Good benefits. Actual pensions. Clear salary structures. Stable careers. Reasonable hours. There are a lot of reasons why a job working for the US government can be an attractive career choice.
Granted, a government position isn’t the flashiest, and won’t hand out the stock options or salary bonuses that have historically made software engineering such a boon in the US. But tech jobs aren’t what they used to be, thanks to a ton of layoffs that are making six-figure positions increasingly rare.
In contrast, if there’s anything positive to say about government positions, it’s that they’ll be around for a long, long time.
What you might not know, however, is just how many remote positions are available for the government. You won’t always have to work gig snapping in-person license photos at the DMV or walking car buyers through their tax burdens. Here’s my guide on how to kickstart your career with the government from the comfort and safety of your own home.
Head Over to USA Jobs
The government’s job board is called “USA Jobs,” and it lists all the jobs available for applications across the country. Most of them are in-person, with north of 10,000 openings right now. Search for remote-only jobs, however, and you’ll find a healthy 290 remote-only positions to chose from.
Here, I’ve rounded up a selection of the job titles available today. These positions will change over time, as some are filled and others are opened, but it’s a decent snapshot of the types of career paths that the government needs remote workers to help out with.
Plus, thanks to government transparency, you’ll be graced with the exact salary floor to expect for each role. And I mean “exact” — for instance, an Executive Director at the Office of Acquisition and Logistics in the Department of Veterans Affairs starts at $74,441 per year.
Here are a few more available positions and salaries:
- Psychiatrist, Veterans Health Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs: Starting at $121,020 Per Year
- Social Worker (Telehealth), Indian Health Service, Department of Health and Human Services: Starting at $78,255 Per Year
- Procurement Technician, Library of Congress, Legislative Branch: Starting at $45,146 Per Year
- Mathematician, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health and Human Services: Starting at $72,553 Per Year
- Mathematical Statistician, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health and Human Services: Starting at $72,553 Per Year
- Operations Research Analyst, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health and Human Services: Starting at $72,553 Per Year
- IT Cybersecurity Specialist, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health and Human Services: Starting at $86,962 Per Year
- Human Resources Specialist, National Park Service, Department of the Interior: Starting at $86,962 Per Year
- Patent Examiner (Electrical Engineering and comparable STEM backgrounds), Patent and Trademark Office, Department of Commerce: Starting at $66,726 Per Year
- Procurement Analyst (Overseas), Peace Corps, Other Agencies and Independent Organizations: Starting at $116,470 Per Year
- IT SPECIALIST (SYSANALYSIS), Office of the Chief Information Officer, Department of Housing and Urban Development: Starting at $103,409 Per Year
- Data Scientist, Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, Department of Health and Human Services: Starting at $88,520 Per Year
Head over to the USA Jobs search results page with the “Only show remote jobs” filter applied, and get started today.
Just How Remote Are Remote Government Jobs?
Looks can be deceiving when it comes to remote job listings. Some are really hybrid positions that expect you to come into an office at regular or irregular intervals — which can really be a problem if that office is on the other side of the country.
For USA Jobs, all the “remote” positions are essentially fully remote, but may require occasional visits. For positions that require more regular in-person visits while still allowing for remote work sometimes, filter USA Jobs by the “telework” option — this opens up many more options. I found over 3,000 telework positions when writing this guide.
Telework positions will require you to work from an “approved alternative worksite (e.g. home or telework center),” according to the Department of the Interior, one of the 15 executive departments you might be able to apply for.
Sadly, there’s just no single standard for how often workers are expected to come in, even for a fully remote position. You’ll see a lot of variance, depending on the specific policy that the hiring agency decides on.
Is Remote Work for You?
Some people love remote work; others hate it. You’ll need to be someone who thrives under their own control, outside the structure of an office. Traits that can guide you to sucess as a remote worker include:
- Self-sufficiency
- Communicating often and well
- Managing time well
- Enjoying peace and quiet
- Solving problems by yourself
- Managing projects by yourself
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Many of the best and brightest remote workers say that they started working in-person positions, and leveraged their skills and track record in order to move to a fully remote position once their company valued them too much to allow them to leave.
For my part, I’ve already worked entirely remotely — even pre-pandemic — after getting my start in freelance gig work, since those looking for contract work are often more open to entirely remote workers.
Finding a Good Remote Job in 2024
When gearing up for a remote job search, you’ll need to take a few steps. First, know how to sell yourself: What roles do you have experience with? If you’re just starting out, think about the roles that you want to build experience with. Starting with a few small gigs might be the resume-builder you need.
This brings us to the next step: Actually building that resume. I’ve written about how to write the perfect remote work resume in the past, but the key details are simple to explain. Take another look at that list of top traits above, and then find a way to highlight those traits when filling out your previous job descriptions.
Next, start applying to remote job boards. I’ve listed the top options over here — including USA Jobs — but there are loads of job boards around. Tailoring your cover letter to fit the position is one approach, while others opt for the “spray and pray” tactic of filling out a large volume of positions with the same one-size-fits-all resume and letter.
Finding Any Job at All in 2024
You might be in it for the long haul. It’s a grim job economy in late 2024, and many job seekers have spoken online about the hundreds or even thousands of applications that they had to send out just to get a handful of interviews.
Still, the future is better for remote jobs than it was just half a decade ago: Thanks to a pandemic-spurred shift, many workplaces have realized that many more jobs can be filled entirely remotely than they once thought.
Tech giants are pushing for a return to the office, but startups and small businesses everywhere are seeing the upside to offering remote work — it’s a top benefit that makes their job offer that much more attractive, and can give them an edge over the competition.
