the Administrative Band level, equivalent to a GS-05. The hourly pay range for these positions is $20.45 to $26.99. Authorized locality is included in this range for all geographic area locations. Learn more about locality specifics by visiting: OPM's General Schedule (GS).
The Student Cooperative Program offers competitive, locality-adjusted pay based on academic standing. Base hourly rates are as follows:
- Sophomore students: $16.73 per hour, plus applicable locality pay
- Junior and Senior students: $17.78 per hour, plus applicable locality pay
- Graduate and Law students: $20.15 per hour, plus applicable locality pay
Requirements
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Conditions of employment
- Must be a U.S. Citizen.
- Must be able to pass a drug screening.
- Must be able to pass a background investigation.
- 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.
- May require some travel.
Qualifications
Candidates will be evaluated on the skills that they possess that are directly related to the duties of the position and/or 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 08/05/2026 will be considered.
Position Minimum Requirements
You must meet all minimum requirements listed below.
- Degree/Major Requirement: Students must be currently enrolled in an auditing, accounting, or related field (see below list of related degrees) full or half-time in an accredited college or university program, classified or academically ranked by semester hours as a Sophomore, Junior, Senior or Graduate student graduating no sooner than May 2027. You must submit transcripts stating current enrollment status, GPA, and in good standing.
- GPA Requirement: 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.
- Work Location Requirement: Students must report in person to the USPS OIG duty station to which they are assigned.
- During the academic semester: 10-30 hours per week
- During school breaks: Up to 40 hours per week (with management approval)
- Systems Experience: Must have experience with computer software applications such as Microsoft Office, Office365, Word, Excel, etc.
Auditor (0511) Related and Accepted Degrees:
- Business Related, including but not limited to:
- Auditing, Accounting, Business Administration, Economics, Finance, International Business, Management, Marketing, Organizational Behavior/Psychology, etc.
- Government Related, including but not limited to:
- Criminal Justice, Political Science, Public Administration, Public Policy, Law, Public Relations/Communications, etc.
- Technically Related, including but not limited to:
- Engineering, Data Analytics, Computer Science, Statistics, Cybersecurity, Human Resources, Information Technology, Journalism/Investigative Reporting, Logistics, Supply Chain Management, etc.
Desired Qualifications
- Interest in obtaining professional certifications, such as Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) and Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA).
- Experience with using techniques from a range of disciplines, including computer programming, mathematics, and statistics, to draw conclusions from data to describe, predict, and improve performance. Use of software such as ACL, R, SAS, SPSS, and Power BI is a plus.
Evaluation Factors
- A structured Interview will be conducted for the top rated applicants to validate your experience meets the critical competencies at the minimum proficiency level:
- Collaboration and Teamwork - Experience working with others to build constructive and collaborative working relationships in order to solve problems and achieve common goals, working respectfully and effectively with others in a team or project-based setting
- Communication - Experience communicating orally and in writing sufficient to convey information in a clear, concise manner appropriate for the targeted audience, using the appropriate methodology (e.g., speaking, email, documentation, reports, and presentations), and active listening skills.
- Technology/Software Fluency - Experience using word processing, spreadsheet/data analysis and presentation development software applications such as Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint while preparing briefings, reports and presentations.
- Analysis/Critical Thinking - Knowledge or experience using routine data collection and diagnostic tools, techniques, and procedures sufficient to clarify a situation, identify needed information (e.g., resources, materials, knowledge from others), collect and document information in an organized manner, and to prepare standardized reports summarizing information.
- Accuracy/Attention to Detail - Experience reviewing information and materials sufficient to ensure completeness and accuracy of one's own work and to ensure standard operating procedures are followed correctly.
- Stress Tolerance/Resiliency - Experience performing effectively when faced with time pressure, adversity, disappointment or opposition
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://www.ed.gov/about/initiatives/international-affairs.
Additional information
Student Cooperatives are not eligible for USPS OIG Employee Benefits.
Reasonable AccommodationsThis 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.
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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.
Benefits
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