How we work
We collaborate with public servants throughout the government to address some of the most critical needs and ultimately deliver a better government experience to people. We work across multiple agencies and bring best practices from our various disciplines.
Building a team with a broad range of experiences to transform government.
With tours of service lasting no more than four years, the U.S. Digital Service brings fresh perspectives on technology and delivery to the government. To build the best possible team, we focus on the same values in our hiring as we do in our work.
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Hire and empower great people. We work to address some of our nation’s most critical needs. We hire people with the experience, skills, compassion, curiosity, and tenacity to find new paths forward.
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Design with users, not for them. We build better solutions when our team reflects the people we serve, including people from communities that are traditionally underserved. We hire people from different demographic backgrounds, various industries, and all corners of the United States and its territories. We strongly encourage people who identify as Black, Hispanic/Latinx, Native/Indigenous, women, LGBTQ+, disabled, veterans, and members of other underserved communities to apply.
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Go where the work is. We prioritize our work based on how much we’re needed—and how much impact we can make. We go where we’re needed most to do the greatest good for the greatest number of people in the greatest need.
Learn more about who we hire and how we work below. If you don’t find a description that fits you, but think you can help push our mission forward, we encourage you to apply.
Engineering
Engineers will rarely find the opportunity to work on systems that are more mission-critical than those you’ll encounter at USDS, where we build, scale, and troubleshoot systems of huge reach. The technology we work on is not bleeding edge, and USDS is not an engineering-first organization; we are most successful advocating for modern software practices when we work alongside product managers, UX designers, and acquisition specialists.
Skills you might bring to the engineering community: programming, modern architecture, incident response, technical communication, project and team management, or collaborative engineering practices.
Design and user experience
USDS designers know that people using government services come from an endless range of experiences and contexts, so we design alongside those people to make sure content is easily understood, and experiences are simple, consistent, and useful. We often introduce human-centered design practices to the government.
Skills you might bring to the design community: design process, systems thinking, leadership, user research, interaction design, service design, design operations, content strategy, visual design, front-end development, or art direction.
Data science
USDS data scientists tap into deep reservoirs of unrefined government data in search of the insights that power our teams. We might pinpoint opportunities to fix broken processes, predict the effects of policy change, or identify inequities in government services. We do our best work when we collaborate with qualitative researchers and subject matter experts to build shared understanding.
Skills you might bring to the data community: statistical analysis, machine learning and AI, data engineering, data visualization and communication, data ethics, or public policy analysis.
Product, strategy, and operations
Product folks at USDS focus on data to make product decisions based on reality, not politics. We’re not necessarily the project leads; we may write tickets and prioritize backlogs, identify strategy, negotiate contracts, or present to high-level stakeholders. We work with our teams to identify the possible paths to success based on user research and technical feasibility, and deliver the best solution, together.
Skills you might bring to the product community: execution, communication, leadership, user focus, grit, product delivery, product strategy, capacity building, government expertise, or data analysis.
Procurement
USDS acquisition strategists make buying digital services for the government more efficient and effective. Often, agencies don’t have the capacity or expertise to build their own digital services, so they partner with technical experts outside the government. From jumping in on short discovery sprints to acquisition strategy across product portfolios, our biggest strengths are in market intelligence, innovating on evaluation methods, and creating contracts that focus on results over requirements.
Skills you might bring to the procurement community: digital market knowledge, federal procurement process, strategic advice, or technical acumen.
Bringing private sector best practices to the Federal Government
Private industry knows how to work fast, lean, and keep the focus on the user. Now government does too.
Put users first
Good design is design that works for everyone. We want our users to feel informed, empowered, prepared, and in control.
Build iteratively
We build services using adaptive and iterative practices, leveraging modern infrastructure and automation to rapidly and frequently release new features with minimum risk.
Let data drive decisions
Focusing on data allows us to make choices that reflect reality while minimizing bias and politics.
Prioritizing the greatest good for the greatest number of people in the greatest need
We select critical projects based on what makes the greatest impact on everyday people.
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Internal Revenue ServiceFiling taxes for free with IRS’ Direct File
USDS partnered with the IRS to deliver the IRS Direct File Pilot, a free way for eligible people to file their taxes for free, directly with the IRS.
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Social Security AdministrationContinuously improving SSA.gov
The Social Security Administration is building on the momentum from their partnership with the U.S. Digital Service by implementing iterative research, best practices, and a data-informed approach to ensure the website is usable and useful.
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Centers for Disease Control and PreventionPreparing for the next pandemic while building tech for COVID-19
We worked with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to quickly create and scale technology programs that digitize and share infectious disease test results in real-time.
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Health and Human ServicesModernizing the child care application process
USDS partnered with ACF’s policy and subject matter experts to create a Model Child Care Assistance Application and eligibility verification practices that met federal guidelines and demonstrated the “art of what’s possible.
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Cross-agencyOptimizing benefits for families
Working alongside The Department of Treasury and the White House, we built ChildTaxCredit.gov to educate families about the expanded Earned Income Credit and Child Tax Credit. The USDS team relied on in-depth research to create a site that is accessible, easy-to-read, and provides resources to find free tax services.
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Cross-agencyChanging how the government hires technical talent
We helped develop a process that allows HR to leverage subject matter experts to evaluate candidates for specialized roles. The result restores fair and open access for all applicants, shortens the hiring timeline, and ensures applicants are truly qualified.
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Veterans AffairsSimplifying Veteran‑facing services through VA.gov
Each month, over 10 million people attempt to access the digital tools and content at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and have historically struggled to find what they’re looking for. Digital modernization efforts needed to focus on improving the user experience.