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United States Digital Service | Senior Software Engineers, Senior Site Reliability Engineers, Senior Designers, and more! | Washington, DC | ONSITE https://www.

United States Digital Service | Senior Software Engineers, Senior Site Reliability Engineers, Senior Designers, and more! | Washington, DC | ONSITE https://www.usds.gov/ https://www.usds.gov/ The best of technology. The best of government. And we want you. We're looking for the most tenacious designers, software engineers, product managers, and more, who are committed to untangling, rewiring and redesigning critical government services. You'll join a team of the most talented technologists from across the private sector and government. No government resume required! We work on some of the biggest issues affecting the American people there are, immigration, veterans service, students, health care, and more. We're especially looking for talented senior engineers to join us to help shift move government tech in the right direction. See one of our Reports to Congress for examples of what you could be working on: https://www.usds.gov/report-to-congress/2017/07/ https://www.usds.gov/report-to-congress/2017/07/ Apply here: https://www.usds.gov/apply https://www.usds.gov/apply

Matt_Cutts 7y ago
Here's an example article from last week about the kind of work we help with: https://governmentciomedia.com/va-radically-streamlining-claims-process-new-tool https://governmentciomedia.com/va-radically-streamlining-cla... The US Department of Veterans Affairs recently released a new online tool that makes it much easier for Veterans to apply for compensation claims. Based on user research, if the claim is for something like PTSD, it encourages the user to take a break and also includes crisis line info. Because the tool is digital instead of paper, it eliminates entire classes of mistakes and means that claims are processed a lot faster. Lots of government systems need to work so much better for people. Why not join us in DC to tackle some really impactful projects? I'm always happy to answer questions if people want.
- SUmarFarooq 7y ago
  Hi Matt, I've got two questions. 1. Can you talk at all about the interview process for USDS? My big reluctance to apply for positions right now is that so many companies require extensive knowledge of algorithms, which can be daunting for someone who's self-taught, like myself. I imagine USDS is more focused on large-scale systems, but I'm unsure what that looks like in an interview setting, other than discussing a candidate's experiences with system design or improvements. 2. Can you comment on how a transition from one president to another affects USDS? I imagine there's a change in priorities and possibly some leadership, but what do those changes look like, and how drastically do they affect the organization?
  - Matt_Cutts 7y ago
    Thanks for asking! On the interview process, there's a resume review stage, then a technical interview. If the technical interview goes well, then there's one more technical interview plus a resilience/emotional intelligence/EQ interview. We do typically ask one coding question when we're talking to engineers, but you're right that we're more concerned about large-scale systems, diagnosing bottlenecks, and asking the right questions compared to (say) focusing on algorithms. We care less about minimum spanning trees and more about practical aspects of making real-world systems perform well. On the transition between administrations, we've been fortunate to have solid support in both administrations. It's been a non-partisan issue to make the government more effective and efficient using technology. No one wants archaic computer systems that could break and risk delivering services to the public. I feel very good about our ability to prioritize projects based on their impact, and we've been able to continue to work on vital services.
- tvanantwerp 7y ago
  Hello Matt! Big admirer of the work USDS is doing. I'm curious if USDS ever showcases its work in public venues like conferences or local meetups in DC. I'd love to learn more about the things you're all building and the processes the team goes through more directly.
  - Matt_Cutts 7y ago
    We should definitely be talking to more folks locally in DC. Are there any meetups that you especially enjoy?
    - lnkmails 7y ago
      Matt, I am not a US citizen but my wife is and I have been pestering her to apply to USDS for a project manager/business analyst position. We value the importance of work you are doing but we rarely see openings for her role. Sorry for posting this here but it would be awesome for her to at least chat with you folks. She has plenty of experience working with federal agencies.
      - Matt_Cutts 7y ago
        Hey, I would ask her to go ahead and apply--we're always taking applications--and then indicate in the text field that she's closer to a project manager. We have been reworking some of our competencies on product and delivery, but I'd still like to see whether it might be a match.
        kelly_lo 7y ago
        Hey Mat! I have a political science background and about a year of experience in coding/development. Do you all offer internships or have entry level positions?
  - robbiethegeek 7y ago
    Hey there I am a member of USDS and a local community organizer for DCJS / NodeDC / DC Code & Coffee / Alexandria Code & Coffee. I would be happy to chat at or after any event I am attending. There are a bunch of us around who are DC Tech organizers, I am sure any would be happy to chat.
hlieberman 7y ago
I'm currently a USDS employee, and I can tell you that you will never find another job that has impact anywhere near this scale. From killing literally billions in dollars of government waste, to saving soldier's lives in Afghanistan, and helping refugees get into America, the work is so important. Join us!
- formercoder 7y ago
  I recently needed to trawl through CFPB HMDA data and it was an absolute pleasure to do so. Everything was straightforward and documented in GitHub. I assumed this project was a result of USDS
  - Matt_Cutts 7y ago
    That wasn't us, but I'm glad that it was a good experience for you! Lots of tech in government is getting better these days, and we'd love to have more folks helping up push the state of the art forward.
  - non_identitatem 7y ago
    The CFPB HMDA products were built by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's dev team. They've been working on government open source and open data platforms since (I think?) ~2012. (https://github.com/cfpb https://github.com/cfpb) While CFPB is definitely a separate thing from USDS, I'd imagine their end goals are the same: building things that help government better serve citizens. The more dedicated people that take up this mission in public service, the better!
- sangy 7y ago
  do you hire international students for entry level?
  - Matt_Cutts 7y ago
    We're typically looking for folks who have experience setting up large-scale systems. When doing this job, it helps to have a few scars (or at least the resilience that comes from pushing for change in difficult situations). And we can only hire US citizens.

Matt_Cutts 7y ago

Here's an example article from last week about the kind of work we help with: https://governmentciomedia.com/va-radically-streamlining-claims-process-new-tool https://governmentciomedia.com/va-radically-streamlining-cla... The US Department of Veterans Affairs recently released a new online tool that makes it much easier for Veterans to apply for compensation claims. Based on user research, if the claim is for something like PTSD, it encourages the user to take a break and also includes crisis line info. Because the tool is digital instead of paper, it eliminates entire classes of mistakes and means that claims are processed a lot faster. Lots of government systems need to work so much better for people. Why not join us in DC to tackle some really impactful projects? I'm always happy to answer questions if people want.

SUmarFarooq 7y ago
Hi Matt, I've got two questions. 1. Can you talk at all about the interview process for USDS? My big reluctance to apply for positions right now is that so many companies require extensive knowledge of algorithms, which can be daunting for someone who's self-taught, like myself. I imagine USDS is more focused on large-scale systems, but I'm unsure what that looks like in an interview setting, other than discussing a candidate's experiences with system design or improvements. 2. Can you comment on how a transition from one president to another affects USDS? I imagine there's a change in priorities and possibly some leadership, but what do those changes look like, and how drastically do they affect the organization?
- Matt_Cutts 7y ago
  Thanks for asking! On the interview process, there's a resume review stage, then a technical interview. If the technical interview goes well, then there's one more technical interview plus a resilience/emotional intelligence/EQ interview. We do typically ask one coding question when we're talking to engineers, but you're right that we're more concerned about large-scale systems, diagnosing bottlenecks, and asking the right questions compared to (say) focusing on algorithms. We care less about minimum spanning trees and more about practical aspects of making real-world systems perform well. On the transition between administrations, we've been fortunate to have solid support in both administrations. It's been a non-partisan issue to make the government more effective and efficient using technology. No one wants archaic computer systems that could break and risk delivering services to the public. I feel very good about our ability to prioritize projects based on their impact, and we've been able to continue to work on vital services.
tvanantwerp 7y ago
Hello Matt! Big admirer of the work USDS is doing. I'm curious if USDS ever showcases its work in public venues like conferences or local meetups in DC. I'd love to learn more about the things you're all building and the processes the team goes through more directly.
- Matt_Cutts 7y ago
  We should definitely be talking to more folks locally in DC. Are there any meetups that you especially enjoy?
  - lnkmails 7y ago
    Matt, I am not a US citizen but my wife is and I have been pestering her to apply to USDS for a project manager/business analyst position. We value the importance of work you are doing but we rarely see openings for her role. Sorry for posting this here but it would be awesome for her to at least chat with you folks. She has plenty of experience working with federal agencies.
    - Matt_Cutts 7y ago
      Hey, I would ask her to go ahead and apply--we're always taking applications--and then indicate in the text field that she's closer to a project manager. We have been reworking some of our competencies on product and delivery, but I'd still like to see whether it might be a match.
      - kelly_lo 7y ago
        Hey Mat! I have a political science background and about a year of experience in coding/development. Do you all offer internships or have entry level positions?
- robbiethegeek 7y ago
  Hey there I am a member of USDS and a local community organizer for DCJS / NodeDC / DC Code & Coffee / Alexandria Code & Coffee. I would be happy to chat at or after any event I am attending. There are a bunch of us around who are DC Tech organizers, I am sure any would be happy to chat.

hlieberman 7y ago

I'm currently a USDS employee, and I can tell you that you will never find another job that has impact anywhere near this scale. From killing literally billions in dollars of government waste, to saving soldier's lives in Afghanistan, and helping refugees get into America, the work is so important. Join us!

formercoder 7y ago
I recently needed to trawl through CFPB HMDA data and it was an absolute pleasure to do so. Everything was straightforward and documented in GitHub. I assumed this project was a result of USDS
- Matt_Cutts 7y ago
  That wasn't us, but I'm glad that it was a good experience for you! Lots of tech in government is getting better these days, and we'd love to have more folks helping up push the state of the art forward.
- non_identitatem 7y ago
  The CFPB HMDA products were built by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's dev team. They've been working on government open source and open data platforms since (I think?) ~2012. (https://github.com/cfpb https://github.com/cfpb) While CFPB is definitely a separate thing from USDS, I'd imagine their end goals are the same: building things that help government better serve citizens. The more dedicated people that take up this mission in public service, the better!
sangy 7y ago
do you hire international students for entry level?
- Matt_Cutts 7y ago
  We're typically looking for folks who have experience setting up large-scale systems. When doing this job, it helps to have a few scars (or at least the resilience that comes from pushing for change in difficult situations). And we can only hire US citizens.