Federal

Student Trainee (Contracting)

Defense Logistics Agency ยท Department of Defense
๐Ÿ“ Philadelphia, Pennsylvania GS-3/4 $35,741 - $52,158/yr
Posted: Apr 3, 2026 Deadline: Apr 10, 2026 (Closes in 3 days days left)

About This Position

VACANCY INFORMATION AND AVAILABLE CAREER FIELDS: DLA Troop Support at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - Student Trainee (Contracting) - GS-03/04 target GS-05, Multiple Full-time/Part-Time Permanent positions.

Qualifications

To qualify you must meet the eligibility and education requirements.

Your qualifications are evaluated based upon your total amount of COMPLETED education. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS: Students must be a citizen of the United States or lawfully admitted to the United States as a permanent resident or otherwise authorized to be employed. Current students enrolled in, and in good academic standing at, a full time program at an accredited institution of higher education; and Making satisfactory progress toward receipt of a baccalaureate or graduate degree; and Completion of at least one year of the program.

Students who have completed or are currently enrolled in the following degree programs: business, accounting, human resources, management, or other closely related business degree OR a degree program that provides at least 24 semester hours in any combination of the following fields: accounting, business, finance, law, contracts, purchasing, economics, industrial management, marketing, quantitative methods, or organization and management are preferred. EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS: GS-3 Level Qualifications: Successful completion of one academic year of post-high school education. (One academic year of undergraduate education is defined as 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours, or the equivalent in an accredited college or university.) GS-4 Level Qualifications: Successful completion of two academic years of post-high school study or associate's degree. (Two academic years of undergraduate education is defined as 60 semester hours, 90 quarter hours, or the equivalent in an accredited college or university.)

Major Duties

As a student hire, you will actively participate in on-the-job training and progressively challenging assignments that relate to your academic program, career goals, and the needs of the agency.

Education

**You MUST provide transcripts or other documentation to support your educational claims.

Your transcripts must indicate a passing grade to be creditable towards the required hours. Unless otherwise stated, unofficial transcripts are acceptable at time of application. GRADUATE EDUCATION: One academic year of graduate education is considered to be the number of credits hours that your graduate school has determined to represent one academic year of full-time study.

Such study may have been performed on a full-time or part-time basis. If you cannot obtain your graduate school's definition of one year of graduate study, 18 semester hours (or 27 quarter hours) should be considered as satisfying the requirement for one year of full-time graduate study. FOREIGN EDUCATION: If you are using education completed in foreign colleges or universities to meet the qualification requirements, you must show that the education credentials have been evaluated by a private organization that specializes in interpretation of foreign education programs and such education has been deemed equivalent to that gained in an accredited U.S. education program; or full credit has been given for the courses at a U.S. accredited college or university.

How You Will Be Evaluated

To determine if you are qualified for this job, your resume and supporting documentation will be evaluated and reviewed to verify that you meet the basic eligibility and qualification requirements outlined above. The assessments for this job will measure the following Competencies: Attention to Detail Learning Self-Management Flexibility Interpersonal Skills Problem Solving Technology Application Direct Hire Evaluation: Once the application process is complete, a review of your application will be made to ensure you meet the job requirements. This vacancy will be filled through the Department of Defense Direct Hire Authority for Post-Secondary Students and Recent Graduates.

All applicants who meet the basic qualification requirements will be forwarded to the Selecting Official for consideration. The rule of Three, Veteran's Preference and traditional rating and ranking of applicants do not apply to this vacancy. We will evaluate your application for basic eligibility and to determine if your experience meets the basic qualification requirements described in the announcement.

All applicants who meet the qualifications and other basic requirement are eligible for referral and selection consideration. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating.

Additional Information

Multiple positions may be filled from this announcement. Salary Information: The rate range for the positions/grades to be filled are as follows: GS-03 ($35,741 - $46,467, Steps 01 - 10), GS-04 ($40,120 - $52,158, Steps 01 - 10) Please

note: Most student positions will be filled at the entry level which is represented by the lower end of the rate ranges. PLACEMENT INTO THE DLA PATHWAYS TO CAREER EXCELLENCE (PaCE) PROGRAM: Students successfully completing their education and work experience requirements under the DLA Pathways Internship Program may be placed at the GS-7 level in the DLA PaCE Program provided their position is in one of the covered career fields and they meet qualifications. To qualify for the DLA PaCE Program, the student must possess a Bachelor's degree AND meet the criteria for Superior Academic Achievement; OR possess 1 full year of graduate level education; OR possess 1 year of specialized experience in the career field at the GS-5 grade level.

Please review the applicable corporate career fields at: http://www.dla.mil/careers/CareerField/PaCE.aspx Please review the General Information and Definitions at: http://www.dla.mil/portals/104/documents/careers/GenAppInfoDef.pdf Reemployed Annuitants: This position does not meet criteria for appointment of Reemployed Annuitants. The DoD criteria for hiring Reemployed Annuitants can be found at: https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/140025/140025_vol300.PDF Information for Veterans is available at: http://www.dla.mil/Careers/Programs/veterans.aspx Drug-Free Workplace Policy The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) is committed to maintaining a safe, drug-free workplace. All DLA employees are required to refrain from illegal drug use on and off duty.

DLA conducts pre-employment, reasonable suspicion, post-accident, and random drug testing. Applicants tentatively selected for employment in testing designated positions will undergo a urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Refusal to undergo testing or testing positive for illegal drugs will result in withdrawal of the tentative job offer and a six-month denial of employment with DLA from the date of the drug test.

Employees in drug testing designated positions are subject to random drug testing. The DLA drug testing panel tests for the following substances: marijuana, cocaine, opiates, heroin, phencyclidine, amphetamines, methamphetamines, fentanyl, norfentanyl, methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), and opioids. ADVISORY: Use of cannabidiol (CBD) products may result in a positive drug test for marijuana.

DLA employees are subject to Federal law and under Federal law, Marijuana is a Schedule I drug and is illegal. Additional guidance on writing a federal resume can be found at: USAJOBS Help Center - How do I write a resume for a federal job? The resume builder can help you create a resume using these recommendations and uses the information in your USAJOBS profile to help you get started.

How to Apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply for this position, you must complete the initial online application, to include submission of the required documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. To receive consideration for the initial cut-off date, the complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) of that established date. The application process is as follows: 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. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation.

NOTE: Resumes up to a total of two pages will be accepted.

Your resume must not exceed two (2) pages. If your resume exceeds the two-page limit, you will be removed from consideration for this announcement.

Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on 04/10/2026 You may update your application documents and some questions related to your personal information at any time during the announcement open period. However, you will not be able to make changes to questions related to assessing the minimum qualifications and competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics) mentioned in the "How You Will Be Evaluated" section above. To make an allowed update to your application, return to your USAJOBS account (https://www.usajobs.gov).

There you will find a record of your application, the application status, and an option to Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To verify the status of your application both during and after the announcement open period, log into your USAJOBS account at https://www.usajobs.gov.

On the Home page, scroll down and locate your job application. Once the job has been located, click the "Track this application" link on the right under the application date. The page will refresh to display the Agency's Application Information page where you can scroll down and review any notifications the agency has sent you.

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/. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application.

Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA 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 RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments here: https://appsupport.usastaffing.gov/hc/en-us/articles/29113644431764-Requesting-an-accommodation. To preview the questionnaire, please go to https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12929042

Required Documents

To apply for this position you must provide a complete Application Package. Each Application Package MUST include: Resume: IMPORTANT UPDATE: Your resume must not exceed two (2) pages. If your resume exceeds the two-page limit, you will be removed from consideration for this announcement.

The resume and required supporting documentation should provide the minimum qualifications and relevant experience for the announced position. Must include the work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment, and duties performed. If multiple resumes are submitted by an applicant, only the last resume submitted will be reviewed for qualifications and referred for selection consideration, if eligible.

The resume must not be more than 5MB and should be saved and uploaded as a PDF to maintain formatting and number of pages. We also accept GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, TXT, PDF, ODT or Word (DOC or DOCX). We do not accept PDF portfolio files.

Page margins should be 0.5 inches, and font styles must be legible. Consider using 14-point size font for titles and 10-point for the main text. We recommend using a font like Lato, if available. Other widely available options are Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open San Source Sans Pro, Roboto or Noro Sans.

TRANSCRIPTS AND/OR PROOF OF ENROLLMENT: Unofficial transcripts are required to verify current degree program, successfully completed course work, and cumulative GPA.

Your transcripts MUST clearly identify your major, earned credit hours, and cumulative GPA. If you are changing schools and only have an acceptance letter from the new school, you are required to provide transcripts from your previous school along with the acceptance letter from the school you will attend. If your transcripts do not state your major and degree program, you must submit a letter on school letterhead identifying your major and degree program. If selected, official transcripts will be required.

Note: If you are a recent graduate, you must also show proof of enrollment in another degree program to be considered. CURRENT CLASS SCHEDULE: You must submit your current class schedule to verify you are taking a full-time course load. If current term has been completed, you must provide your class schedule for the next enrolled term. OCCUPATIONAL QUESTIONNAIRE: This is to be completed online. Make sure you click the "Submit My Answers" button at the end of the questionnaire.

NOTE: If you fail to provide the above listed documents, your application package will be considered incomplete and you will be found ineligible. If you are requesting a reasonable accommodation to the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, submit documentation to support your request, including the Reasonable Accommodation Request Form found here.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the salary for the Student Trainee (Contracting) position at Defense Logistics Agency?
The salary range for this position is $35,741 - $52,158/yr. This is a GS-3/4 position on the General Schedule pay scale. Actual pay may vary based on locality adjustments.
Where is the Student Trainee (Contracting) job located?
This position is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This is an on-site position.
What qualifications do I need?
To qualify you must meet the eligibility and education requirements. Your qualifications are evaluated based upon your total amount of COMPLETED education. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS: Students must be a citizen of the United States or lawfully admitted to the United States as a permanent resident or otherwise authorized to be employed. Current stu...
How do I apply for this position?
Apply through USAJobs.gov by clicking the 'Apply on USAJobs' button. You'll need a USAJobs account, a federal-style resume, and supporting documents. The deadline is Apr 10, 2026.
Is a security clearance required?
No security clearance is required for this position.
What does GS-3/4 mean?
GS-3/4 refers to the General Schedule grade level. Higher grades require more experience and offer higher pay. Visit our GS Pay Scale page for full salary tables by grade and locality.
What benefits do federal employees receive?
Federal employees receive comprehensive benefits including health insurance (FEHB), retirement through FERS, Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) with government matching, paid annual and sick leave, paid parental leave, life insurance, and student loan repayment programs.