Computer Scientist (Recent Graduate)

Summary

This vacancy is for a Computer Scientist (Recent Graduate) position in the Human Resources Division located at the U.S. Census Bureau Headquarters in Suitland, Maryland. The Census Bureau is accessible from the Metro Rail Green Line - Suitland Station. This Job Opportunity Announcement may be used to fill other Computer Scientist (Recent Graduate), 1550-7/9, FPL GS-12, positions within the Census Bureau in the same geographical location with the same qualifications and specialized experience.

Duties

• Routine maintenance and design of regular, recurring software development and software testing of a limited scope in the area of data processing and application development.
• Analyze specific needs and product requirements to create code for software programs based on a specified set of rules, standards and/or policies.
• Follow software development life cycle and project management best practices for software development.
• Participate in such things as system documentation, configurations management, stakeholder engagement, risk identification and quality management as determined by senior staff.

Qualifications

MINIMUM QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: Basic Entry Requirements for All Grade Levels: You must be a Recent College Graduates from qualifying institutions within two years of degree or certification (Veterans precluded by their military service obligation, will have up to six years to apply). Students with a transcript with a degree confer date on or before September 30, 2026, will be considered for the Recent Graduate Program. Graduation / expected graduation date MUST be indicated on your resume. NOTE: To show proof of meeting the Basic Entry Requirements, all applicants MUST submit a copy of their college transcripts. See the Required Documents section for more information. Minimum Education Requirement: Individual Occupational Requirement for all grades: Bachelor's degree in computer science or bachelor's degree with 30 semester hours in a combination of mathematics, statistics, and computer science. At least 15 of the 30 semester hours must have included any combination of statistics and mathematics that included differential and integral calculus. All academic degrees and course work must be from accredited or pre-accredited institutions. Evaluation of Education: Applicants should have sufficient knowledge to understand the fundamental concepts and techniques of computer science. Courses designed to provide an introduction to computer science techniques and methodologies, to problems of system design, and to other specialized fields are acceptable. Courses or experience in teaching elementary, business, or shop mathematics are not acceptable. In addition to meeting the minimum education requirement listed above, applicants must have specialized experience and/or directly related education in the amounts listed below for each grade level. GS-07: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: For the GS-07, you must have one year of experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-05 in the Federal service. Experience for this position includes: supporting software and system development in a professional and/or academic environment; AND assisting in the development of software through various techniques such as data structures, software engineering, and computer communication. OR YOU MAY QUALIFY FOR THE GS-07 BASED ON EDUCATION: 1 full year of graduate-level education or superior academic achievement. SUPERIOR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT: Bachelor's degree with superior academic achievement is defined as:(1) Class standing -- You must be in the upper third of the graduating class in the college, university, or major subdivision based on completed courses, (2) Grade-point average (G.P.A.) -- You must have 3.0 or higher out of a possible 4.0 based on 4 years of education, or as computed based on courses completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum OR 3.5 or higher out of a possible 4.0 based on the average of the required courses completed in the major field or the required courses in the major field completed during the final 2 years of the curriculum, or (3) Election to membership in a national scholastic honor society -- You are a member of one of the national scholastic honor societies recognized by the Association of College Honor Societies (https://www.achshonor.org/) GS-09: SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: For the GS-09, you must have one year of experience at a level of difficulty and responsibility equivalent to the GS-07 in the Federal service. Experience for this position includes: providing routine maintenance and design of software development and software testing throughout the software development life cycle; analyzing needs and product requirements to create code; AND conducting routine program testing to ensure quality control. OR YOU MAY QUALIFY FOR THE GS-09 BASED ON EDUCATION: 2 years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree. NOTE: Education and experience may be combined for all grade levels for which both education and experience are acceptable. Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer. After you submit this application, you will receive an e-mail informing you that a USA Hire assessment is required. You will have 48 hours from the closing date of this announcement to complete the assessment as this assessment is part of your application.

How to apply

Please read the entire announcement and all the instructions before you begin an application. To apply and be considered for this position, you must complete all required questionnaires, assessments and submit all required documentation as specified in the How to Apply and Required Documents section. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) the date the first 200 applicants are received or on 09/15/2026 to receive consideration. The application process is as follows: Click the Apply Online button. Answer the questions presented in the application and attach all necessary supporting documentation. Click the Submit Application button prior to 11:59 PM (ET) on the announcement closing date. If you are required to complete any USA Hire Assessments, you will be notified after submitting your application. The notification will be provided in your application submission screen and via email. The notification will include your unique assessment access link to the USA Hire system and the completion deadline. Additionally, in USAJOBS you can click "Track this application" to return to your assessment completion notice. Access USA Hire using your unique assessment link. Access is granted through your USAJOBS login credentials. Review all instructions prior to beginning your assessments. You will have the opportunity to request a testing accommodation before beginning the assessments should you have a disability covered under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. Set aside about two (2) hours to take the USA Hire Assessments; however, most applicants complete the assessments in less time. If you need to stop the assessments and continue later, you can re-use your unique assessment link. Your responses to the USA Hire Assessments will be reused for one year (in most cases) from the date you complete an assessment. If future applications you submit require completion of the same assessments, your responses will be automatically reused. Visit the USA Hire Applicant Resource Center for practice assessments and assessment preparation resources. To update your application, including supporting documentation: During the announcement open period, return to your USA JOBS account, find your application record, and click Edit my application. This option will no longer be available once the announcement has closed. To view the announcement status or your application status: Visit USAJOBS Help Center - How to see your application and job status. Applicants are strongly encouraged to apply online; however, if you are unable to apply online, please email the agency contact.