Public Sector

An ADA Coordinator is the employee a state or local government designates to run its compliance with Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The job sits in a city manager's office, a county human resources or risk department, a transit agency, a court system or a public university, and it covers grievances, auxiliary aids, accommodation requests, facility barriers and, now, websites and apps. BLS does not count ADA coordinators separately. Compliance officers working in local government earned a median of $68,650 in May 2025, with the 10th and 90th percentiles at $45,850 and $112,660.

Administrative Aides provide clerical, scheduling, and administrative support to government departments, elected officials, and public sector managers. They handle correspondence, maintain records, coordinate meetings, process forms and applications, and serve as a first point of contact for the public and internal staff. The role is a foundational entry point into public sector careers.

Administrative Law Judges (ALJs) are independent judicial officers within executive branch agencies who preside over formal adjudicatory hearings, evaluate evidence, apply relevant statutes and regulations, and issue written decisions on contested matters. They handle disputes between agencies and regulated entities or between agencies and individuals claiming benefits — most commonly Social Security, labor, environmental, and securities enforcement matters.

Agricultural Quarantine Specialists inspect passengers, cargo, vehicles, and mail at ports of entry to prevent the introduction of foreign pests, plant diseases, and invasive species into the United States. Working primarily for USDA-APHIS or state departments of agriculture, they enforce the Plant Protection Act and related quarantine regulations by examining agricultural materials, issuing holds or seizures, and educating travelers about prohibited items.

An Agriculture Commissioner is the head of a state department of agriculture, the agency that typically licenses pesticide applicators, polices animal disease, inspects food plants and checks commercial scales while promoting the state's farm economy. Some states fill the post by statewide election and others by governor's appointment, and the same job may carry the title secretary or director. The commissioner runs the department's divisions, defends its budget before the legislature and works with USDA on shared programs. Pay is fixed state by state; for chief executives in state government nationally, BLS May 2025 data show a median of $153,070, with the 10th percentile at $52,000 and the 90th at $217,550.

An AI Government Engineer is a permanent agency employee who builds, runs and maintains the AI systems a government office uses on its own work: retrieval assistants over agency policy, document classifiers, code assistants and case-triage models. The job typically sits inside the CIO's or Chief AI Officer's organization, and in a federal agency its systems fall under OMB memo M-25-21 before and after they go live. The title is emerging; agencies classify the work under IT, data science, computer science and other series. Computer and information research scientists in the federal executive branch earned a May 2025 median of $124,870, with a 10th-to-90th percentile range of $82,530 to $182,540, per BLS.

An Air Traffic Controller keeps aircraft safely separated and moving in an orderly flow, issuing clearances and instructions by radio from an airport tower, a terminal radar approach control (TRACON) facility, or an en route center. Controllers at the Federal Aviation Administration are recruited, screened and trained by the agency itself, starting at the FAA Academy and continuing with position-by-position certification at an assigned facility. The work is shift-based and runs around the clock at busy facilities. The Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the May 2025 median wage at $148,080, with the 10th percentile at $78,420 and the 90th percentile at $215,610.

Animal Control Officers enforce local and state animal ordinances, investigate cruelty and neglect complaints, capture and impound stray or dangerous animals, and respond to public safety incidents involving animals. They work for municipal and county governments, humane societies, and animal shelters, combining law enforcement, animal handling, and community education. Field work now overlaps with dispatch technology: predictive analytics and facial-recognition lost-pet tools can help route officers and reunite pets with owners, though capture, investigation, and public contact remain manual. NACA's tiered ACO certification, now on an annual renewal cycle, is a widely recognized credential in the field.

Animal Services Managers direct the daily operations of municipal or county animal shelters, field enforcement units, and adoption programs. They oversee staff, manage budgets, set shelter intake and outcome policies, and ensure compliance with state animal welfare statutes and local ordinances.

Appropriations Staffers work for legislative committees or individual legislators to research, draft, and analyze spending legislation that funds government programs. They negotiate funding levels with agency officials and other committee staff, prepare members for markups and floor votes, and track implementation of appropriated funds.

An Archivist appraises, arranges, describes and preserves records with lasting legal, administrative or historical value, then makes them usable for researchers, attorneys, agency staff and the public. In the public sector the job sits inside the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), state archives, county and city records programs and public universities, working alongside the records managers who decide what reaches the archive and when. BLS classifies the work as Archivists (SOC 25-4011). In its May 2025 wage survey the national median was $64,550 a year, with the 10th percentile at $39,970 and the 90th percentile at $110,550.

Assessors determine the taxable value of real estate, personal property, and business assets within a jurisdiction to support property tax levy calculations. They inspect properties, apply mass appraisal methods, maintain assessment rolls, and defend value conclusions before appeal boards and courts.

Assistant Auditors support audit teams at government agencies, inspector general offices, and public accounting firms by gathering evidence, testing transactions, documenting findings, and preparing working papers. They work under senior auditors to evaluate whether government programs are operating efficiently, financial statements are accurate, and funds are spent in compliance with applicable laws.

Assistant City Attorneys provide legal advice and representation to municipal government departments, staff, elected officials, and boards. They draft ordinances and contracts, defend the city in litigation, advise on regulatory compliance, and help city departments navigate the legal constraints on government action.

Assistant City Clerks support the City Clerk in managing official government records, administering elections, preparing agendas and minutes for city council and board meetings, and ensuring compliance with state open meetings and public records laws. They serve as the institutional memory and administrative spine of municipal government.

Council Aides and Legislative Assistants — commonly called assistant council members — support elected city council members by conducting policy research, managing constituent services, preparing legislative materials, and representing the council member in community interactions. They are the operational backbone of a council office and a major entry point into local government careers.

Assistant City Managers serve as the principal deputies to city managers in council-manager governments, overseeing clusters of city departments, managing major cross-departmental initiatives, and stepping in to run the organization when the city manager is unavailable. They are the senior operational leaders of municipal government and the primary pipeline for city manager positions.

The Assistant City Manager for Operations oversees the departments responsible for physical service delivery — public works, utilities, transportation, facilities, and often parks — coordinating capital project delivery, managing service performance, and ensuring that the operational infrastructure of the city functions reliably. This portfolio-specific assistant manager role focuses on the built environment and service systems that residents encounter daily.

Assistant County Administrators serve as the principal deputies to county administrators or county executives, overseeing departmental portfolios, managing major organizational initiatives, and coordinating policy implementation across county government. The role combines executive management with policy analysis and elected body relations in a complex, multi-function organization.

Assistant County Attorneys provide legal advice, contract review, and litigation representation to county government departments, elected officials, and special boards. They handle the full range of legal issues that arise in county operations — from social services regulatory compliance to criminal justice administration to public health law — in a governmental context that differs significantly from private practice.

Assistant County Clerks support the County Clerk in administering elections, recording official documents, maintaining vital records, licensing, and providing official certification services. They handle high-volume public transactions, maintain legal custody of county records, and assist in meeting the statutory obligations of one of county government's oldest and most essential offices.

County Commissioner Aides and Assistants — positions that support elected county commissioners — manage constituent services, conduct policy research, coordinate with county departments, and represent the commissioner at community events. These appointed staff roles are entry points into county government and often lead to policy, administrative, or elected positions.

Assistant County Managers serve as senior deputies to the county manager, overseeing clusters of county departments, managing major organizational initiatives, and ensuring effective service delivery across complex county programs. They are the primary pipeline for county manager positions and operate at the highest level of professional county administration.

The Assistant County Manager for Operations directs the county departments responsible for physical infrastructure, environmental services, transportation, and facilities — the operational backbone that county residents rely on daily. This portfolio-specific executive role coordinates capital programs, manages large workforces, and ensures that the county's physical service systems perform reliably.

The Assistant Director of Administrative Services supports the Department Director in managing the internal operations of a government agency — finance and budget, human resources, procurement, facilities, IT support, and records management. They ensure that the administrative infrastructure of the department runs reliably, freeing program staff to deliver services.

The Assistant Director of Community Services supports the department director in managing parks, recreation programs, senior services, youth programs, cultural facilities, and community outreach initiatives. They oversee division managers, manage program budgets, develop community partnerships, and ensure that services are equitably accessible to the full community.

The Assistant Director of Constituent Affairs oversees the systems and staff responsible for receiving, routing, tracking, and resolving complaints, inquiries, and service requests from residents. They manage the city or agency's central complaint intake function, coordinate with service departments to ensure timely resolution, and use constituent data to identify systemic service delivery problems.

The Assistant Director of Environmental Health oversees a county or local agency's environmental health programs — food safety inspections, water quality, hazardous materials, vector control, and land use health review. They manage environmental health specialists and program supervisors, ensure regulatory compliance, respond to public health emergencies, and represent the agency in regulatory proceedings.

The Assistant Director of Facilities Management oversees the maintenance, operation, and capital renewal of a government entity's building portfolio — courthouses, community centers, administrative offices, public safety facilities, and other owned or leased properties. They manage technical trades staff and maintenance supervisors, administer contracts, and plan capital improvements to keep facilities safe, operational, and energy-efficient.

The Assistant Director of Finance and Administration oversees the financial management and administrative operations of a government department or agency — budgeting, accounting, grant management, procurement, and internal controls. They serve as the chief fiscal officer for the organizational unit, ensuring that financial decisions are defensible, compliant, and operationally sound.

The Assistant Director of Government Relations manages a government agency or local jurisdiction's relationships with state and federal legislative bodies, regulatory agencies, and other governmental entities. They track legislation, coordinate advocacy positions, manage grant and funding relationships with oversight bodies, and represent the organization in intergovernmental forums.

The Assistant Director of Health Services oversees health program delivery within a county, state, or institutional health department — managing program areas such as communicable disease control, maternal and child health, behavioral health, clinical services, or community health education. They supervise program managers and clinical staff, manage budgets and grants, and ensure that health services meet state and federal standards.

The Assistant Director of Information Services oversees a government agency's information technology operations and digital service delivery — infrastructure, applications, cybersecurity, help desk, and technology project management. They manage IT staff and service contracts, direct major technology initiatives, and ensure that systems supporting government operations are reliable, secure, and compliant with applicable requirements.

Assistant Directors of Land Use Planning lead day-to-day operations in municipal or county planning departments, overseeing zoning reviews, subdivision approvals, and long-range comprehensive plan updates. They supervise planners, coordinate with elected bodies and the public, and translate policy directives into workable land development regulations. Most positions sit inside local government, though some regional agencies and MPOs carry the title.

Assistant Directors of Parks and Recreation manage the operational and programmatic functions of municipal or county park systems, typically overseeing recreation programming, facility maintenance, sports leagues, aquatics, and community events. They supervise department managers, administer program budgets, and step in for the Director at community meetings, budget hearings, and elected-body presentations. The role sits at the intersection of operations management, public service delivery, and community relations.

Assistant Directors of Public Safety manage operational coordination across law enforcement, fire, and emergency management functions within a city or county public safety department. They support the Director in policy development, budget oversight, interagency coordination, and strategic planning. The role exists primarily in jurisdictions that have consolidated police and fire under a unified Public Safety Department, and in some cases also encompasses emergency communications (dispatch) and emergency management.

Assistant Directors of Public Works oversee the operational divisions of a municipal or county public works department — typically managing roads and streets, stormwater, water/wastewater utilities, fleet, and facilities maintenance. They supervise division managers, manage the capital improvement program, coordinate with engineering consultants, and handle the budget administration and regulatory compliance functions that keep public infrastructure running.

Assistant Directors of Purchasing manage the procurement operations of a government agency — overseeing solicitation processes, contract administration, vendor qualification, and compliance with public purchasing laws. They supervise procurement officers, advise departments on acquisition strategy, and ensure that every dollar spent through a contract follows the bidding procedures that protect taxpayers and the agency from legal challenge.

Assistant Directors of Transportation manage the planning, operations, and capital improvement programs of a city, county, or regional transportation agency. They oversee traffic engineering, street maintenance, transit coordination, active transportation programs, and grant management for surface transportation funds. The role operates at the boundary between day-to-day operations management and long-range planning, requiring both engineering judgment and administrative capability.

An Assistant District Attorney is a licensed lawyer who prosecutes criminal cases for the state in a county or judicial district, working under an elected District Attorney. ADAs review arrests and decide charges, present cases to grand juries, handle discovery and plea negotiations, and try cases before judges and juries, from misdemeanors in an entry-level unit to homicides in senior units. The job requires a law degree and bar admission. Pay varies by office; for lawyers in local government, a BLS industry group that includes county prosecutor offices along with other local-government lawyers, the May 2025 median was $131,350, with the 10th to 90th percentiles running from $80,510 to $219,140.

Assistant District Attorney Investigators are sworn law enforcement officers who support criminal prosecutors by conducting independent investigations, locating and interviewing witnesses, executing search warrants, serving subpoenas, and preparing case files for trial. They work at the intersection of law enforcement and the legal system, providing prosecutors with the investigative capacity to build cases beyond what police departments deliver at the time of arrest.

Assistant Facilities Managers support the operation and maintenance of government-owned buildings, including maintenance scheduling, contractor coordination, safety compliance, and energy management. They work under a Facilities Director or Manager to ensure that offices, courthouses, community centers, and other public facilities stay safe, functional, and within budget. Most positions sit in local government, school districts, or public universities, though federal agencies and transit authorities carry the title as well.

Assistant General Counsels provide legal advice and representation to government agencies, public entities, and regulatory bodies. They draft and review contracts, advise on administrative law and regulatory compliance, handle litigation and agency proceedings, and support the General Counsel in managing the agency's legal risk. The role spans a wide range of legal practice areas depending on the agency's mission, from environmental law to employment law to administrative procedure.

Assistant Grants Managers support the administration of government and nonprofit grant portfolios — tracking application deadlines, preparing reports, monitoring expenditures against grant budgets, ensuring compliance with funder requirements, and coordinating between program staff and the grants director. They work in local government, state agencies, nonprofits, universities, and hospitals that depend on grant funding for programs or capital projects.

Assistant Housing Specialists support the administration of housing assistance programs — most commonly the Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) program, public housing operations, or affordable housing development compliance. They work with applicants and participants to verify eligibility, process documentation, schedule inspections, and calculate rental assistance amounts. The role is a foundational entry point in public housing authority administration and community development work.

Assistant Human Resources Directors lead HR operations in government agencies — managing recruitment, classification and compensation, benefits administration, labor relations, and employee relations. They support the HR Director in policy development, supervise HR staff, and navigate the civil service and collective bargaining frameworks that govern public-sector employment. The role requires mastery of both HR fundamentals and the legal and regulatory environment specific to government employment.

Assistant Information Systems Analysts support the design, implementation, and maintenance of technology systems in government agencies — analyzing business requirements, testing applications, maintaining databases, generating reports, and providing technical assistance to agency staff. They work under senior analysts and IT managers, building the technical and analytical skills needed to independently manage information systems projects. Most positions sit in local government, state agencies, or public education systems.

Assistant Inspectors General support the independent oversight function of a federal, state, or local inspector general's office — conducting fraud investigations, managing performance audits, evaluating program effectiveness, and reporting findings to agency leadership and legislative bodies. They supervise investigators and auditors, review work products for quality and legal sufficiency, and manage the relationships with agencies under review. The role requires both investigative or audit expertise and the independence to follow findings wherever they lead.

Assistant Intergovernmental Affairs Coordinators support the management of relationships between a government entity and other governmental bodies — federal agencies, state legislatures, county governments, and special districts. They track legislation, coordinate grant applications, prepare briefings, and facilitate communication between their agency and external governmental partners. The role sits at the intersection of policy research, political communication, and administrative coordination.

Assistant Labor Relations Specialists support the management of labor-management relationships in government agencies — administering collective bargaining agreements, processing grievances, researching bargaining proposals, and coordinating with unions and supervisors on contract interpretation questions. They work under senior labor relations analysts or directors and gain the contract administration and negotiation experience needed to advance in public-sector labor relations.

Assistant Legislative Directors support the development and execution of legislative strategy for elected officials, government agencies, advocacy organizations, or legislative bodies. They track bill progress, draft legislative correspondence and testimony, coordinate with stakeholders, and help manage the official's or organization's relationships with other legislators, staff, and the public on policy matters. The role is foundational for careers in legislative affairs, policy development, and political administration.

Assistant Legislative Liaisons represent government agencies in their interactions with legislative bodies — monitoring legislation, coordinating agency testimony, preparing briefings for legislators, and managing the ongoing working relationship between the agency and its legislative oversight committees. They support senior liaisons and agency leadership in ensuring that legislative bodies have the information they need about agency programs and that the agency understands and responds to legislative direction.

Assistant Managers of Communications support public affairs, media relations, and communications functions in government agencies, municipalities, or public institutions. They write press releases, manage social media accounts, coordinate public meetings, draft internal communications, and support the communications director in handling media inquiries and crisis communications. The role is a key development position for careers in government public affairs and political communications.

Assistant Mayors support the mayor's office in managing city operations, advancing policy priorities, handling constituent and community relations, and coordinating across city departments. The role is a senior staff position that varies significantly by jurisdiction — in large cities, it may have specific policy or geographic area portfolios; in smaller cities, it functions more as a chief of staff to the mayor. Political appointment and tenure are often tied to the mayor's term.

Assistant Media Specialists produce visual and multimedia content for government agencies — including video production, photography, graphic design, social media content, and digital publications. They support communications departments, public information offices, and training departments with the production skills to create materials that inform, engage, and serve the public. The role is increasingly technical as government agencies expand their digital and video communications footprint.

Assistant Ombudsmen investigate complaints from citizens, patients, students, or employees against institutional decisions and administrative actions, advocating for fair treatment and appropriate resolution. They serve as neutral intermediaries between individuals and institutions — gathering facts, reviewing records, facilitating dialogue, and recommending remedies when problems are found. The role exists in government agencies, public universities, healthcare systems, and prisons, typically operating independently from the institutions they oversee.

Assistant Planners are entry-level professional staff in city, county, and regional planning departments. They review permit applications for zoning compliance, research planning and land use questions, assist with long-range planning studies, prepare staff reports, and support public meetings. The position is the typical entry point for planning graduates entering public-sector practice, and it provides the foundational experience required to pursue AICP certification and advance to associate and senior planner roles.

Assistant Property Assessors support the valuation of real property for tax assessment purposes — conducting field inspections, entering property data, applying appraisal methodology, and helping maintain the assessed value rolls that form the basis of property tax collection. They work under senior appraisers and county assessors, learning the three approaches to value (sales, cost, and income) and the legal standards governing mass appraisal in government settings.

Assistant Public Health Directors support the chief director in planning, managing, and evaluating public health programs across a county, city, or state agency. They supervise department divisions, manage budgets, coordinate with community organizations and state agencies, and serve as acting director when the director is unavailable.

Assistant Public Information Officers support a government agency's communications function by drafting press releases, managing social media channels, responding to media inquiries, and coordinating community outreach. They work under a Public Information Officer or communications director and often serve as the primary day-to-day contact for reporters covering city, county, or state agency news.

Assistant Public Relations Specialists in the public sector support an agency's communications and outreach efforts by producing written content, coordinating community events, maintaining digital channels, and responding to public inquiries. The role sits one level below a full PIO or communications manager and typically focuses on execution — turning strategy into published content and documented outreach.

Assistant Public Safety Officers support public safety operations at universities, colleges, transit systems, hospitals, and smaller municipalities that use combined public safety models. They perform patrol, respond to incidents, assist with emergency management, enforce regulations, and support full police or fire staff. The role often serves as an entry point into law enforcement or emergency services for candidates completing certification requirements.

Assistant Public Works Directors help lead a local government's infrastructure operations — roads, stormwater, water and sewer systems, fleet, and facilities. They supervise division managers, manage capital project programs, oversee operating budgets, and often serve as acting director. Most positions require a Professional Engineer (PE) license and substantial public works management experience.

Assistant Purchasing Agents support a government agency's procurement function by processing purchase orders, soliciting competitive bids, evaluating vendor proposals, and ensuring purchases comply with public procurement law. They work under a Purchasing Agent or Procurement Manager and handle the daily transaction volume that keeps government operations supplied.

Assistant Records Management Specialists help government agencies organize, retain, retrieve, and properly dispose of official records in compliance with state public records laws, retention schedules, and agency policies. They process records requests, maintain filing systems, assist in digitization projects, and support the agency's legal obligation to manage public information responsibly.

Assistant Regulatory Affairs Specialists support a government agency's compliance, licensing, and rulemaking functions. They research regulatory requirements, prepare compliance documentation, assist in permit and license processing, and help draft regulatory guidance. The role bridges legal and technical work, and sits within state agencies, federal field offices, utilities commissions, and other oversight bodies.

Assistant Risk Managers support a government agency's risk management function by administering liability claims, managing insurance programs, coordinating loss prevention activities, and maintaining compliance with self-insurance and coverage requirements. They work under a Risk Manager to protect the agency's financial position against operational, legal, and property risks.

Assistant Schedulers in government agencies help manage and coordinate work schedules, project timelines, and resource allocations across departments or operational units. They maintain scheduling databases, coordinate with supervisors on shift and project assignments, communicate schedule changes to staff, and support the Scheduler or operations manager in keeping workforce deployment aligned with service demands.

Assistant Senior Advisors in government support senior officials — elected representatives, agency heads, or cabinet members — by conducting policy research, preparing briefings, coordinating staff work, and helping manage the flow of decisions and correspondence through the office. The role bridges policy analysis and political operations and typically requires both subject matter expertise and the judgment to navigate complex institutional environments.

The Assistant Sheriff is the second-in-command officer in a county sheriff's office, responsible for directing day-to-day law enforcement operations, managing division commanders, overseeing department budgets, and serving as acting sheriff when the sheriff is absent. The position requires extensive sworn law enforcement experience, command-level leadership ability, and the political awareness to work effectively in an elected official's office.

Assistant Solicitors are government attorneys who provide legal advice, draft ordinances and contracts, represent government agencies in administrative and civil proceedings, and support the City or County Solicitor's office in all legal matters. The role requires bar admission in the relevant state and practical legal experience, and it offers exposure to a wide range of substantive legal issues across municipal and public agency operations.

Assistant Special Projects Managers in government agencies help plan, coordinate, and deliver time-limited initiatives that fall outside regular departmental programs. They support a Special Projects Manager or senior official by tracking deliverables, coordinating stakeholders, managing project documentation, and ensuring that priority projects stay on schedule and within budget.

Assistant Speechwriters in government support elected officials, agency heads, and senior political appointees by drafting remarks, speeches, talking points, op-eds, and other public communications. The role combines strong writing craft with political awareness, subject matter research, and an ability to capture the authentic voice of the principal — the official who will deliver the words.

Assistant Tax Assessors support a county or municipal assessor's office by conducting property valuations, maintaining assessment records, processing appeals, and helping ensure property tax assessments are accurate and equitable. The role combines appraisal fieldwork with data management and public-facing customer service, and typically leads to state assessor certification.

Assistant Tax Collectors help government agencies collect property taxes, fees, and other revenue by processing payments, maintaining taxpayer accounts, managing delinquent collections, and assisting the public with billing questions. The role requires accuracy, familiarity with tax billing systems, and the ability to navigate the sometimes contentious interactions that come with collecting money from people who don't want to pay.

Assistant Tax Commissioners help lead state or county tax administration agencies, overseeing assessment, collection, audit, and taxpayer services functions. They support the Tax Commissioner in managing department operations, staff, budgets, and policy implementation, and often serve as the acting commissioner in the commissioner's absence.

Assistant Technical Support Specialists in government agencies provide first-line IT help desk support to agency employees, resolving hardware, software, and connectivity issues, maintaining workstations, setting up accounts, and escalating complex problems to senior IT staff. The role is the front door of government IT and requires patience, technical competence, and the ability to explain technology to non-technical users.

Assistants to the Mayor provide direct support to a city's chief executive, managing the mayor's calendar and correspondence, coordinating with department heads, supporting policy priorities, representing the mayor at community meetings, and handling the high-volume, high-priority flow of issues that reaches the mayor's office every day. The role requires discretion, political awareness, strong writing skills, and the ability to work in a fast-paced, highly visible environment.

Assistant Town Administrators help manage day-to-day municipal operations, supporting the Town Administrator or Manager in coordinating department directors, overseeing budget execution, managing special projects, and serving as acting administrator when needed. The role is a primary development path for the town administrator position and requires strong generalist management skills combined with public administration knowledge.

Assistant Town Managers help lead professional municipal government operations, supporting the Town Manager with department oversight, budget management, policy implementation, and governing board relations. The role typically involves supervising specific departments, managing cross-cutting initiatives, and serving as acting town manager — providing the operational continuity and management depth that full-service municipalities require.

Assistant Transit Managers help direct public transportation agency operations, supervising transit supervisors and operators, managing daily service delivery, overseeing safety and compliance programs, and supporting the Transit Manager in planning, staffing, and budget management. The role operates at the intersection of transportation operations, labor relations, and customer service in a 24/7 public service environment.

Assistant Transportation Planners support long-range and short-range transportation planning studies, data collection and analysis, public participation programs, and technical documentation for metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), state departments of transportation, and local agencies. The role bridges quantitative data work with the policy and community engagement dimensions of transportation decision-making.

Assistant Treasurers support a government agency's treasury function by managing cash and investment portfolios, overseeing debt service and bond program administration, coordinating banking relationships, and ensuring compliance with investment policies and state statutes. The role sits at the intersection of public finance and government administration and typically leads to the full Treasurer or Chief Financial Officer track.

Assistant Trustees support the administration of public trusts, government pension funds, and court-ordered fiduciary accounts. They process distributions, maintain beneficiary records, monitor investments, and ensure all actions comply with trust documents and applicable state law. The role sits at the intersection of legal compliance, financial oversight, and direct client service.

Assistant Urban Planners work in local government planning departments, supporting land use reviews, zoning administration, and long-range planning projects. They analyze development applications, prepare staff reports, respond to public inquiries, and assist senior planners in drafting policies, updating master plans, and managing community engagement processes.

Assistant Veterans Affairs Directors support the leadership of county, state, or federal veterans services offices. They supervise claims staff, oversee benefits outreach programs, manage office operations, and serve as the acting director when needed. The role requires deep knowledge of VA benefits systems, strong program management skills, and the ability to advocate effectively for veteran populations.

Assistant Victim Advocates provide direct support and case management services to victims of crime within law enforcement agencies, prosecutors' offices, courts, and nonprofit victim services programs. They help clients understand the criminal justice process, access emergency resources, prepare for court appearances, and navigate systems that can feel opaque or hostile in the immediate aftermath of trauma.

Assistant Volunteer Coordinators recruit, train, schedule, and support volunteers for government agencies, nonprofits, and public institutions. They handle the operational logistics of running volunteer programs — onboarding, placement, communication, and retention — while supporting the lead coordinator in developing program strategy and managing partner relationships.

Assistant Water Resources Engineers work at water districts, municipal utilities, and environmental agencies, supporting the planning, design, and analysis of water supply, stormwater, and flood management infrastructure. They model hydrologic systems, review development drainage plans, prepare technical reports, and assist in capital project design under the supervision of licensed engineers.

Assistant Workforce Development Specialists work at American Job Centers and public workforce agencies, helping unemployed and underemployed adults access job training, education, and employment services. They conduct intake assessments, develop individual employment plans, connect clients to WIOA-funded programs, and provide ongoing case management to support job seekers in reaching stable employment.

Assistant Youth Program Coordinators plan, facilitate, and oversee structured activities and services for children and teenagers at parks and recreation departments, after-school programs, summer camps, and youth development organizations. They supervise program staff and youth participants, manage daily operations of youth activities, and ensure a safe, enriching environment that supports positive development.

A bailiff is a courtroom law enforcement officer who keeps judicial proceedings secure and orderly. The work covers controlling the gallery, moving people in custody between holding cells and the courtroom, escorting judges, jurors and witnesses, and handling evidence and court documents. Bailiffs sit inside county and state court systems, either as sheriff's deputies assigned to court services or as officers employed directly by the judicial branch. Pay follows the employing agency's scale: BLS reports a May 2025 median of $56,600 for bailiffs, with the 10th percentile at $32,140 and the 90th percentile at $96,770.

Benefits Specialists at government agencies determine eligibility for and administer public assistance programs including Medicaid, SNAP, unemployment insurance, Social Security, and other entitlement programs. They interview applicants, verify documentation, calculate benefit amounts, and maintain case records in compliance with state and federal program regulations.

Budget Coordinators manage the administrative and coordination functions of government budget processes — collecting departmental submissions, assembling budget documents, maintaining tracking systems, and serving as the liaison between the central budget office and operating departments. They ensure the budget calendar runs on time, data flows accurately between systems, and documents meet formatting and compliance requirements.

Budget Officers lead the budget function for a government agency, department, or major organizational unit. They direct the annual budget formulation cycle, oversee budget execution and compliance, provide financial guidance to program leadership, and serve as the primary liaison to central budget authorities, oversight bodies, and legislative staff. The role combines technical financial expertise with executive-level communication and management responsibilities.

Army Budget Officers manage the programming, budgeting, and execution of Army appropriations at installation, division, or command levels. They operate within the Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution (PPBE) system, prepare Program Objective Memoranda inputs, oversee Congressional Budget Justification materials, and ensure Army funds are obligated and expended in accordance with appropriations law and Army financial management regulations.

National Guard Budget Officers manage the complex dual-funding structure of Army National Guard (ARNG) and Air National Guard (ANG) units, balancing federal military appropriations administered through the National Guard Bureau with state appropriations provided by each state's legislature. They administer training budgets, manage federal grants-in-aid, prepare state budget submissions, and ensure Guard funds are obligated and expended in compliance with both federal and state requirements.

Budget Technicians perform the transactional and data management work that supports the budget function in government agencies. They process transactions in financial management systems, verify documentation, maintain budget tracking records, assist in preparing routine reports, and handle the operational tasks that keep budget offices running. The role is a well-defined entry point into government financial management careers.

A campaign staffer is a paid, temporary employee of a political campaign committee who handles field organizing, fundraising support, communications, data or operations until the election ends. Staff work for candidates at the local, state and federal level and for state and local ballot measures, and their jobs run on a fixed calendar that closes after Election Day. BLS does not track campaign staff as a separate occupation; the closest data row, Business Operations Specialists, All Other in business, professional, labor, political and similar organizations, paid $43,120 at the 10th percentile, $74,630 at the median and $130,320 at the 90th percentile in May 2025. Pay on any single race depends on the role, the race and the campaign's budget.

Cartographers design, produce, and maintain maps and spatial data products for government agencies, surveying organizations, and geographic information users. Working primarily with GIS software, aerial imagery, and satellite data, they compile geographic information, ensure spatial accuracy, create cartographic products for planning and navigation, and maintain the geospatial databases that underpin public infrastructure decisions.

Cartographic Technicians perform the hands-on data production work that supports map creation and geospatial database maintenance. They digitize features from imagery and source documents, update map databases, perform quality control on spatial data, and produce standard map products under the direction of cartographers and GIS professionals. The role is an accessible entry point into the geospatial profession.

National Park Service Cartographic Technicians produce and maintain the spatial data and maps that support park operations, resource management, visitor services, and planning. They maintain authoritative park boundary and feature databases, produce visitor maps and resource management overlays, assist with trails and facilities data collection, and support GIS-based analysis for park planning and environmental review.

A Census Enumerator is a temporary federal field worker who visits addresses that did not respond to a census or survey questionnaire and completes the interview in person. They knock on doors, verify address details, record household and housing data on a Census-issued mobile device, and make repeat contact attempts at different times of day to reach residents who are rarely home. The job runs on caseloads rather than fixed shifts: enumerators manage many open cases at once, document every attempt, and escalate stalled ones to a supervisor. Pay is set locally under OPM wage tables and reimburses mileage; the work itself is bounded by the decennial census cycle and the ongoing American Community Survey.

Chemical Safety Engineers protect workers, the public, and the environment by evaluating chemical hazards, developing safety protocols, and ensuring compliance with EPA, OSHA, and other regulatory frameworks. They work for federal and state agencies, industrial facilities, and consulting firms, performing process hazard analyses, reviewing accident reports, and writing standards that govern how toxic and reactive substances are handled.

A Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) in local government is the top appointed executive responsible for the day-to-day management of a city, county, or regional authority. Reporting directly to elected officials, the CAO translates policy directives into operational reality, oversees department directors, manages budgets in the hundreds of millions, and serves as the primary accountability point for government performance.

The Chief Deputy Sheriff is the second-highest ranking officer in a county sheriff's office, serving as the operational head of the department and direct deputy to the elected or appointed Sheriff. This executive role oversees all law enforcement divisions — patrol, investigations, civil process, jail operations, and court security — and is responsible for department budget, personnel, and policy.

The Chief of Police is the chief executive officer of a municipal police department, responsible for all law enforcement operations, department personnel, budget, and community relations. Appointed by a mayor, city manager, or governing board, the Chief sets department culture, drives strategy, and is the public face of policing in the community.

A Chief of Security in the public sector leads the protective security program for a government agency, public institution, or critical infrastructure facility. The role encompasses physical security, access control, personnel security, threat assessment, and coordination with law enforcement — and increasingly includes cybersecurity governance and insider threat programs.

A Chief Operating Officer in government or a public institution is the senior executive responsible for translating strategic direction into operational performance. Reporting to the agency head, city manager, or executive director, the COO oversees internal operations, cross-departmental coordination, budget execution, and organizational improvement initiatives — ensuring the organization delivers on its mission efficiently and accountably.

A Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) in government leads the agency's or municipality's strategy for reducing environmental impact, managing climate risk, and achieving sustainability commitments. They translate policy goals — net-zero targets, resilience plans, environmental justice requirements — into operational programs, capital investments, and cross-departmental accountability.

Child and Youth Program Assistants provide direct care, supervision, and developmentally appropriate activities for children and youth in government-operated programs — primarily military child development centers, school-age programs, and youth sports and recreation programs. They work under program director supervision and are responsible for the safety, engagement, and well-being of children in their care.

A Child Support Specialist is a caseworker in a state, county, or tribal child support agency who moves cases from intake to payment: finding the other parent, setting up paternity and a support order, and enforcing that order when payments stop. The job sits inside the federal-state Title IV-D program, which pairs federal funding and rules with state-run offices. Titles vary by jurisdiction; Texas, for example, calls the role Child Support Officer. Our editorial estimate puts pay at about $37,000 to $72,000, with a midpoint near $50,000, with the Texas state classification schedule as one bounding example.

Child Welfare Specialists investigate reports of child abuse and neglect, assess family safety and risk, develop service plans, and monitor children and families involved with the child welfare system. Working for state or county social services agencies, they make decisions that directly determine whether children are safe in their homes, need in-home services, or require placement in foster care.

A City Administrator is the chief administrative officer of a municipality, responsible for managing day-to-day government operations, overseeing department heads, executing the budget, and implementing the policies adopted by the city council or commission. In council-administrator forms of government, the City Administrator provides professional management while elected officials set policy.

A City Attorney is the chief legal officer of a municipality, responsible for providing legal advice to the city council, mayor, and city departments; representing the city in litigation; drafting and reviewing ordinances and contracts; and managing the city's legal risk. The role combines advisory, transactional, and litigation functions within a complex public sector environment.

A city clerk is the officer who keeps a municipality's legislative record. The clerk's office builds council agendas and packets, records what the council decides, certifies ordinances and resolutions, answers public records requests and, where the charter assigns it, runs candidate filing for local elections. The position reports to the council, the mayor or the city manager depending on the charter, and in some places voters elect it. Pay for the department head runs from about $58K to $140K, with a midpoint near $88K; that band is an editorial estimate, not a BLS or published survey figure.

A City Council Member is an elected legislator in municipal government who votes on ordinances, adopts the city budget, decides land-use cases, and oversees how departments carry out council policy. Council members sit on the legislative side of city hall: in council-manager cities they appoint a professional manager, and in mayor-council cities they share power with a separately elected mayor. The seat can be an evening commitment in a small town or a full-time job in a big city. Pay is set locally by charter, ordinance or state statute, and this page uses an estimated band of $5K to $90K a year, with the largest cities paying far more.

City Council Staffers support elected council members in their policy, constituent service, communications, and administrative work. Depending on the size of the city and the council structure, a staffer may work for an individual council member, a committee, or the full council body — performing research, drafting materials, managing constituent cases, and keeping the member's office running.

A City Manager is the professional, council-hired head of administration in a city governed by the council-manager form of government. The elected council sets policy, adopts the budget and hires the manager; the manager runs everything below that line, from department directors and labor relations to capital projects and emergency response. The job sits at the top of the municipal org chart and answers to the council as a body, not to any single member. Pay varies with city size and region: our editorial estimate runs from about $126,000 to $216,300, with a midpoint near $156,620, the BLS May 2023 mean for local-government chief executives.

City Planners guide the physical, economic, and social development of communities by reviewing land use applications, developing long-range plans, enforcing zoning codes, and advising elected officials on development policy. They work at the intersection of law, design, economics, and public process to shape how cities grow and change over time.

Civil Rights Analysts investigate complaints of discrimination based on protected characteristics such as race, sex, disability, age, and national origin in employment, housing, lending, and public accommodations. They work for government civil rights enforcement agencies — the EEOC, HUD, state human rights commissions, and municipal offices — reviewing complaints, conducting fact-finding, analyzing evidence, and determining whether violations have occurred.

Civil Rights Attorney-Advisors are government lawyers who provide legal guidance, conduct enforcement investigations, and support litigation in civil rights enforcement agencies. Working primarily at the DOJ Civil Rights Division, EEOC, HUD, and equivalent state agencies, they analyze complex factual and legal questions, draft enforcement documents, and advise agency leadership on legal strategies for protecting civil rights.

Civil Rights Specialists in government agencies administer civil rights compliance programs — ensuring that federally funded programs, recipients of federal grants, and government operations comply with Title VI, Title IX, Section 504, and related anti-discrimination requirements. They review compliance documentation, conduct investigations, provide technical assistance, and monitor recipients' compliance with civil rights conditions attached to federal funding.

Government Claims Examiners review, investigate, and make eligibility determinations on claims filed for public benefits programs — unemployment insurance, disability benefits, workers' compensation, Veterans Affairs claims, and other government assistance programs. They apply statutory and regulatory criteria to claimant-submitted information, request additional evidence when needed, and issue written decisions that determine whether claimants receive benefits.

A Clerk of Court is the officer who heads a court's clerk's office: the keeper of the official record, the docket, the court's money and, in many systems, the jury pool. Some are elected county officials, such as North Carolina's clerks of superior court; others, federal district clerks among them, are chosen by the judges they serve. The job is executive work sitting beside the bench rather than on it, managing deputy clerks, budgets and case management systems. Pay is fixed office by office, often by statute, so this page uses an estimated band of about $55,000 to $150,000 with a midpoint estimate of $95,000.

United States Coast Guard Officers are commissioned officers in the nation's fifth military branch, leading operations that span maritime law enforcement, search and rescue, port security, maritime environmental protection, and national defense. Officers lead crews, manage cutters and aircraft, and execute the Coast Guard's unique combination of military, law enforcement, and lifesaving missions.

Code Enforcement Officers inspect properties, investigate complaints, and enforce local codes covering property maintenance, zoning, building standards, public nuisances, and health and safety. They work for city and county governments, issuing notices of violation, documenting noncompliance, and working with owners toward correction, using citations and administrative hearings when voluntary compliance fails. Certification through the American Association of Code Enforcement is common, and some agencies are weighing drone photography and AI-assisted case tools against the privacy and due-process questions those tools raise, as a 2026 Sonoma County settlement over drone surveillance showed.

Communications Analysts in the public sector research, draft, and coordinate the information a government agency releases to the public, press, and elected officials. They turn complex policy and program data into plain-language content — press releases, web copy, social media, talking points, and reports — while tracking media coverage and public sentiment to help leadership stay on message.

Communications Directors lead an agency's entire public information, media relations, and strategic communications function. They advise agency leadership on messaging, manage a team of writers and public affairs specialists, serve as the primary contact for journalists and elected officials, and set the tone and standards for how the agency presents itself to the public.

Communications Security Specialists manage the cryptographic systems, secure communication equipment, and COMSEC (communications security) programs that protect classified and sensitive government information. They control the lifecycle of cryptographic key material, maintain secure voice and data systems, and ensure that all classified communications within their organization meet NSA and federal standards.

Community Affairs Specialists build and maintain relationships between government agencies and the communities their programs serve. They connect residents, community organizations, and advocacy groups to agency services and information, gather community input for policy and planning processes, and ensure that public programs reach the people who need them.

Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Specialists administer the federal CDBG program at the city or county level, managing the application, award, implementation, and reporting cycle for grants that fund housing rehabilitation, infrastructure, public services, and economic development in low-income communities. They serve as the primary interface between local subrecipients and HUD compliance requirements.

Community Development Directors lead local government departments responsible for planning, housing, economic development, and neighborhood revitalization. They manage significant budgets and teams, set departmental strategy aligned with elected officials' priorities, and oversee the programs — from federal grant administration to zoning policy — that shape how communities grow and change over time.

Community Development Specialists administer housing assistance, economic development, and neighborhood revitalization programs at the local government level. They process applications, manage subrecipient compliance, coordinate with community partners, and ensure that federally funded activities meet HUD and agency requirements for eligible use and benefit to low-income residents.

Community Liaisons serve as the bridge between a government agency, school, or nonprofit and the communities they serve. They build relationships with residents and organizations, connect people to available services, translate institutional information into accessible language, and carry community concerns back to the agency — ensuring that programs actually reach the populations they are designed to help.

Community Outreach Coordinators connect residents to government and nonprofit programs that would otherwise go unused. They plan events, recruit and manage community partners, build outreach materials in the languages a service area actually speaks, and track which channels reach which populations. The job splits between building awareness that a program exists and removing the practical barriers, confusing paperwork, inconvenient hours, distrust of the agency, that keep eligible people from using it. Positions commonly sit in public health, housing, benefits, and social services departments, with pay and structure varying widely by funding source.

Community Planners research, analyze, and develop policies and plans that guide land use, housing, transportation, environmental sustainability, and economic development in communities. They work in local government planning departments, federal agencies, and consulting firms, preparing reports, reviewing development applications, conducting public engagement, and advising elected officials on planning decisions.

Community Relations Specialists manage the relationship between a public agency, utility, or institution and the communities affected by its operations and decisions. They conduct outreach around specific projects or issues, manage stakeholder concerns, represent the agency in community settings, and serve as the organizational link between external communities and internal program and policy staff.

Compliance Officers ensure that an organization's programs, operations, and staff adhere to applicable laws, regulations, and internal policies. In the public sector, they review grant activities, inspect regulated parties, investigate violations, and develop training and monitoring systems that catch problems before they become regulatory findings or legal liability.

Government Computer Clerks perform data entry, records processing, basic system support, and database maintenance tasks that keep government information systems accurate and operational. They enter, verify, and retrieve records from government databases, assist users with basic system questions, and ensure that data flows correctly through the administrative systems that support agency programs.

Government Computer Scientists conduct applied research, develop algorithms, design software systems, and advance computational methods in service of federal agency missions. They work at agencies like NSA, NIST, DARPA, NIH, and national laboratories on problems ranging from cryptographic security and AI safety to bioinformatics, cybersecurity research, and scientific computing infrastructure.

Congressional Aides — also called staff assistants or legislative correspondents at entry level — support the daily operations of congressional offices through constituent services, correspondence, research, scheduling, and legislative support. They serve as the front-line staff who answer calls, respond to constituent mail, greet visitors, and help members of Congress manage enormous incoming workloads.

Congressional Interns support the daily operations of U.S. House and Senate offices through constituent services, correspondence, research, and administrative tasks. The internship is one of the most recognized entry points into government, policy, law, and political careers — providing direct exposure to the legislative process and building the professional networks that shape careers for decades.

A congressional staffer works for a member of the House or Senate, a committee or a leadership office, doing the policy research, constituent casework, press work, scheduling and management that let an elected official legislate and represent a district or state. Titles run from staff assistant and legislative correspondent up through legislative assistant, legislative director and chief of staff, split between Washington and home offices. Pay is public record. In the House, a January 2025 Speaker's order restated a $45,000 minimum salary for full-time staff, a floor first set in 2022, and the Congressional Research Service found a 2025 median of $185,000 for House chiefs of staff, the senior job in a member office.

Constituent Advocates help residents navigate government systems and resolve problems with federal, state, or local agencies. Working in congressional offices, state legislator offices, or ombudsman programs, they intervene with agencies on constituents' behalf, manage casework from intake through resolution, and ensure that people who are struggling with government bureaucracy get a fair hearing and responsive service.

Constituent Services Coordinators manage casework and direct assistance for residents seeking help with government programs and agencies. Working in congressional district offices, state legislative offices, or local government, they handle the full intake-to-resolution cycle of constituent problems — from veterans' benefits to immigration delays to utility assistance — and serve as the liaison between residents and the agencies they need.

Constituent Services Directors lead the casework and constituent assistance function for a congressional district office, state legislative office, or local government agency. They manage a team of caseworkers, oversee case quality and resolution, build agency relationships, advise the member on constituent service patterns, and ensure that their office is effectively serving the people who need government help.

Constituent Services Managers oversee the day-to-day operation of a congressional district office or local government constituent services function — supervising caseworkers, ensuring case quality, managing agency relationships, and reporting on service delivery performance. The role bridges hands-on casework expertise with organizational management to produce consistent, high-quality results for the public.

Constituent Services Representatives are the frontline staff who receive, document, and begin resolving problems that constituents bring to legislative or government offices. They conduct intake interviews, open and track cases, contact federal and state agencies on constituents' behalf, and provide clear, timely updates to the people they're helping — serving as the most direct human connection between a representative's office and the public.

Government Construction Representatives — also called construction inspectors, resident engineers, or construction project representatives — oversee contracted construction work on public infrastructure projects. They enforce contract specifications, verify quality and compliance, process payment documentation, manage contractor relationships, and serve as the owner's eyes and ears on active job sites.

Consumer Safety Inspectors conduct inspections, investigate complaints, and enforce federal and state regulations governing the safety of food, drugs, cosmetics, medical devices, and other consumer products. They work primarily for the FDA and USDA, ensuring that facilities manufacturing and distributing regulated products meet applicable safety, labeling, and quality standards.

Consumer Safety Officers (CSOs) protect the public from unsafe, mislabeled, or fraudulent products by conducting inspections, reviewing compliance records, and taking enforcement action at regulated facilities. Most work for federal agencies like FDA, USDA, or CPSC — visiting food plants, pharmaceutical manufacturers, medical device companies, and importers to verify they meet federal law.

Contract Compliance Specialists ensure that contractors doing business with government agencies follow the legal, financial, and performance requirements built into their contracts. Their work spans labor standards enforcement, cost accounting audits, subcontracting goal monitoring, and documentation reviews — protecting both the government's investment and workers employed under public contracts.

Contract Managers oversee the full lifecycle of contracts — from pre-award planning through execution, modification, and closeout. In government settings they may hold contracting warrants; in private sector or nonprofit settings they manage vendor and customer agreements. Either way, they're accountable for protecting their organization's legal and financial interests across a portfolio of agreements.

A Contract Specialist is the government buyer who turns an agency's requirement into a legally sound contract: planning the acquisition, writing the solicitation, evaluating offers and administering the award through closeout. In federal service the job sits in the Contracting Series, 1102, and the same role runs purchasing for state agencies, counties, cities and public universities. The specialist builds the analysis and the file; a warranted contracting officer signs. BLS counts the work under buyers and purchasing agents, whose May 2025 pay ran from $48,380 at the 10th percentile to $128,870 at the 90th, with a median of $77,710.

Government Controllers direct the accounting operations and financial reporting functions of public agencies — managing the general ledger, producing financial statements, overseeing the annual audit, and ensuring internal controls are operating effectively. They translate complex fiscal activity into reliable financial information that agency leaders, legislatures, and the public can rely on.

Convention Coordinators manage the planning and execution of conferences, trade shows, public meetings, and special events at convention centers, government facilities, and municipal venues. They coordinate vendor contracts, A/V setup, catering arrangements, room configurations, and on-site logistics so that events run on schedule and within budget.

Coordinators of Special Projects manage time-limited, high-priority initiatives that fall outside normal agency operations — grant-funded programs, technology implementations, interagency task forces, and executive priorities that need dedicated coordination to succeed. They serve as the connective tissue between departments, vendors, and stakeholders, keeping projects on schedule when no one else is watching every moving part.

Corporate Counsel (in the public sector context, typically called Agency Counsel or Assistant General Counsel) provide legal advice directly to government agencies, public authorities, or quasi-governmental entities. They advise on contracts, employment matters, regulatory compliance, litigation risk, and legislative issues — keeping agency operations within legal limits while enabling the agency's mission to move forward.

A correctional officer supervises people held in jails, prisons and detention centers, running counts, searches, movement and incident response so a facility stays secure around the clock. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, state governments employ 52% of correctional officers and jailers, local governments 40% and the federal government 4%. BLS put the May 2025 median wage at $58,940, with the lowest-paid 10% earning under $42,760 and the top 10% above $93,220. The work runs on shifts that cover nights, weekends and holidays, and officers balance enforcement with constant communication with the people in their custody.

Correctional Program Specialists design, coordinate, and evaluate rehabilitation programs for incarcerated individuals — substance abuse treatment, education, vocational training, mental health services, and reentry planning. They sit at the interface between security operations and human services, working inside correctional facilities to address the behavioral, educational, and social factors that contribute to reincarceration.

Correctional Treatment Specialists (called Case Managers or Unit Counselors in many systems) provide social work-adjacent services inside correctional facilities — conducting assessments, developing program plans, facilitating groups, coordinating reentry, and serving as the primary institutional contact for incarcerated individuals and their families. They operate within a security environment while maintaining a counseling and case management function.

Correctional Treatment Specialists specializing in Drug Abuse Treatment provide structured substance use disorder treatment and related services inside federal and state correctional facilities. They facilitate evidence-based treatment programs, conduct clinical assessments, provide individual counseling, and coordinate reentry treatment planning — often as part of residential drug abuse program (RDAP) or similar intensive treatment units.

Correctional Treatment Specialists with psychology specializations provide licensed psychological services inside federal and state correctional facilities — conducting mental health assessments, providing psychotherapy, responding to crises, and supporting the facility's mental health care delivery system. They often function as the primary mental health clinician for a housing unit or program area within the institution.

Correctional Treatment Specialists with social work specializations provide direct social services to incarcerated individuals — addressing family systems, housing, benefits, trauma, and reentry needs through case management and clinical social work practice. They serve as advocates and coordinators within the institutional setting, connecting people to both internal programming and community resources that will support stability after release.

Council Aides provide direct staff support to elected council members or commissioners at the city, county, or borough level — managing constituent casework, researching policy questions, preparing briefing materials, and handling the administrative demands of a legislative office. They are often the first point of contact between residents and their elected representatives.

Council Members are elected legislative officials at the city, town, county, or borough level who set policy, adopt budgets, enact local laws, and hold executive agencies accountable. They represent specific geographic districts or the jurisdiction at-large, attend regular meetings, vote on legislation, and respond to constituent concerns. The role is part-time in small jurisdictions and full-time in major cities.

County Administrators serve as the chief executive officer of county government operations, appointed by and accountable to the elected Board of Supervisors or County Commission. They manage day-to-day county operations, execute the board's policy direction, prepare and administer the county budget, and lead a workforce that may range from a few hundred to tens of thousands of employees across dozens of departments.

County Attorneys serve as the chief legal officer for county government, providing legal representation and advice to the county board, county departments, and elected officials. They manage a legal department, supervise assistant county attorneys, handle litigation, and ensure that county actions comply with state law, federal requirements, and constitutional limitations.

County Board Members — called Supervisors, Commissioners, or Council Members depending on the state — are elected officials who collectively govern county government. They set county policy, adopt the annual budget, enact local ordinances, appoint the county administrator, and exercise oversight of county services ranging from public health and social services to transportation and law enforcement.

County Board Staffers provide research, policy analysis, constituent services, and administrative support to county supervisors or commissioners. They prepare briefing materials, monitor legislation, respond to constituent inquiries, coordinate with county departments, and help elected officials engage effectively in the board's legislative and oversight work.

County Commissioners are elected members of a county's governing board who hold combined legislative and executive authority over county government. They adopt the annual budget, vote on land use applications, set property tax rates, appoint the county administrator or manager, and negotiate agreements with cities, school districts, and state agencies. In 2026 some boards also began weighing rules for how county staff use artificial intelligence for writing, summarizing, and document work. The office is filled by election, not application, and pay ranges from a part-time stipend in small counties to a full-time salary in large metro ones.

A County Coroner is the local official, elected in some places and appointed in others, who takes legal jurisdiction over deaths that are sudden, violent, unexplained or unattended, and certifies how and why each person died. The office sits inside county government and works alongside sheriffs, police, prosecutors, hospitals, funeral homes and the state vital records office. Some coroners run a staff of deputies and investigators; in small counties the coroner may answer every call personally. Pay is set locally, in some states by statute, and our editorial estimate, drawn from Ohio statutory coroner salaries for 2026, runs from $37,918 to $156,066 with a midpoint of $69,073.

County Judges preside over trial-level courts handling civil, criminal, probate, family law, and juvenile matters within a county's jurisdiction. In many states, county judges also hold administrative responsibility for county government, including overseeing budgets, appointing officials, and presiding over county commissioner meetings. The specific role varies widely by state — some county judges primarily adjudicate disputes while others function as chief executive officers of county government.

County Managers are the chief administrative officers of county government, hired by an elected board of commissioners or supervisors to run day-to-day operations. They oversee all county departments, implement board policy, manage the annual budget, direct a workforce that may range from dozens to thousands of employees, and serve as the primary interface between elected officials and professional government staff.

County Public Health Nurses work at the population level — assessing community health needs, coordinating disease surveillance, delivering preventive care programs, and connecting individuals to services that clinical settings can't provide. They are employed by county and state health departments, tribal health authorities, federally qualified health centers, and public health nonprofits, and they operate as much in schools, homes, and community centers as in clinical offices.

A County Recorder is the county official who keeps the public land record: deeds, liens, mortgages, subdivision plats and similar instruments that establish who owns real property or holds a claim on it. The office carries other names, such as clerk and recorder in Colorado and register of deeds in New Hampshire, and in Colorado the post is elected. Pay for the elected office is set by statute or a county board rather than by the market. This page's band, $75,940 to $172,290 with a $114,010 median, is the BLS May 2025 range for administrative services managers in local government, the closest federal wage series for a manager who runs a public records office.

A County Surveyor is the land surveyor who keeps a county's official boundary record: the corner monuments, corner records and filed surveys that every deed and parcel map ultimately points back to. The office sits in county government, sometimes as an elected constitutional officer and sometimes as a division of public works or the county engineer, and it checks plats, restores Public Land Survey System corners and feeds the county's parcel GIS. For pay, BLS reports a May 2025 median of $89,190 for surveyors in local government, with the 10th and 90th percentiles at $53,610 and $130,670.

A County Treasurer is the county official who receives, safeguards, invests and pays out public money, and who, where state law assigns the job to the office, also collects property taxes for the county, schools, cities and special districts. The office sits alongside the auditor, assessor and clerk in county government, and depending on the state the treasurer is either elected or appointed. Pay is set by statute or by local officials rather than by a market survey, and in states such as Ohio it is tied to county population. By our editorial estimate, pay runs from $60,943, the 2026 statutory minimum for treasurers in the smallest Ohio counties, to the $127,813 that Webb County, Texas proposed for its treasurer for FY 2025/2026.

Court Administrators run the non-judicial side of trial and appellate courts: budget, personnel, facilities, technology, and case management systems. They work alongside the presiding judge, who retains authority over judicial matters, while the administrator handles the operational and management functions that keep dockets moving. The job blends government finance, HR, and IT oversight with courthouse security and jury administration, and it requires reporting court performance, such as case clearance rates and time-to-disposition, to state court administration and, in unified systems, to a state court administrator who sets system-wide standards.

A court clerk is the staff member in a trial or appellate court's clerk's office who receives and processes legal filings, keeps the docket and case files current, collects fees, and, when assigned to a courtroom, records minutes, handles exhibits and swears in witnesses. The role sits below the clerk of court, the elected or appointed head of the office. Court clerks work in state, county, municipal and federal courts. Under the BLS occupation Court, Municipal, and License Clerks, the national median wage was $48,700 in May 2025, with the 10th and 90th percentiles at $36,300 and $73,820.

Court Reporters create verbatim written records of legal proceedings, including trials, hearings, depositions, and administrative hearings, using stenographic machines or voice writing systems. Their transcripts are official legal documents that form the basis for appeals, published legal decisions, and any post-proceeding review of what was said under oath. Official reporters work on court staff; freelance reporters cover depositions on a per-page contract basis. A nationwide shortage of certified reporters, combined with states testing digital recording and AI transcription as substitutes, is reshaping demand and pay across both markets.

Crime Analysts collect, analyze, and visualize crime and criminal intelligence data so law enforcement agencies can identify patterns, allocate patrol resources, and support investigations. They produce tactical analyses of active crime series, strategic assessments of long-term trends, and administrative reports used for command briefings and public accountability. Most are civilian employees, not sworn officers, working alongside police commanders and detectives to turn incident data, records management systems, and mapping tools into decisions about where to send patrol units and which cases to prioritize. The role sits at the intersection of statistics, geography, and criminal justice, and it can also require comfort evaluating outputs from predictive and AI-assisted analytical software rather than only producing analysis by hand.

Crime Prevention Specialists develop and deliver programs, assessments, and community outreach aimed at reducing criminal opportunity and building public awareness of safety practices. They conduct security surveys, coordinate neighborhood watch programs, present public safety education, and help police departments build community relationships that support crime reduction.

A criminal investigator is a sworn officer or special agent who builds criminal cases after a crime is reported or suspected: collecting evidence, interviewing witnesses and suspects, writing warrants, and handing prosecutors a file that holds up in court. The job sits in city police detective bureaus, sheriff's offices, state investigative agencies and federal agencies such as the FBI, where the title is often special agent. BLS counts the role as Detectives and Criminal Investigators, which paid a median of $93,790 in May 2025, with the 10th to 90th percentile running from $55,390 to $160,540.

ATF Special Agents are federal criminal investigators with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, responsible for enforcing federal laws governing firearms, explosives, arson, and alcohol and tobacco trafficking. They conduct undercover operations, build complex criminal cases against violent offenders and criminal organizations, and work alongside state and local law enforcement on joint task forces.

DEA Special Agents are federal criminal investigators who enforce the Controlled Substances Act and related federal drug laws. They conduct domestic and international investigations targeting drug trafficking organizations, build Title III wiretap cases, seize drug proceeds, dismantle distribution networks, and work alongside foreign counterparts to disrupt the supply chains that feed the U.S. drug market. Entry is competitive: candidates pass a written exam, a physical task assessment, a panel interview, and an extensive background investigation before attending Basic Agent Training at Quantico. Most agents spend years building casework experience before qualifying for specialized units or overseas country-office assignments.

FBI Special Agents are the federal law enforcement officers of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, responsible for investigating domestic and national security threats, cyber crimes, public corruption, organized crime, financial fraud, civil rights violations, and violent crime. They work from field offices across the country and overseas legal attaché offices, building complex criminal and intelligence cases under the direction of the Attorney General.

IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Special Agents are federal law enforcement officers who investigate tax fraud, money laundering, cryptocurrency crimes, and related financial offenses. IRS-CI is the only federal agency with jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code, and its agents bring accounting and financial analysis skills to complex criminal cases that other law enforcement agencies refer when financial evidence is central to prosecution.

A Criminal Investigator (Secret Service) is a U.S. Secret Service special agent classified in the 1811 criminal investigation series. The job splits a career between protecting the President and other protectees and investigating counterfeiting, fraud and cyber-enabled financial crime. New agents enter at GL-07, GL-09 or GS-11 depending on education and experience, complete federal academy training, and report to field offices. For pay, BLS May 2025 estimates for detectives and criminal investigators in the federal executive branch show a 10th percentile of $79,100, a median of $119,500 and a 90th percentile of $180,860.

Criminal Justice Specialists work in government agencies, nonprofits, and research organizations to analyze justice system operations, evaluate programs, develop policy recommendations, and coordinate services across law enforcement, courts, corrections, and community supervision. They bridge the gap between operational practice and data-driven policy, supporting reforms that improve public safety and justice outcomes.

Criminal Prosecutors — most commonly called Assistant District Attorneys (ADAs) or Assistant State's Attorneys — represent the government in criminal proceedings, from charging decisions through trial and sentencing. They evaluate evidence, exercise charging discretion, negotiate plea agreements, and try cases before judges and juries, all while navigating the ethical obligations of an attorney whose client is justice rather than a party.

Government Customer Service Representatives are the public-facing staff of federal, state, and local agencies, handling inquiries, processing transactions, and assisting residents with benefits enrollment, license applications, permit requests, and agency program information. They serve constituents navigating often complex government programs across in-person service centers, phone lines, and digital channels.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officers work at ports of entry — airports, seaports, and land border crossings — to screen travelers and cargo entering the United States for prohibited goods, undocumented persons, and threats to national security. They enforce more than 400 U.S. trade and travel laws on behalf of over 40 federal agencies while facilitating legitimate commerce and travel.

Customs and Border Protection Officers are federal law enforcement officers stationed at U.S. ports of entry who enforce customs, immigration, and trade laws. They screen travelers arriving from abroad, inspect commercial cargo for prohibited goods, collect duties and tariffs, prevent smuggling, and facilitate the lawful movement of people and goods across U.S. borders.

CBP Agriculture Specialists protect American agriculture and natural resources by inspecting passengers, cargo, vehicles, and mail at U.S. ports of entry for prohibited plant material, insects, plant diseases, and agricultural products that could introduce invasive pests or pathogens. They work for U.S. Customs and Border Protection and combine science training with law enforcement authority to prevent agricultural biosecurity threats from entering the country.

CBP Air and Marine Operations (AMO) Officers are federal law enforcement agents who detect and interdict smuggling, illegal border crossings, and national security threats using aircraft and maritime vessels. Operating from 60+ locations nationwide, they coordinate aerial surveillance, vessel interdiction, and air support for ground enforcement operations along borders, coastal waters, and in the national interior.

CBP Officers are armed federal law enforcement officers stationed at U.S. ports of entry, airports, seaports, and land border crossings, who inspect travelers, vehicles, and cargo entering the United States. They enforce customs, immigration, and agriculture laws, collect duties on commercial imports, detect contraband and security threats, and process the travelers who cross U.S. ports of entry. The job pairs a federal law enforcement career ladder with steady port-of-entry hiring, biometric tools like CBP's Traveler Verification Service, and a federal law enforcement retirement package.

Customs and Border Protection Officers (CBPOs) are armed, uniformed federal officers in the Office of Field Operations at U.S. Customs and Border Protection, posted at airports, seaports and land crossings. They decide who and what enters the country: they inspect travelers, check documents, examine baggage, vehicles and cargo, and enforce customs, immigration and agriculture law at the port. The job sits inside the Department of Homeland Security and runs on the General Schedule, with entry at GS-5, GS-7 or GS-9. CBP's own pay table puts total compensation, including average locality, overtime and premium pay, at $52,255 at GS-5 and $122,874 at GS-12, the top grade it lists.

A CBP Officer Trainee is a newly appointed Customs and Border Protection Officer who has not yet completed the federal training program at FLETC or finished the port-of-entry field qualification period. Trainees enter at GL-5 or GL-7 pay grades and spend approximately 89 days in Glynco, Georgia for foundational law enforcement, customs, and immigration training before returning to their assigned port for field mentorship.

Defense Intelligence Officers (DIOs) produce all-source intelligence assessments and analysis to support senior military commanders and civilian defense policymakers. Working primarily within the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and military service intelligence components, they synthesize classified reporting from signals, human, imagery, and open sources to produce finished intelligence products on foreign military capabilities, intentions, and threats.

Deputy Attorneys General (DAGs) serve as senior legal officers within state attorney general offices and, at the federal level, directly below the U.S. Attorney General. In state offices — which employ the large majority of DAG positions — they function as specialized staff attorneys who litigate cases, advise agencies, and enforce state law across divisions ranging from consumer protection to environmental enforcement. The federal Deputy Attorney General is a presidentially appointed position with executive oversight of the entire Department of Justice.

A Deputy Chief of Staff supports the Chief of Staff in managing the operational and strategic functions of an executive's office — whether a governor, mayor, cabinet secretary, or senior elected official. They handle a combination of staff management, scheduling oversight, policy coordination, communications support, and problem escalation, serving as an internal integrator who keeps the principal's office functioning when the Chief of Staff is unavailable or focused elsewhere.

A Deputy City Attorney for Operations is a senior attorney-manager in a municipal law office who oversees the administrative and operational functions of the city attorney's office alongside substantive legal duties. They typically manage staffing, budget, case management systems, and interdepartmental coordination while carrying their own legal portfolio, acting as a second-in-command to the City Attorney on both internal management and external legal matters.

Deputy City Clerks assist the City Clerk in managing the official records of municipal government, administering city council meeting logistics, maintaining municipal codes, and ensuring compliance with public records and open meetings laws. They serve as the first point of continuity when the City Clerk is absent and often lead specific functional areas within the clerk's office such as elections administration, records management, or licensing.

Deputy City Managers assist the City Manager in overseeing municipal government operations, typically managing a portfolio of city departments and serving as acting City Manager when the City Manager is absent. They coordinate interdepartmental policy implementation, manage strategic initiatives, advise the city council, and ensure the operational performance of the city's service delivery functions.

A Deputy City Manager for Community Services oversees the portfolio of city departments that deliver quality-of-life and human services directly to residents: parks and recreation, libraries, social services, housing programs, arts and culture, youth services, and senior programs. They provide strategic direction, budget leadership, and inter-departmental coordination for service areas that touch daily community life, while reporting to the City Manager and advising the city council on community services policy.

A Deputy Clerk of Court is a staff member in a court clerk's office who accepts filings, keeps the official docket, issues court documents and collects fees on behalf of the elected or appointed Clerk of Court. Deputies work at the public counter, in records and in the courtroom beside a judge, in county, state and federal trial courts. BLS counts the job within Court, Municipal, and License Clerks. For those clerks in local government, the May 2025 median wage was $47,960, with the 10th percentile at $35,590 and the 90th at $74,040.

A Deputy Commissioner is the second-ranking executive in a government department led by a Commissioner, such as a state labor, corrections or consumer protection department or a city health agency. The deputy runs day-to-day operations, supervises division directors, builds and defends the budget, and serves as acting Commissioner when the top job is vacant. Where the post is appointed rather than filled by exam, tenure can end with a change of administration. For chief executives in state government, excluding schools and hospitals, the nearest published band, BLS reports $52,000 at the 10th percentile, a $153,070 median and $217,550 at the 90th percentile (May 2025).

A Deputy County Administrator supports the County Administrator in managing the operations of county government, typically overseeing a portfolio of county departments and serving as acting County Administrator when necessary. Counties are among the most complex units of local government — they administer state programs, operate jails, courts, and hospitals, and deliver a wide range of direct services — and the deputy administrator is a key executive in managing that complexity.

A Deputy County Attorney is a licensed attorney employed by a county government's law office who provides legal representation, advice, and transactional services for county departments, agencies, and officials. They litigate civil cases on the county's behalf, draft and review contracts and legislation, advise on regulatory and compliance matters, and support the County Attorney in fulfilling the legal obligations of county government.

A Deputy County Clerk assists the County Clerk in managing official county records, administering county elections, processing legal documents, issuing licenses and certifications, and ensuring public access to government records. County clerk offices handle vital records (birth, death, marriage certificates), property document recording, court records, and election administration depending on the state, making them among the most frequently accessed county offices by the public.

A Deputy County Commissioner assists an elected County Commissioner in managing constituent services, policy research, community liaison functions, and administrative operations for the commissioner's district office. They serve as a primary point of contact for residents, coordinate with county departments on constituent issues, support the commissioner's policy priorities, and ensure the district office functions effectively between the commissioner's public appearances and board meetings.

A Deputy County Manager assists the County Manager in overseeing county government operations, managing a portfolio of county departments, and representing the county manager's office in executive, legislative, and community settings. As the number-two operational executive in county government, they are accountable for departmental performance across their assigned portfolio and serve as acting County Manager when the manager is absent.

A Deputy County Manager for Community Services oversees the county government departments that provide direct human services and quality-of-life programs to residents, including public health, social services, mental health, libraries, parks, senior services, and housing programs. They manage department directors across this portfolio, coordinate major federal and state program compliance, and advise the County Manager and Board of Commissioners on community services policy and performance.

A Deputy Director of Communications supports the Director of Communications in managing public information, media relations, social media, internal communications, and messaging for a government agency, elected official's office, or public institution. They develop and execute communications strategies, manage a team of communications professionals, respond to media inquiries, and help ensure accurate and effective public messaging on behalf of their organization.

A Deputy Director of Public Affairs manages stakeholder engagement, legislative liaison activities, community outreach, and external affairs for a government agency or public institution. They build and maintain relationships with elected officials, advocacy organizations, community groups, and strategic partners, ensuring the agency's policy priorities are understood and supported by key external audiences while keeping agency leadership informed of stakeholder perspectives.

A Deputy District Attorney (DDA) is a licensed prosecutor employed by a county District Attorney's office who investigates, charges, and litigates criminal cases on behalf of the people of the state. From misdemeanor arraignments to felony jury trials, DDAs handle the full progression of criminal cases — negotiating pleas, conducting preliminary hearings, presenting evidence to grand juries, and trying cases in front of juries — in service of the public's interest in justice.

A Deputy Emergency Management Coordinator supports the Emergency Management Coordinator in planning for, responding to, and recovering from disasters and emergencies at the local or state level. They develop and maintain emergency plans, coordinate exercises and training, manage mutual aid agreements, support Emergency Operations Center (EOC) activations, and work with partner agencies to build community resilience against natural and human-caused hazards.

A Deputy Fire Chief assists the Fire Chief in managing a fire department's operations, personnel, training, equipment, and administrative functions. They may oversee specific functional areas — such as operations, training, fire prevention, or EMS — and typically serve as acting Fire Chief when the Fire Chief is absent. As senior officers who have risen from the firefighter ranks, they combine tactical expertise with executive management responsibilities.

Deputy General Counsels lead a government entity's legal operations under the direction of the General Counsel — managing staff attorneys, advising senior officials on legal risk, and handling complex litigation, contracts, and regulatory matters. They serve as acting General Counsel in that officer's absence and often carry a direct portfolio of the organization's most sensitive legal work.

Deputy General Managers run the day-to-day operations of public sector organizations — transit authorities, water utilities, port authorities, and similar agencies — under the oversight of the General Manager or Executive Director. They supervise department heads, manage cross-functional projects, represent the agency in intergovernmental settings, and serve as acting General Manager when needed.

Deputy Government Relations Directors support an organization's legislative and regulatory strategy by tracking legislation, cultivating relationships with elected officials and agency staff, coordinating advocacy campaigns, and preparing leadership for government testimony and meetings. They operate at the intersection of policy analysis and political relationship management.

Deputy Health Directors manage the day-to-day operations of public health departments under the direction of the Health Director or Commissioner. They supervise program managers and clinical staff, oversee budget execution, ensure regulatory compliance, and lead the department's response to disease outbreaks, environmental health emergencies, and community health crises.

Deputy Information Services Directors oversee the day-to-day technology operations of government agencies — managing IT staff, vendors, and infrastructure while ensuring cybersecurity compliance, system reliability, and digital service delivery. They bridge technology strategy and operational execution, often serving as acting CIO when needed.

Deputy Inspectors General lead the investigative, audit, and inspection functions of an Inspector General's office — overseeing independent examinations of government programs for fraud, waste, abuse, and management deficiencies. They manage teams of investigators, auditors, and program analysts while maintaining the independence that makes IG work credible.

Deputy Land Use Planning Directors manage the day-to-day operations of a planning department — supervising planners, administering development review processes, and advising elected bodies on zoning, land use policy, and long-range plans. They balance state planning law compliance with local community development priorities.

Deputy Mayors serve as the primary operational second to an elected mayor — managing city departments, leading strategic initiatives, handling constituent and intergovernmental relationships, and acting in the mayor's capacity when needed. The role combines executive management, political coordination, and direct public accountability in one of the most visible positions in local government.

Deputy Parks and Recreation Directors manage the operations of a parks department under the director's oversight — supervising parks maintenance, recreation programming, facility management, and community events. They balance capital improvement planning, budget execution, and programming quality to serve diverse community needs across parks, pools, sports facilities, and open spaces.

Deputy Public Information Officers support a government agency's communications function — handling media inquiries, drafting press releases and official statements, managing social media channels, and coordinating crisis communications. They work closely with agency leadership to ensure public messaging is accurate, timely, and consistent with agency policy.

Deputy Purchasing Agents oversee the procurement operations of a government jurisdiction — managing competitive bid processes, contract administration, vendor compliance, and procurement staff. They ensure taxpayer funds are spent lawfully, competitively, and with appropriate documentation to withstand audit scrutiny.

A deputy sheriff is a sworn peace officer employed by a county sheriff's office, the law enforcement agency run by an elected sheriff. Deputies patrol unincorporated areas and contract cities, answer calls for service, make arrests, and work the functions that set sheriff's offices apart from city police: the county jail, courthouse security, prisoner transport, and service of civil papers. Federal wage data groups deputies with city patrol officers. In May 2025 that group earned a median of $76,210, with the 10th percentile at $47,510 and the 90th at $115,120. Many deputies start in patrol or detention before moving into investigations or specialty units.

Diplomats represent their government's interests in foreign countries and international organizations — conducting negotiations, analyzing political and economic developments, building relationships with foreign officials, managing consular services for citizens abroad, and advancing foreign policy through daily professional engagement across cultural and political differences.

Directors of Community Affairs serve as the primary bridge between a government agency, corporation, or nonprofit and the communities they affect — managing outreach, public meetings, stakeholder relationships, and community advisory processes. They translate organizational decisions into community context and community needs into organizational priorities.

Directors of Community Development lead municipal or county programs that build economic opportunity, affordable housing, and physical revitalization in lower-income communities. They administer federal block grant programs, oversee housing and economic development projects, manage staff and budgets, and coordinate across city departments and community partners to implement community investment strategies.

Directors of Constituent Services manage the function that handles direct requests for help from residents to elected officials or government agencies — processing casework, routing inquiries, resolving service delivery problems, and ensuring that constituents receive responsive, equitable assistance. They operate at the intersection of government operations and community trust.

Directors of Contracts lead an organization's contract management function — overseeing contract development, negotiation, administration, and compliance across all vendor and partner relationships. In government, they ensure that contracting activity complies with applicable procurement law, delivers value for public funds, and creates defensible records that withstand audit and legal scrutiny.

Directors of Finance in government agencies oversee the full spectrum of financial operations — budget preparation, financial reporting, treasury and cash management, accounting, auditing, and financial compliance. They ensure public funds are managed lawfully, accurately, and transparently, and they advise agency leadership and elected bodies on fiscal policy and financial risk.

A Director of Government Affairs leads an organization's work with legislators, regulators and other governments: setting the legislative agenda, lobbying for it, and keeping the organization compliant with lobbying disclosure law. In the public sector the job can sit in the executive office of a county, city, transit authority or public university and reports to the chief executive or governing board. The closest BLS occupation is public relations managers, who earned a median of $146,910 in May 2025, with the 10th percentile at $82,410 and the 90th percentile at $284,990.

A Director of Grants Management runs the office that wins, spends and closes out an agency's grant money. The job sits between program leadership and finance: the director oversees applications, budgets, drawdowns, subrecipient monitoring, federal reporting and audit response, and supervises the grants staff who do that work day to day. Positions sit in city, county and state agencies, public universities and nonprofits that depend on federal and pass-through funds. Pay on this page is an editorial estimate of about $95,000 to $180,000 a year, with a midpoint near $130,000, because BLS publishes no occupation for the title.

Government Directors of Human Resources manage the full HR function for a public agency — overseeing civil service hiring, classification and compensation, labor relations, employee benefits, training, and HR compliance. They navigate the intersection of civil service law, collective bargaining agreements, and employment law that makes government HR more legally complex than most private sector equivalents.

Government Directors of Information Technology lead the full technology function for a public agency — overseeing infrastructure, applications, cybersecurity, help desk, and digital service delivery. They balance operational reliability, security compliance, and strategic modernization while managing technology budgets and vendor relationships within government procurement constraints.

Directors of Legislative Affairs lead an agency's engagement with legislative bodies — tracking legislation, managing relationships with legislators and staff, preparing agency officials for testimony and briefings, and coordinating the agency's positions on bills that affect its programs and authority. They translate policy and program realities into legislative language and legislative outcomes into agency action.

Directors of Planning and Zoning lead the full planning function for a government jurisdiction — overseeing both current development review and long-range comprehensive planning, managing zoning code administration, supervising professional planners, and advising elected bodies on land use policy. They shape the physical development of communities and manage the regulatory framework governing how private land is used.

A Director of Policy leads the development, analysis, and advocacy of policy positions for government agencies, nonprofits, think tanks, or legislative offices. They translate complex regulatory, legislative, and social issues into actionable frameworks, coordinate across stakeholders, and advise senior leadership on strategy. Strong research, writing, and coalition-building skills are central to the role.

A Director of Public Affairs manages the external communications, media relations, legislative engagement, and community outreach efforts of a government agency, public institution, or large nonprofit. They serve as a principal spokesperson, shape how the organization is perceived by the public and policymakers, and ensure that communications strategy aligns with leadership priorities. The role sits at the intersection of politics, journalism, and strategy.

The Director of Public Safety is a local government executive who runs a city, village or county public safety department, overseeing police and fire services and, in some places, EMS, dispatch and emergency management. The post sits between the uniformed command staff and the city manager or mayor; in fully consolidated towns the director commands officers cross-trained for both police and fire work. Pay is set locally, often by ordinance or resolution. For general and operations managers in local government, the nearest BLS pay proxy, the May 2025 median was $130,630, with a 10th-to-90th percentile range of $66,700 to $216,070.

A Director of Public Works provides executive leadership over a local government's physical infrastructure — roads, bridges, water and wastewater systems, stormwater, solid waste, and fleet. They manage large engineering and operations teams, oversee capital improvement programs often totaling tens of millions of dollars annually, and ensure that the infrastructure residents and businesses depend on is maintained, improved, and compliant with federal and state regulations.

A Director of Purchasing oversees all procurement activity for a government entity — soliciting bids, awarding contracts, ensuring legal compliance, and managing vendor relationships. They design and enforce purchasing policies, develop procurement staff, and ensure that public funds are spent with transparency, fairness, and maximum value. The role requires deep knowledge of public procurement law, supply chain strategy, and contract management.

A Director of Social Services leads a government agency responsible for delivering human services programs — public assistance, child welfare, adult protective services, behavioral health, workforce development, and related programs. They oversee large operational teams, manage federal and state program compliance, administer multi-million dollar program budgets, and are accountable for outcomes for some of the most vulnerable people in their community.

A Director of Transportation provides executive leadership over a government agency's transportation systems — roads and highways, public transit, bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, and freight corridors. They manage capital programs, transit operations, traffic engineering, and the interagency relationships needed to move projects from planning through construction. The role balances technical expertise with political navigation and community engagement.

Disaster Assistance Specialists assess damage, process aid applications, and connect survivors with federal and state recovery resources following presidentially declared disasters. Working through FEMA and partner agencies, they conduct home inspections, verify losses, determine program eligibility, and help individuals and families access housing assistance, small business loans, and other recovery programs. The work is field-intensive, frequently deployed on short notice, and requires careful documentation and regulatory knowledge.

Disaster Response Specialists coordinate the operational response to natural disasters, public health emergencies, and other declared crises. Working within Emergency Operations Centers, incident command structures, and field environments, they manage resource coordination, inter-agency communications, and operational documentation. Unlike Disaster Assistance Specialists who focus on survivor recovery after the event, Response Specialists are active during the emergency itself — managing logistics, tracking resource deployment, and supporting incident command decisions.

An Economic Development Administration (EDA) Program Specialist administers federal economic development grants awarded by the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration to distressed communities, regions, and organizations. They review applications, manage grant portfolios, conduct site visits, ensure regulatory compliance, and support grantees through the lifecycle of economic development projects including infrastructure, revolving loan funds, and planning programs.

An Economic Development Director leads a local government's or regional organization's effort to grow the economy — attracting new businesses, retaining and expanding existing ones, developing workforce pipelines, and managing incentive programs. They build relationships with corporate site selectors, manage economic development budgets and grants, coordinate with planning and infrastructure departments, and represent the community's economic interests to investors, developers, and state and federal partners.

An Economic Development Specialist supports a local government's or economic development organization's business attraction, retention, and expansion activities. They conduct market research, analyze prospect inquiries, maintain site inventory databases, support incentive program administration, and assist with grant applications and reporting. The role is the practitioner-level entry point into professional economic development and serves as preparation for senior project manager and director positions.

An Economic Development Specialist in Disaster Recovery administers federal disaster recovery programs — primarily CDBG-DR (Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery) — to support the economic recovery of businesses, commercial districts, and employment centers following presidentially declared disasters. They manage business assistance grants, revolving loan funds, workforce recovery programs, and commercial corridor rebuilding initiatives, working at the intersection of federal grant compliance and community economic development.

Economists at the Federal Reserve System conduct original research in macroeconomics, finance, monetary policy, labor economics, and related fields, informing monetary policy decisions and contributing to the broader academic literature. They build models, analyze data, write research papers, brief policymakers, and in some cases contribute directly to Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) deliberations. A Ph.D. in economics or finance is the standard entry credential.

Government Economists analyze economic data, evaluate policies, and produce research and analysis that support regulatory decisions, budget planning, and legislative proposals at federal and state agencies. They work across a wide range of specialties — labor economics, environmental economics, regulatory economics, fiscal analysis, and more — and translate quantitative analysis into policy-relevant findings for non-economist audiences including agency leadership, Congress, and the public.

An Election Administrator runs the machinery of voting for a county, city or town: the voter list, ballot building, poll worker training, mail ballot processing, tabulation and the canvass that produces certified results. In some places the post is an appointed director reporting to a board of elections; in others the duties sit inside an elected clerk's or auditor's office. BLS publishes no wage series for the role, so this page uses May 2025 pay for a catch-all group, business operations specialists in local government: $48,520 at the 10th percentile, $80,700 at the median and $129,760 at the 90th.

An Emergency Management Coordinator runs the daily preparedness program for a county, city, state agency or regional emergency services authority. The job covers writing the emergency operations plan, designing exercises, managing federal preparedness grants and staffing the emergency operations center when a flood, wildfire or storm hits. In a county or regional office the coordinator may report to an emergency management division manager or director, and in a small jurisdiction the coordinator may be the whole office. The estimated pay band for the title is $46K to $88K, an editorial estimate for coordinator-level public-agency jobs.

An Emergency Management Director leads a jurisdiction's entire emergency management program — setting strategy, managing staff and budgets, maintaining federal grant compliance, coordinating with elected officials, and commanding or supporting the Emergency Operations Center during major activations. They are ultimately accountable for how well their community prepares for, responds to, and recovers from disasters, and they represent that function to elected leadership, the public, and state and federal partners.

An Emergency Management Specialist supports the planning, training, exercise, and operational functions of a government emergency management program. In federal agencies, specialists often manage specific grant programs, develop training curricula, or lead technical assistance efforts. At state and local levels, they work alongside coordinators and directors on the operational tasks that keep the program functional. The title spans a wide range of experience levels and organizational contexts.

An Emergency Management Specialist in Mitigation develops and administers programs that reduce communities' vulnerability to natural disasters — primarily through FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA), and Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grants. They work with local governments, property owners, and state agencies to fund and implement projects like home elevations, buyouts of flood-prone properties, infrastructure hardening, and community resilience planning.

An Emergency Management Specialist in Preparedness designs and implements programs that build a community's or agency's capacity to respond to disasters before they happen — through planning, training, exercises, public education, and grant administration. They focus specifically on the preparedness phase of the emergency management cycle, working with government agencies, hospitals, schools, businesses, and community organizations to close readiness gaps before the next event reveals them.

An Emergency Management Specialist in Recovery manages the programs and processes that help communities rebuild after disasters — primarily FEMA's Public Assistance (PA) grant program, which funds debris removal and infrastructure repair for governments and nonprofits, and the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), which funds projects to reduce future losses. They coordinate between FEMA, state agencies, local governments, and other federal partners to accelerate recovery and ensure federal funds are used effectively.

An Emergency Management Specialist in Response focuses on the operational phase of emergency management — activating, staffing, and running the Emergency Operations Center during disasters, coordinating inter-agency resource requests, maintaining situational awareness, and ensuring that field operations have the support and information they need. They are the specialists who perform in real time under pressure, not just during planning and training cycles.

An Emergency Services Coordinator supports a local government's public safety and emergency services operations — coordinating between fire, law enforcement, EMS, and other response agencies, maintaining emergency plans, supporting the Emergency Operations Center, and providing administrative and operational support to the emergency management program. The title is commonly used at the municipal level for positions that manage the operational details of community safety coordination rather than leading a standalone emergency management department.

An environmental health specialist, also titled sanitarian in some jurisdictions, is a public health inspector who enforces sanitation codes at restaurants, pools, septic systems, wells, child care centers and housing. They work for county, city and state health agencies, combining routine inspections with complaint response, outbreak investigation and enforcement orders. The job sits inside BLS's environmental scientists and specialists occupation, and in local government that group earned a median of $81,580 in May 2025, with a range from $55,090 at the 10th percentile to $127,330 at the 90th. The National Environmental Health Association's REHS/RS is a national credential, and some states add their own registration.

Environmental Planners evaluate proposed development projects, infrastructure expansions, and land-use changes for environmental impacts. Working at city, county, state, and federal agencies — or for consulting firms serving those clients — they prepare environmental impact assessments, manage public comment processes, and ensure projects comply with NEPA, CEQA, and state environmental statutes. Their work shapes where roads get built, whether permits get issued, and how communities balance growth against habitat protection.

Environmental Protection Specialists enforce environmental laws, investigate violations, evaluate permit applications, and develop compliance programs at federal, state, and local agencies. They are the regulatory arm of environmental protection — monitoring industrial facilities, responding to pollution incidents, issuing enforcement actions, and working with regulated communities to bring operations into compliance with the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, RCRA, CERCLA, and related statutes.

An Equal Employment Opportunity Investigator examines complaints that an employer treated someone unfairly because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or another protected trait, then builds the factual record an agency or employer relies on to decide the case. The job lives in EEOC field offices, state and local fair employment practices agencies, the EEO offices of federal agencies, and employer compliance teams. BLS counts these investigators inside its Compliance Officers occupation, which reported a May 2025 median wage of $80,730, with $48,220 at the 10th percentile and $133,720 at the 90th. That group also includes compliance work outside civil rights enforcement.

Equal Employment Opportunity Specialists manage EEO programs at federal agencies, large employers, and government contractors. They advise management on anti-discrimination compliance, coordinate the complaint and counseling process, conduct EEO training, prepare affirmative employment plans, and analyze workforce data to identify and address systemic disparities. Where EEO Investigators handle individual complaints, EEO Specialists run the broader program infrastructure that makes compliance possible.

Equal Opportunity Assistants provide administrative and operational support to EEO programs at federal agencies, state civil rights offices, and large employers. They manage case files, schedule counseling and investigation appointments, maintain complaint tracking systems, prepare correspondence, and handle the logistical backbone of complaint processing and program reporting. It is a primary entry point into the EEO field for candidates without direct compliance experience.

Equal Opportunity Compliance Specialists manage an organization's obligations under federal equal opportunity laws — focusing particularly on affirmative action plan development, OFCCP compliance for federal contractors, and proactive workforce equity analysis. Unlike EEO Specialists who manage complaint processes, EO Compliance Specialists focus on the preventive and affirmative side: ensuring that recruitment, hiring, and promotion practices are documented, analyzed, and defensible before a regulator arrives.

Equal Opportunity Specialists coordinate and administer equal opportunity programs that cut across employment, education, contracting, and service delivery contexts. The title is used broadly — at federal civil rights agencies, housing authorities, universities, and community organizations — to describe professionals who ensure that protected-class individuals have equal access to programs, services, and employment, and that discrimination is identified, investigated, and remedied.

Equal Opportunity Specialists at the EEOC and federal agencies investigate discrimination charges, conduct mediations, and enforce Title VII, the ADA, ADEA, and related statutes. They serve as the procedural backbone of the federal equal employment enforcement system — interviewing complainants and respondents, analyzing evidence, writing technical findings, and recommending remedial action. The role demands legal literacy, investigative rigor, and the interpersonal skill to handle charged workplace conflicts impartially.

Equal Opportunity Specialists in the National Guard administer the Equal Opportunity and Equal Employment Opportunity programs for their state's Army or Air National Guard units, ensuring compliance with federal anti-discrimination law, DoD directives, and Army/Air Force regulations. They investigate informal and formal complaints, advise commanders on climate assessments, and deliver training to service members and civilian technicians across the full spectrum of protected-class issues.

Equal Opportunity Specialists focusing on veterans work within federal agencies, state workforce boards, and Veterans Service Organizations to enforce and administer employment rights for veterans, disabled veterans, and transitioning service members. They investigate complaints under VEVRAA and USERRA, conduct compliance reviews of federal contractors, and deliver outreach programs that connect veterans to employment protections and resources. The role sits at the intersection of labor law, HR compliance, and direct veteran services.

Ethics Officers in the public sector design, administer, and enforce the ethical standards and conflict-of-interest frameworks that govern government employees, elected officials, and contractors. They investigate complaints, issue advisory opinions, manage financial disclosure programs, and train staff on statutory ethics requirements — serving as the institutional authority that keeps public trust intact when competing interests arise.

An Executive Director of Constituent Services leads the office responsible for connecting residents with government resources, resolving complaints, and ensuring agency responsiveness across departments. This senior-level public sector role combines policy oversight, staff management, interagency coordination, and direct accountability for the quality and speed of government service delivery at the local, county, or state level.

Executive Directors of Legislative Affairs lead an organization's engagement with legislative bodies at the federal, state, or local level — managing government relations strategy, directing lobbyists and policy staff, and ensuring the organization's priorities are reflected in legislation and regulatory rulemaking. They sit at the intersection of policy expertise and political intelligence, translating complex institutional interests into actionable advocacy campaigns and serving as a principal point of contact with elected officials and their staff.

An Executive Director of Public Affairs leads an organization's external communications, government relations, and community engagement functions — serving as the strategic bridge between the institution and the legislators, media, advocacy groups, and public it answers to. In public sector settings, this means translating policy priorities into coherent narratives, managing crisis communications, and ensuring the agency's positions reach the right audiences at the right moment.

An Executive Director of Public Safety serves as the senior administrative authority overseeing a jurisdiction's police, fire, emergency medical services, emergency management, and related public safety agencies. They set strategic direction, manage multi-department budgets, align operations with elected officials' priorities, and are ultimately accountable when the systems protecting a community's residents break down or succeed.

An Executive Director of Social Services leads the strategic and operational direction of a public or nonprofit human services agency — overseeing programs spanning child welfare, adult protective services, housing assistance, mental health referrals, and workforce development. They are accountable for multi-million dollar budgets, compliance with federal and state regulations, and the performance of a workforce often numbering in the hundreds. The role sits at the intersection of policy, administration, and direct community impact.

An Executive Director of Transportation leads a public transportation agency, regional transit authority, or state/local DOT division — setting strategic direction, managing multi-hundred-million-dollar budgets, overseeing capital programs, and serving as the primary public and legislative face of the organization. The role combines executive management, policy navigation, federal grant compliance, labor relations, and systems-level accountability for moving people and goods safely across a defined jurisdiction.

FAA Air Traffic Control Specialists (ATCS) manage the safe and efficient movement of aircraft through controlled airspace by issuing clearances, maintaining separation between aircraft, and coordinating traffic flow. Working at FAA tower facilities, terminal radar approach controls (TRACONs), and en route centers, they combine real-time spatial reasoning, rapid communication, and cool judgment under pressure to keep thousands of flights moving safely every day.

FAA Aviation Safety Inspectors are FAA employees who oversee the safety of the national air transportation system by inspecting aircraft, airline operations, maintenance programs, and aviation training. They certify airlines and air operators, evaluate maintenance procedures, conduct pilot check rides, and investigate accidents and incidents to identify and correct safety deficiencies.

A Federal Air Marshal is an armed, plainclothes federal law enforcement officer in the Transportation Security Administration's Federal Air Marshal Service (FAMS). Marshals ride selected U.S. carrier flights at home and abroad, and they also take ground-based assignments such as airport law enforcement liaison and task force work. The job is to detect and deter threats to aircraft, passengers and crews. The job sits inside the Department of Homeland Security, and pay follows TSA's own band system rather than the General Schedule. BLS has no air marshal occupation; the nearest federal benchmark, the May 2025 Federal Executive Branch row for detectives and criminal investigators, runs from $79,100 at the 10th percentile to $180,860 at the 90th, with a median of $119,500.

Federal Criminal Investigators — classified under OPM series 1811 — conduct investigations into violations of federal law on behalf of agencies including the FBI, DEA, ATF, HSI, IRS Criminal Investigation, and USSS. They gather evidence, interview witnesses, execute search warrants, make arrests, and prepare cases for federal prosecution. The role spans undercover operations, financial crimes, counterterrorism, organized crime, and public corruption depending on the employing agency's mission.

Federal Investigators conduct criminal, civil, and administrative investigations on behalf of U.S. government agencies — including the FBI, IRS-CI, DHS-OIG, HHS-OIG, EPA, and dozens of other federal entities. They gather evidence, interview witnesses and subjects, execute search warrants, write investigative reports, and work with federal prosecutors to bring cases. The specific focus — financial crime, fraud, public corruption, environmental violations, immigration — depends on the agency and position.

Federal Property Disposal Specialists manage the reuse, transfer, donation, sale, and disposal of excess and surplus government property — equipment, vehicles, real assets, and controlled items — in compliance with federal regulations including the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act, FAR Part 45, and agency-specific directives. They coordinate with GSA, state agencies, nonprofits, and commercial buyers to maximize value recovery while minimizing the government's holding costs and legal exposure.

Federal Protective Service Officers are sworn federal law enforcement officers under the Department of Homeland Security who protect roughly 9,000 GSA-managed federal buildings and the employees and visitors who pass through them. They screen entrants, patrol facilities, respond to threats and emergencies, and enforce federal law on government property, while also supervising the thousands of contract security officers who supplement FPS's sworn workforce. The job sits at the intersection of law enforcement and physical security management: officers carry arrest authority and firearms, but a large share of the mission is contractor oversight, incident documentation, and vulnerability assessment rather than pure patrol work.

A Federal Reserve Law Enforcement Officer is a sworn, armed police officer who protects the buildings, staff, currency operations and leadership of a Federal Reserve Bank or the Board of Governors in Washington. The authority comes from Section 11(q) of the Federal Reserve Act, and the daily work mixes access control, visitor and parcel screening, patrol, emergency response and protective details. Officers work for the Board's Law Enforcement Unit or for an individual Reserve Bank's police department. BLS does not track the job separately; for the closest occupation, police and sheriff's patrol officers, the May 2025 median was $76,210, with the 10th to 90th percentile running from $47,510 to $115,120.

A Public Sector Finance Director serves as the chief financial officer of a government entity — a city, county, special district, or state agency — overseeing budgeting, accounting, treasury, debt management, and financial reporting. They are accountable to elected officials, department heads, and the public for the fiscal integrity of an organization that operates under statutory authority rather than profit motive, with every dollar subject to public scrutiny and audit.

Financial Management Specialists in government agencies oversee the planning, execution, and oversight of public funds across the full budget cycle — from formulation and appropriations through obligation, expenditure, and audit. They work within strict statutory frameworks including the Antideficiency Act, OMB Circulars, and agency-specific financial regulations, ensuring every dollar is obligated legally, reported accurately, and withstands Inspector General scrutiny.

Financial Management Specialists in the National Guard execute the full spectrum of military financial operations — budgeting, disbursing, accounting, and auditing — for Army or Air National Guard units operating under both federal Title 10 and state Title 32 authorities. They process military pay, manage appropriated funds, support deployment finance operations, and maintain compliance with DoD financial management regulations while navigating the unique dual-status structure of the Guard.

Financial Systems Analysts in the public sector configure, maintain, and improve the enterprise resource planning (ERP) and financial management systems that government agencies use to budget, appropriate, and account for public funds. They sit at the intersection of government accounting, IT systems administration, and business process improvement — translating agency financial requirements into system configurations and translating system limitations back to the accountants who rely on them daily.

Government Financial Technicians process, verify, and maintain financial transactions and records for federal, state, or local agencies — covering accounts payable and receivable, payroll processing, budget tracking, grants accounting, and audit support. They sit between data-entry clerks and professional accountants, handling the transactional backbone of public-sector finance while applying appropriations law, agency-specific regulations, and standardized accounting systems that differ meaningfully from private-sector practice.

Firefighters respond to structure fires, vehicle accidents, medical emergencies, hazardous materials incidents, and natural disasters to protect life and property. They work for municipal, county, and federal fire departments on rotating shift schedules, spending non-emergency time maintaining apparatus, training, conducting fire inspections, and preparing for the next call. The role combines physical athleticism, technical knowledge across multiple emergency disciplines, and the ability to make sound decisions under extreme stress.

Fiscal Analysts in the public sector develop, monitor, and analyze government budgets, appropriations, and expenditures for state agencies, municipalities, legislative offices, and special districts. They translate financial data into policy-relevant recommendations, track actual spending against legislative appropriations, and ensure compliance with statutory spending controls. The role sits at the intersection of finance, public policy, and program administration — requiring both analytical precision and the ability to communicate numbers to non-financial audiences.

Fisheries Biologists assess, manage, and restore fish populations and their aquatic habitats on behalf of government agencies, tribes, and conservation programs. Working across rivers, lakes, estuaries, and coastal waters, they conduct population surveys, analyze data, enforce harvest regulations, and advise on habitat restoration projects — translating ecological science into management decisions that affect commercial fisheries, recreational anglers, and endangered species recovery.

A Foreign Affairs Officer is a federal civil servant in the GS-0130 Foreign Affairs series who researches, advises on and helps direct U.S. foreign policy from a headquarters office, for example a Department of State bureau in Washington. The title is not the same as a Foreign Service Officer: Foreign Affairs Officers sit in the civil service and are paid on the General Schedule, while Foreign Service officers belong to a separate personnel system. On OPM's 2026 Washington-area pay table, an editorial GS-9 to GS-15 span runs from $70,623 at GS-9 step 1 to the $197,200 cap at GS-15, with an estimated midpoint of $121,785. Day to day, the job is writing, clearing and coordinating policy.

A Foreign Affairs Specialist is a federal civil service policy professional who tracks developments abroad, drafts guidance and argues an agency's position on international issues, working in the GS-0130 Foreign Affairs series at the Department of State or another department with an international portfolio. Foreign Service officers do related work under a separate personnel system and pay schedule. The daily output is memos, cables, briefing books and cleared talking points. On OPM's 2026 base General Schedule, grades GS-11 through GS-14 run from $63,795 to $139,684 before locality pay, and this page uses GS-13 step 1, $90,925, as an editorial median estimate.

Foreign Agricultural Affairs Specialists analyze international agricultural markets, trade policies, and food security conditions on behalf of U.S. government agencies — primarily USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) and the State Department. They produce intelligence reports, negotiate market access for U.S. commodities, and advise senior officials on how foreign agricultural developments affect domestic producers, exporters, and U.S. foreign policy objectives.

Foreign Agricultural Service Officers are U.S. Department of Agriculture diplomats stationed at American embassies and consulates worldwide, tasked with expanding markets for U.S. agricultural exports, monitoring foreign crop conditions, and shaping international trade policy. They report on foreign agricultural production, negotiate market access agreements, and promote American farm and food products to foreign governments and buyers. The role combines trade economics, international relations, and deep commodity knowledge in a diplomatic setting.

Foreign Agricultural Trade Specialists analyze international agricultural markets, negotiate trade agreements, and develop export promotion strategies on behalf of U.S. government agencies — primarily USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS). They sit at the intersection of commodity economics, trade policy, and diplomatic engagement, advising federal officials and domestic agricultural stakeholders on market access, tariff disputes, and sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) barriers that affect U.S. farm exports.

Foreign Agriculture Policy Analysts research, assess, and communicate the implications of international agricultural trade policies, food security conditions, and foreign government programs on U.S. interests. Working primarily within USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service, the State Department, USTR, or think tanks, they produce country and commodity reports, support trade negotiations, and brief senior officials on policy options backed by quantitative and qualitative analysis.

Foreign Language Instructors in the public sector teach non-native languages to government employees, military personnel, intelligence analysts, diplomats, and K-12 or university students. They design curricula aligned to ACTFL or ILR proficiency frameworks, deliver communicative instruction across all four skills, and assess learner progress against measurable benchmarks. Positions range from Defense Language Institute faculty to public school classroom teachers to federal agency language trainers supporting national security missions.

Foreign Service Administrative Specialists are career civil servants assigned to U.S. embassies and consulates who manage the internal operations that keep a diplomatic mission running — budget execution, human resources, procurement, facility management, and logistics. Unlike Foreign Service Officers, they specialize in one functional cone and apply that expertise across overseas postings rather than rotating through generalist roles. They are the institutional backbone that allows diplomatic work to happen.

Foreign Service Construction Engineers manage the design, construction, renovation, and maintenance of U.S. embassy compounds, consulates, and diplomatic facilities worldwide on behalf of the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO). They serve as the technical authority and contracting officer's representative on projects ranging from security upgrades to entirely new embassy campuses, working in some of the most operationally complex and geopolitically sensitive construction environments on earth.

A Foreign Service Officer is a U.S. diplomat on the State Department's career staff, assigned to embassies and consulates abroad and to headquarters offices in Washington. Officers enter one of five career tracks (Consular, Economic, Management, Political or Public Diplomacy) and rotate between posts every few years, reporting on host governments, adjudicating visas, protecting Americans overseas and running embassy operations. Pay follows the department's own Foreign Service Schedule rather than the General Schedule: the 2026 base table starts entry-level officers at $48,708 and tops out at $164,301 for class FS-01, before overseas locality pay and post allowances.

Foreign Service Officers in the Consular cone represent the United States government at embassies and consulates abroad, adjudicating visa applications, protecting U.S. citizens in distress, and implementing immigration law on the front lines of American foreign policy. They make high-stakes legal determinations daily — often in seconds — that affect millions of applicants and directly shape who enters the United States. The role combines legal analysis, crisis response, management, and diplomatic engagement within a career that spans continents.

Foreign Service Officers in the Economic cone represent U.S. economic and commercial interests at American embassies and consulates worldwide. They analyze foreign economic conditions, negotiate trade and investment agreements, advocate for U.S. businesses operating abroad, and advise ambassadors and Washington policymakers on macroeconomic trends, sanctions implementation, and bilateral economic relationships. The role combines rigorous analytical work with active diplomatic engagement at senior levels of foreign governments and international institutions.

Foreign Service Officers in the Management cone serve as the administrative backbone of U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide, overseeing human resources, facilities, financial operations, and general services for diplomatic missions. They ensure that ambassadors, political officers, and the full mission staff have the operational infrastructure — housing, vehicles, budgets, local staff — to execute U.S. foreign policy. The role demands equal parts bureaucratic fluency, cross-cultural management, and calm under logistics crises in sometimes unstable environments.

General Attorneys in the public sector provide legal counsel to government agencies, municipalities, or public institutions — drafting regulations, defending agency actions in court, advising on statutory authority, and reviewing contracts and compliance matters. Unlike private practice, the client is the public interest rather than a fee-paying party, which shapes every legal judgment the role requires. These attorneys handle a wide range of subject matter across administrative, constitutional, employment, and civil law rather than a single practice area.

General Supply Specialists manage the acquisition, storage, distribution, and accountability of government property, equipment, and consumable supplies across federal, state, or local agencies. They ensure that agencies maintain accurate inventory records, comply with property management regulations, and can sustain operations without costly shortfalls or excess stock. The role sits at the intersection of procurement, property accountability, and logistics within highly regulated public sector environments.

Geographers in the public sector apply spatial analysis, cartography, and geographic information systems to support federal, state, and local government decision-making. They produce maps, conduct terrain and demographic analysis, manage geospatial databases, and brief policymakers on findings ranging from environmental impact to military terrain assessment. The role sits at the intersection of data science, fieldwork, and policy — demanding both technical precision and the ability to translate complex spatial relationships into actionable conclusions.

Geographic Information Systems Analysts in the public sector design, maintain, and analyze spatial databases that support government planning, emergency management, infrastructure, and policy decisions. They build and query GIS datasets, produce cartographic products, and translate location-based data into actionable intelligence for planners, engineers, and elected officials. The role sits at the intersection of data analysis, cartography, and public administration — requiring both technical depth and the ability to communicate findings to non-technical stakeholders.

Geographic Information Systems Specialists in the public sector design, build, and maintain spatial databases and mapping systems that support government planning, emergency management, utilities, and public health decisions. They collect, analyze, and visualize geographic data to help agencies understand patterns that raw tabular data can't show — where infrastructure is aging, which neighborhoods flood, how service demand is distributed across a region.

Government Administrative Assistants provide advanced administrative and clerical support to government departments, supervisors, and elected or appointed officials. They manage calendars, prepare official correspondence and reports, coordinate procurement and budgetary processes, and often act as the de facto office manager for a department or program unit.

Government Benefits Administrators manage employee benefit programs for government agencies and public institutions — health insurance, retirement plans, life insurance, disability coverage, and leave programs. They enroll employees, resolve claims issues, ensure regulatory compliance, communicate plan details, and serve as the primary contact between the employer and benefits vendors.

A Government Budget Analyst builds and defends public budget requests and then controls how the approved money is spent, working in agency budget offices, central budget offices such as OMB or a governor's office, legislative fiscal staffs and local finance departments. The job pairs cost modeling with appropriations law: every obligation has to fit an account's amount, purpose and time limits. In the federal executive branch, BLS reported a May 2025 median of $103,380, with the 10th and 90th percentiles at $72,240 and $144,680; the pay band shown is that federal row, and state and local government (excluding schools and hospitals) reported medians of $83,980 and $86,280.

A Government Chief of Staff in the public sector is the senior aide who runs the office of a single principal: a member of Congress, a governor, a mayor, a county executive or an agency head. The job sits directly below the principal and above every other staffer, combining office management, political counsel and control of what reaches the principal's desk. Chiefs of staff set priorities for the team, manage budgets and personnel, and act for the principal with legislators, agencies and outside groups. Our editorial estimate puts the pay range at $104,000 to $195,000, with a midpoint near $140,000.

Government Communications Specialists produce the written, visual, and digital content that agencies use to inform the public about programs, regulations, and services. They write and edit public-facing materials, maintain web and social media presence, support media relations, and translate agency work into accessible language for diverse audiences.

Government Contract Administrators manage the execution phase of government contracts — monitoring performance, processing modifications, resolving disputes, and closing out completed work. They work in federal and state agencies, defense departments, and local governments, ensuring that contractors deliver what the government bought on time, within budget, and in compliance with contract terms.

Directors of Administration in government agencies oversee the internal support functions that keep organizations operational — human resources, facilities, finance, records management, fleet, and general administrative services. They free program directors and department heads to focus on mission delivery by ensuring the administrative infrastructure works reliably and complies with applicable regulations.

Government Executive Assistants in the public sector provide high-level administrative and operational support to agency heads, elected officials, department directors, and senior civil servants. They manage complex schedules, coordinate interagency communications, prepare briefing materials, and serve as the primary liaison between a senior official and the legislative, regulatory, and constituent stakeholders who demand their attention every day.

Government Facilities Managers oversee the physical operations, maintenance, and safety compliance of government-owned or government-leased buildings — courthouses, municipal offices, schools, transit centers, and public works facilities. They manage maintenance staff and contractors, control capital and operating budgets, and ensure that every occupied building meets building code, accessibility, and environmental standards while delivering reliable service to the agencies and public they support.

A government forward deployed engineer is a software engineer who works embedded in a federal, military, intelligence, state or local agency to get an AI system running on that agency's data, inside its accredited environment, for the people who will use it. Many work for AI companies, data platform vendors or systems integrators and rotate between engagements; the Defense Department also posted federal jobs under the title in 2026. BLS does not track the job separately. For software developers in computer systems design and related services, May 2025 pay ran from $79,740 at the 10th percentile to $212,340 at the 90th, with a median of $132,050.

Government Human Resources Directors oversee the full HR function for government agencies, municipalities, school districts, or public universities — managing hiring, classification, labor relations, benefits administration, and compliance with civil service rules. They translate personnel law into operational policy, lead HR staff, and advise elected officials or agency leadership on workforce decisions that affect public employees and, by extension, the communities those employees serve.

Government Land Surveyors measure, map, and legally define the boundaries of land parcels, public rights-of-way, and infrastructure corridors for government agencies, municipalities, and public works projects. Working under state licensure, they combine field measurements with legal research to establish property lines, support construction staking, and produce plats and legal descriptions that carry the force of law.

Government Meteorologists produce weather forecasts, warnings, and climate analyses for federal and state agencies — primarily the National Weather Service, FAA, DOD, and NOAA research arms. They operate numerical weather prediction tools, issue life-safety warnings for severe weather events, brief emergency managers and aviation controllers, and contribute to long-range climate monitoring programs that underpin public policy and infrastructure planning.

Government Public Affairs Specialists in government agencies manage the flow of information between their agency and the public, news media, elected officials, and partner organizations. They write press releases, coordinate media inquiries, draft speeches, maintain social media channels, and ensure official communications align with agency policy and legal requirements. The role spans everything from routine public information to crisis communications during emergencies or congressional scrutiny.

Government Safety and Occupational Health Managers design, implement, and enforce workplace safety programs across government agencies, military installations, public utilities, and municipal operations. They ensure compliance with OSHA standards, reduce workers' compensation costs, investigate incidents, and protect agency employees from occupational hazards ranging from construction and heavy equipment to chemical exposures and ergonomic risks.

Government Safety and Occupational Health Specialists develop, implement, and enforce workplace safety programs across government agencies, military installations, public utilities, and municipal departments. They conduct inspections, investigate incidents, interpret OSHA and agency-specific regulations, and work directly with department heads and frontline supervisors to identify hazards before they cause injury. Unlike private-sector counterparts, they often serve multiple client agencies and must navigate civil service rules, union agreements, and public accountability requirements simultaneously.

Government Social Media Coordinators manage official government social media channels — city, county, state agency, or federal department accounts — to inform residents, build trust, and respond to public inquiries. They create and schedule content, monitor engagement, respond to constituent comments, and coordinate with communications directors, public information officers, and department leads to ensure messaging is accurate, accessible, and on-brand for a government audience.

Government Tax Specialists administer, audit, and enforce tax laws on behalf of federal, state, or local taxing authorities. They review returns, conduct compliance examinations, resolve taxpayer disputes, and interpret statutes to ensure accurate revenue collection. Unlike private-sector tax roles, the work carries enforcement authority — including the power to assess deficiencies, impose penalties, and initiate collection action — and operates within a framework of public accountability that shapes every decision.

Government Technical Support Specialists diagnose and resolve hardware, software, and network issues for government employees across municipal, county, state, and federal agencies. They manage help desk tickets, configure and deploy workstations, maintain IT asset inventories, and serve as the front line between end users and agency IT infrastructure — operating under procurement rules, security frameworks, and compliance obligations that are distinct from private-sector environments.

Government Telecommunications Managers plan, procure, and oversee the voice, data, and wireless infrastructure that keeps government agencies, public safety dispatch centers, and municipal services connected. They manage vendor contracts, direct technical staff, enforce security compliance, and serve as the bridge between elected leadership's service expectations and the engineering realities of maintaining 24/7 government communications.

Government Telecommunications Specialists design, install, operate, and maintain the voice, data, and radio communication systems that keep public-sector agencies connected and mission-ready. Working across federal departments, state agencies, and local government, they manage everything from IP phone systems and secure video conferencing to land mobile radio networks and emergency communications infrastructure — all under strict security, compliance, and continuity-of-operations requirements that commercial IT roles rarely face.

Government Treasurers manage the financial assets, debt obligations, and cash flows of government entities — cities, counties, school districts, and state agencies. They invest public funds within statutory constraints, administer debt issuance, oversee banking relationships, and ensure that the government can meet its obligations on time. The role sits at the intersection of investment management, debt finance, and regulatory compliance.

A Grants Coordinator runs the paperwork and money side of grant funding for a city, county, state agency or nonprofit: finding funding sources, assembling applications, then tracking spending, reports and closeout once an award arrives. The job sits between program managers, the finance office and the funding agency, and it carries direct responsibility for how grant dollars are spent. Pay depends heavily on the employer and the size of the grant portfolio. Our editorial estimate puts the typical range at $45,000 to $88,000, with a midpoint near $62,000, bounded by public county pay schedules.

Grants Management Specialists administer the full lifecycle of federal, state, and foundation grants, from pre-award eligibility and budget review through post-award monitoring, reporting, and closeout. They serve as the institutional authority on grant regulations, applying 2 CFR Part 200 Uniform Guidance, agency-specific terms, and internal financial controls to keep funded programs compliant. The role sits at the intersection of program management, accounting, and regulatory compliance inside government agencies, nonprofits, and universities, and it is now tracking a sweeping OMB proposal that would rewrite large parts of that framework.

Grants Managers oversee the full lifecycle of grant funding — from identifying opportunities and writing applications to administering awards, tracking expenditures, and ensuring compliance with federal, state, and foundation requirements. They work at government agencies, universities, nonprofits, and healthcare organizations, serving as the bridge between program staff who spend the money and funders who need assurance it was spent correctly.

Grants Officers manage the full lifecycle of grant funding — from identifying opportunities and writing competitive applications to administering awards and ensuring regulatory compliance. Working in government agencies, universities, nonprofits, and research institutions, they serve as the financial and administrative bridge between funders and the programs those funds are meant to support. The role demands equal fluency in program narrative, federal cost principles, and multi-system data entry.

A Health Commissioner serves as the chief public health executive for a city, county, or state health department, responsible for protecting and improving the health of the population through policy development, program oversight, emergency preparedness, and enforcement of public health law. The role combines medical or public health expertise with executive leadership, budget authority, and direct accountability to elected officials, boards of health, or cabinet-level leadership. Commissioners translate epidemiological data and federal guidance into locally actionable programs across communicable disease, maternal and child health, environmental health, and chronic disease prevention.

Health Communication Specialists design, develop, and distribute public health messages across digital, print, and broadcast channels for government agencies, public health departments, and nonprofit organizations. They translate complex medical and epidemiological information into clear, culturally appropriate content that motivates behavior change and informs the public during routine campaigns and health emergencies. The role sits at the intersection of public health science, strategic communication, and community engagement.

Health Communications Managers develop and execute strategic communication plans that translate complex public health information into clear, actionable messages for diverse audiences. Working across government agencies, public health departments, and nonprofit organizations, they oversee campaigns, manage media relations, direct digital content, and coordinate with epidemiologists, policy officials, and community partners to advance health outcomes at the population level.

Health Science Administrators manage research programs, grant portfolios, and health policy initiatives within federal agencies, state health departments, and public health organizations. They bridge scientific expertise and administrative authority — overseeing budgets, coordinating multidisciplinary teams, ensuring regulatory compliance, and translating research findings into policy or programmatic action. The role demands equal fluency in biomedical science and government operations.

Health Science Administrators in Health Services Research manage the scientific, programmatic, and administrative components of federal research portfolios at agencies such as NIH, AHRQ, and VA. They work at the intersection of science and policy — overseeing grant portfolios, guiding extramural investigators, coordinating peer review, and translating research findings into programmatic decisions. The role demands both scientific literacy and operational fluency in federal grants management.

Health Science Administrators in medical research manage the scientific, operational, and regulatory dimensions of federally funded research programs at agencies like NIH, CDC, FDA, and VA. They review grant applications, oversee active research portfolios, coordinate with extramural investigators, and ensure compliance with federal regulations governing human subjects, biosafety, and research integrity. The role bridges scientific expertise and program management — requiring enough bench science background to evaluate research quality and enough administrative fluency to keep complex portfolios moving through federal systems.

Health Science Administrators (Nursing) in the public sector manage clinical nursing programs, staff resources, and patient care operations within federal, state, or municipal health systems — most commonly the Department of Veterans Affairs, Indian Health Service, or public hospital networks. They sit at the intersection of clinical nursing leadership and administrative accountability, holding responsibility for budgets, workforce planning, regulatory compliance, and care quality across inpatient or outpatient nursing units.

Historians in the public sector research, analyze, and interpret historical records to inform policy decisions, preserve institutional memory, and produce authoritative accounts of government programs, military operations, and cultural heritage. They work for federal agencies, state archives, historic preservation offices, and national parks — translating primary source evidence into documented findings that serve legal, educational, and policy purposes.

Historians with the National Park Service research, interpret, and preserve the historical significance of federally managed lands, structures, and collections. They produce National Register nominations, cultural landscape reports, and interpretive content that shapes how millions of visitors understand American history — while ensuring park development decisions comply with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act.

Historians and Preservationists research, interpret, and protect historical records, cultural landscapes, and built environments on behalf of government agencies, nonprofits, museums, and preservation commissions. They apply scholarly methodology to primary source research, produce reports and interpretive materials that inform policy and public understanding, and guide the legal and technical processes that protect historically significant structures and sites from demolition or incompatible alteration.

Homeland Security Specialists plan, coordinate, and implement programs that protect people, infrastructure, and government operations from terrorism, natural disasters, and other threats. They work across federal agencies, state emergency management offices, and local fusion centers — developing threat assessments, managing grants, coordinating interagency exercises, and ensuring preparedness plans stay current with an evolving threat environment.

Housing and Urban Development Specialists administer federal, state, and local housing programs — managing grants, ensuring regulatory compliance, and coordinating affordable housing initiatives for municipalities, housing authorities, and HUD field offices. They sit at the intersection of policy, finance, and community development, translating complex federal regulations into workable programs that house low- and moderate-income residents. The role requires deep familiarity with HUD program frameworks, fair housing law, and the federal funding cycles that drive local development decisions.

A housing coordinator places low-income and homeless households into subsidized housing and keeps them there. The job sits inside public housing agencies, Continuum of Care grantees and nonprofit housing providers, where coordinators verify eligibility, calculate rent, schedule inspections, recruit landlords and record every step in HMIS or agency software. It blends eligibility work with case management. Pay tracks the closest federal wage category, Social and Human Service Assistants: BLS reports a May 2025 median of $45,930, with the 10th percentile at $34,200 and the 90th at $63,290.

A Housing Specialist determines who qualifies for rental assistance and how much help each household gets, working mainly in the Housing Choice Voucher and public housing programs run by local public housing agencies, and sometimes at housing nonprofits. The job covers income verification, rent calculation, owner contracts, reexaminations and hearings. BLS classifies the work under Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs; in local government, where housing authorities sit, that occupation paid a median of $58,790 in May 2025, with the 10th percentile at $41,420 and the 90th at $78,680.

Human Resources Assistants in government agencies support the full range of HR administrative functions — position classification, staffing and recruitment, benefits processing, and personnel records management — under the direction of HR specialists and officers. They are the transactional backbone of public sector HR offices, ensuring that hiring actions, pay changes, and employee records comply with OPM regulations, agency policy, and applicable federal or state civil service rules.

Human Resources Assistants (Military) provide administrative and technical support for personnel management functions within the U.S. Armed Forces or Department of Defense civilian workforce. They process personnel actions, maintain military service records, support benefits and pay transactions, and ensure compliance with regulatory guidance from OPM, DoD, and service-specific HR directives. The role sits at the intersection of federal HR policy and the operational tempo of military organizations.

A Human Resources Specialist (Government) runs the personnel machinery of a public employer: classifying positions, writing job announcements, building applicant assessments, certifying eligible candidates, processing personnel actions and advising managers on discipline, benefits and labor relations. The work happens inside federal agencies, where the job sits in the GS-0201 Human Resources Management series, and in state departments, counties and cities that run their own civil service systems. Every step answers to statute, regulation or a merit board. Across federal, state and local government, BLS put the median wage for human resources specialists at $84,350 in May 2025, with the 10th and 90th percentiles at $53,530 and $136,110.

Human Resources Specialists in the military sector administer the full lifecycle of uniformed and civilian personnel management — from accessions and promotions to separations, retirements, and benefits processing. They operate within the Defense Department's regulatory framework, managing records in systems like iPERMS, DCPDS, and MyBiz, and serve as the authoritative point of contact for service members and DoD civilians navigating complex entitlements, assignments, and career milestones.

Information Systems Analysts in the public sector evaluate, design, and maintain the technology systems that government agencies use to deliver services, manage records, and protect sensitive data. They sit at the intersection of IT and mission operations — translating policy requirements into technical specifications, managing vendor relationships, and ensuring that systems meet federal and state compliance standards including FISMA, NIST, and ATO requirements.

Information Technology Project Managers in the public sector plan, execute, and close technology initiatives for government agencies — from ERP migrations and cybersecurity modernization to citizen-facing digital services. They manage scope, schedule, and budget within procurement frameworks like FAR and state contract vehicles, coordinate vendors alongside internal agency staff, and navigate approval chains that are structurally different from private-sector project work.

Inspectors General lead independent oversight offices within government agencies, corporations, and public institutions, conducting audits, investigations, and inspections to detect fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement. They report findings to agency heads and legislative bodies, recommend corrective action, and serve as the institutional check on whether public funds and authority are being used as intended. The role combines executive leadership, legal and audit expertise, and the political durability to operate independently under institutional pressure.

Intelligence Analysts collect, evaluate, and synthesize information from multiple classified and open sources to produce finished intelligence products that inform decisions by military commanders, policymakers, law enforcement, and national security leadership. They work across federal agencies — CIA, DIA, NSA, FBI, DHS, and combatant commands — as well as state fusion centers and municipal law enforcement intelligence units, operating in environments where the quality of analysis directly affects operational and strategic outcomes.

An intelligence officer is a public servant who turns collected reporting into assessments, warnings and briefings for commanders and policymakers. The title covers civilians at Intelligence Community agencies such as CIA, NSA, DIA and NGA, and commissioned officers in the intelligence branches of the armed forces. The work spans all-source analysis, collection management, targeting support and, in some agencies, recruiting and handling human sources. For pay, the closest BLS benchmark is Detectives and Criminal Investigators in the Federal Executive Branch, which paid $79,100 at the 10th percentile, $119,500 at the median and $180,860 at the 90th percentile in May 2025. That band excludes uniformed officers, who are paid on the Department of Defense military basic pay table.

Intelligence Operations Specialists collect, process, analyze, and disseminate intelligence products to support national security decisions, military operations, and law enforcement activities. Working across federal agencies, combatant commands, and interagency task forces, they bridge raw information collection and the finished intelligence that policymakers, commanders, and field operators act on. The role requires active security clearances, disciplined analytical tradecraft, and the ability to work under deadline pressure on issues with real operational consequences.

Intelligence Operations Support Specialists provide administrative, analytical, and operational backbone to intelligence collection and analysis missions at federal agencies, military commands, and contractor organizations. They manage classified information workflows, coordinate between collection and production elements, track operational taskings, and ensure analysts and officers have the data, systems access, and logistical support required to execute mission objectives on time.

Intelligence Research Specialists collect, analyze, and synthesize information from classified and open-source channels to produce finished intelligence products that inform policy makers, military commanders, and law enforcement leadership. They work across the U.S. intelligence community — CIA, DIA, NSA, FBI, DHS, and state-level fusion centers — applying structured analytic techniques to reduce uncertainty and support national security decisions.

Intelligence Research Specialists at the CIA produce all-source analytic assessments that inform U.S. policymakers, senior military commanders, and the President on foreign threats, geopolitical developments, and national security issues. They synthesize classified and open-source reporting into finished intelligence products, apply structured analytic techniques to manage uncertainty, and defend their judgments before senior consumers. The role demands deep regional or functional expertise, rigorous source evaluation, and the ability to write clearly under deadline pressure on consequential topics.

Intelligence Specialists collect, analyze, and disseminate intelligence products that inform national security decisions, military operations, and policy at federal agencies, combatant commands, and law enforcement organizations. They synthesize information from multiple classified and open sources, assess threats, and communicate findings to decision-makers who depend on their analysis being accurate, timely, and properly caveated. The role spans all-source analysis, signals, human intelligence support, and geospatial disciplines depending on the parent organization.

Intergovernmental Affairs Coordinators manage the formal relationships between a government entity and its counterparts at other jurisdictional levels — federal agencies, state legislatures, county boards, tribal governments, and regional bodies. They track legislation, coordinate policy positions, represent their agency in intergovernmental forums, and ensure that grant funding and regulatory compliance obligations spanning multiple jurisdictions are met on time.

Intergovernmental Affairs Directors manage the formal relationships between a government entity and other federal, state, local, or tribal governments. They track legislation and regulatory activity that affects their agency, coordinate intergovernmental agreements and funding negotiations, and serve as the primary liaison between executive leadership and external government partners. The role blends policy analysis, relationship management, and strategic advocacy at the intersection of multiple levels of government.

Internal Revenue Agents are federal law enforcement-adjacent tax professionals who conduct complex audits of businesses, corporations, partnerships, and high-net-worth individuals on behalf of the IRS. They examine financial records, apply the Internal Revenue Code to determine tax liability, negotiate adjustments with taxpayers and their representatives, and recommend penalties or referrals when appropriate. The role blends deep accounting knowledge with investigative work and statutory authority most private-sector CPAs never exercise.

Internal Revenue Officers are federal law enforcement-adjacent collection specialists employed by the IRS to resolve seriously delinquent tax accounts — businesses and individuals who owe significant amounts and haven't responded to automated notices. They work cases in person, seizing assets, negotiating installment agreements, initiating levies, and assessing trust fund penalties, wielding statutory authority that most other federal positions don't carry.

An Internal Revenue Service agent, on the civil side of the agency, is a revenue agent (job series 0512) who examines the books and returns of individuals and businesses to determine their federal tax liability; tax examiners (series 0592) handle correspondence-based review of returns. The work sits in IRS examination units such as Small Business/Self-Employed and Large Business and International, and every agent is a federal employee paid on the General Schedule. On OPM's 2026 Rest of U.S. pay table, the grades the IRS lists for revenue agents run from $40,736 at GS-5 step 1 to $163,514 at GS-14 step 10, with $89,508 (GS-12 step 1) used here as an editorial estimate of the median.

Internal Revenue Service Officers — formally Revenue Officers — are federal law enforcement-adjacent civil servants responsible for collecting delinquent taxes, securing unfiled returns, and resolving complex tax liabilities through direct taxpayer contact. Unlike desk-based tax examiners, Revenue Officers conduct in-person field interviews, issue levies and liens, seize assets when necessary, and work cases that have already exhausted automated IRS collection systems.

International Commerce Specialists work within federal agencies — primarily the U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Commercial Service, and state-level trade offices — to promote U.S. exports, enforce trade agreements, and assist American businesses in accessing foreign markets. They analyze foreign market conditions, counsel exporters on compliance and strategy, coordinate trade missions, and support policy development across bilateral and multilateral trade frameworks.

International Economists at public-sector agencies analyze global trade flows, exchange rates, balance-of-payments data, and macroeconomic conditions to inform policy decisions, negotiations, and regulatory positions. They produce research, forecast economic trends, and brief senior officials on international finance and trade issues. The role spans agencies such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. International Trade Commission, Federal Reserve, Treasury, State Department, and multilateral organizations including the IMF and World Bank.

International Program Specialists design, implement, and evaluate programs that advance U.S. foreign policy objectives, development goals, or humanitarian outcomes in international settings. Working for federal agencies, multilateral organizations, or NGOs, they manage grants and contracts, coordinate with foreign government counterparts, and translate policy directives into field-level activities — often across multiple countries and time zones simultaneously.

International Relations Officers develop, analyze, and implement foreign policy positions on behalf of government agencies, multilateral organizations, or intergovernmental bodies. They negotiate agreements, represent their government or organization in bilateral and multilateral forums, and produce analytical products that inform senior decision-makers on political, economic, and security matters affecting international relationships. The role sits at the intersection of policy research, diplomatic engagement, and program management.

International Relations Specialists analyze foreign policy developments, support diplomatic negotiations, and advise government agencies, international organizations, or NGOs on bilateral and multilateral issues. They produce assessments, coordinate interagency responses, and represent their organization's interests in meetings with foreign counterparts — translating geopolitical complexity into actionable policy recommendations for senior decision-makers.

International Trade Specialists research, analyze, and administer U.S. trade policy, import/export regulations, and trade agreement compliance on behalf of federal agencies, state trade offices, and international commerce bodies. They work at the intersection of economics, law, and foreign policy — advising businesses, negotiating with foreign counterparts, and ensuring the rules governing the flow of goods and services across borders are applied correctly and enforced consistently.

Public sector Interpreters convert spoken or signed communication in real time between parties who don't share a language, enabling access to legal proceedings, healthcare, social services, and government programs. They work in courtrooms, hospitals, immigration offices, law enforcement settings, and public school systems — environments where a missed nuance can alter a legal outcome or a medical decision. Accuracy, impartiality, and professional ethics are the core demands of the role.

An Investigative Analyst is a civilian specialist who turns records, data and open sources into findings that investigators and prosecutors can act on. The work sits inside federal law enforcement agencies, inspector general offices, state attorney general and comptroller units, district attorney bureaus and police analytical units, where analysts build link charts, trace money, assemble timelines and write the reports and exhibits that support warrants, indictments and trials. Pay follows public pay schedules: our estimated band runs from $43,106 at the low end to $118,204 at the top, with a midpoint near $80,655, built from base rates on OPM's 2026 General Schedule.

Investigative Support Assistants provide administrative, analytical, and logistical backbone to criminal investigators, detectives, and special agents at law enforcement agencies, regulatory bodies, and federal bureaus. They manage case files, coordinate evidence documentation, run database queries, and keep investigative workflows moving so sworn personnel can focus on fieldwork and prosecution preparation.

Investigative Support Specialists provide analytical, administrative, and technical assistance to law enforcement agencies, inspector general offices, and federal or state investigative units. They process evidence, compile case files, run database queries, and prepare reports that move investigations from initial complaint to prosecution-ready package — without carrying a badge or conducting field interviews themselves.

Investigative Support Technicians provide technical and administrative backbone to criminal investigators, detectives, and intelligence analysts at law enforcement agencies, federal bureaus, and public-sector entities. They process evidence, manage case files, run database queries, and prepare analytical products that keep investigations moving — handling the structured work that allows sworn officers and credentialed investigators to focus on field operations and complex analysis.

EEO Investigators conduct formal inquiries into complaints of employment discrimination, harassment, and retaliation filed against federal agencies, state governments, or private employers under Title VII, the ADA, the ADEA, and related statutes. They gather sworn testimony, collect documentary evidence, analyze legal standards, and produce investigative reports of investigation that become the factual record for agency decisions, EEOC administrative hearings, and federal court litigation. In 2026, the legal framework they work within is shifting: a newly quorate EEOC has deprioritized disparate-impact theory in favor of intentional-discrimination claims, while a federal hiring freeze under Executive Order 14356 constrains how quickly agencies can backfill open investigator positions even as caseloads climb.

A judicial law clerk is a lawyer, usually a recent law graduate, who works inside a judge's chambers researching legal questions, drafting bench memos and opinions, and keeping the docket on schedule. Clerks serve federal appellate, district, bankruptcy and magistrate judges as well as state supreme, appellate and trial courts. Federal term clerkships generally last one or two years, and some judges hire career clerks instead. The Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median wage for judicial law clerks at $64,920 as of May 2025, with the 10th percentile at $46,180 and the 90th percentile at $113,140. Federal clerks are paid on the Judiciary Salary Plan.

Labor Relations Specialists in the public sector manage the relationship between government employers and unionized workforces — negotiating collective bargaining agreements, interpreting contract language, handling grievances, and advising managers on labor law compliance. They sit at the intersection of employment law, negotiation strategy, and day-to-day workforce management, typically serving agencies at the federal, state, or municipal level where union density far exceeds the private sector average.

Land Management Specialists administer, monitor, and plan the use of public lands on behalf of federal or state agencies — balancing resource extraction, conservation, recreation, and tribal interests within a web of environmental law and land-use policy. They review permit applications, conduct field assessments, coordinate with stakeholders, and prepare the planning documents and environmental analyses that govern how millions of acres are managed over decades.

Landscape Architects with the National Forest Service plan, design, and evaluate land use proposals across National Forest System lands, including timber sales, recreation facilities, roads, trails, and utility corridors, ensuring projects meet visual quality objectives, ecosystem integrity standards, and National Environmental Policy Act requirements. They serve as interdisciplinary team members on forest management projects, translating environmental analysis into design solutions that balance public use, resource protection, and legal compliance, now against the backdrop of a 2026 agency reorganization and a government-wide hiring freeze.

Landscape Architects with the National Park Service plan, design, and oversee the physical development of America's most visited natural and cultural landscapes — from campground rehabilitations and historic designed landscapes to visitor center plazas and trail systems. They balance preservation mandates, public access, environmental sustainability, and the Secretary of the Interior's Standards within a federal planning and compliance framework that governs every project from concept to construction.

Language Specialists in the public sector translate documents, interpret speech, and analyze foreign-language materials for federal agencies, military commands, law enforcement, and intelligence organizations. They convert written and spoken content between languages with precision, support field operations and diplomatic functions, and may produce analytical products that inform policy or security decisions. The role ranges from courtroom interpretation to signals intelligence depending on the hiring organization.

Military Language Specialists — designated 09L interpreters, 35P cryptologic linguists, or equivalent MOS/rate by branch — collect, translate, and analyze foreign-language materials in support of intelligence, operations, and diplomatic missions. They bridge communication gaps between U.S. forces and foreign populations, process intercepted signals, and provide real-time interpretation during sensitive operations and interrogations.

A law enforcement officer is a sworn peace officer who patrols a jurisdiction, answers calls for service, enforces criminal and traffic law, and makes arrests on behalf of a city or county. On this page the role means the uniformed patrol officer or sheriff's deputy, the job BLS counts as Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers. Local governments employed 573,740 of them in May 2025, when their pay ran from $47,190 at the 10th percentile to $114,290 at the 90th, with a median of $75,920. The way in runs through a state-recognized academy, a peace officer license from the state's standards commission, and a hiring agency's own background process.

Government Legal Clerks provide administrative and procedural support to courts, prosecutors, public defenders, administrative law tribunals, and regulatory agencies. They manage case files, process legal documents, maintain dockets, assist attorneys and judges with research tasks, and serve as the operational backbone that keeps government legal proceedings moving on schedule and within procedural rules.

Legal Instruments Examiners work within federal, state, and local government agencies to review, process, and authenticate legal documents — deeds, contracts, liens, patents, and regulatory filings. They verify that instruments conform to statutory and procedural requirements before recording, certifying, or forwarding them for official action. The role sits at the intersection of administrative law, document management, and public records integrity.

A legislative aide is the staff member who researches issues, drafts bill language and memos, meets with stakeholders and answers constituents on behalf of an elected official in Congress, a state legislature, or a city or county council. Aides usually own a portfolio of policy issues and report to a legislative director or chief of staff, sitting between junior roles such as legislative correspondent and senior policy posts. Pay on this page is an editorial estimate of $45K to $100K with a $70K midpoint, built from Congressional Research Service median pay data for House and Senate staff and a published city pay range.

Legislative Analysts research, evaluate, and communicate the fiscal and policy implications of proposed legislation for government bodies, advocacy organizations, and think tanks. They synthesize complex statutory language, budget data, and stakeholder interests into clear written analyses that help legislators, agency officials, and committee staff make informed decisions. The role sits at the intersection of legal research, economics, and political process.

A Legislative Assistant is the policy staffer in a legislator's personal office who owns a set of issues: tracking bills, drafting amendments and memos, briefing the member, and meeting the groups that care about each topic. The title is a standard rung in U.S. House and Senate personal offices, where an LA sits between the Legislative Correspondent and the Legislative Director, though state legislatures and advocacy groups use it too. Congressional Research Service data on House member offices put 2025 Legislative Assistant pay at a median of $77,983, with the sampled range running from $60,000 to $89,583. Benefits are not included in those figures.

Legislative Counsel are attorneys who draft, analyze, and interpret legislation on behalf of legislatures, government agencies, or individual lawmakers. They translate policy goals into precise statutory language, advise on constitutional and procedural questions, and serve as the legal backbone of the lawmaking process — from committee markup to floor consideration to enrolled bill review.

Legislative Directors serve as the chief policy strategists for elected officials, government agencies, or advocacy organizations — managing the full legislative agenda, directing a policy staff, and translating political priorities into actionable legislation. They track bills, build coalitions, brief principals before votes and hearings, and maintain the relationships with committee staff and external stakeholders that make legislative outcomes possible.

Legislative Liaisons are the official link between a government agency, nonprofit, or corporation and the legislative branch: tracking bills, coordinating testimony, briefing lawmakers, and translating policy priorities into legislative strategy. They work at the intersection of politics, policy, and bureaucracy, managing relationships with legislators and staff while keeping their organization positioned on pending legislation that affects its programs, budget, or regulatory authority. Some states designate liaisons by statute or agency policy, and the job runs on the legislative calendar: intense during session, relationship-driven between sessions.

Legislative Researchers support lawmakers, legislative staff, advocacy organizations, and think tanks by gathering, analyzing, and synthesizing policy-relevant information to inform legislation, committee work, and regulatory decisions. They track bills through the legislative process, produce policy memos and briefings, and translate complex legal or technical material into clear summaries that decision-makers can act on quickly.

Government Librarians manage collections, reference services, and information programs at federal agencies, military installations, court systems, municipal public libraries, and state library agencies. They acquire and organize physical and digital resources, assist patrons and staff researchers with complex information needs, and administer programs that serve everyone from veteran benefits claimants to federal policy analysts. The role blends deep information science expertise with public service accountability.

A library technician does the technical and public-service work that keeps a library's collection findable and moving: cataloging and classifying new items, running interlibrary loan, checking materials in and out, and helping patrons use the catalog and databases. Technicians work under librarians in public, school, academic and special libraries, and in the public sector their employers include city and county library systems and school districts. BLS puts pay for Library Technicians at $29,300 at the 10th percentile, $44,580 at the median and $63,080 at the 90th percentile (May 2025). O*NET's sample of reported job titles for the occupation includes library assistant, library associate and library technical assistant (LTA).

License and Permits Specialists process, review, and issue licenses, permits, and regulatory approvals on behalf of local, county, or state government agencies. They serve as the primary point of contact for businesses, contractors, and residents navigating compliance requirements — evaluating applications for completeness, coordinating interdepartmental reviews, and ensuring all approvals conform to applicable codes, ordinances, and statutes before issuance.

Public Sector Loan Specialists originate, process, underwrite, and service loans administered through government agencies — including SBA, USDA, HUD, and state economic development programs. They evaluate borrower eligibility against federal guidelines, structure loan packages, and manage portfolios that advance policy goals ranging from small business development to affordable housing. The role sits at the intersection of financial analysis, regulatory compliance, and public mission.

Agricultural Loan Specialists working in the public sector — primarily through USDA's Farm Service Agency, Rural Development offices, and state agricultural finance authorities — evaluate, process, and service loans that help farmers, ranchers, and rural businesses access capital. They assess creditworthiness against federal program guidelines, close and disburse funds, monitor repayment, and work with borrowers in financial distress to protect both the public investment and the farm operation.

Loan Specialists (Disaster) work for federal agencies — primarily the U.S. Small Business Administration — to process, underwrite, and close low-interest disaster loans for homeowners, renters, and businesses rebuilding after presidentially declared disasters. They review financial documents, determine creditworthiness and collateral, apply SBA eligibility guidelines, and communicate decisions to applicants navigating one of the most stressful periods of their lives.

Loan Specialists in housing programs administer, underwrite, and service mortgage loans on behalf of government agencies, public housing authorities, and community development organizations. They evaluate borrower eligibility, verify income and asset documentation, ensure compliance with federal guidelines such as HUD, FHA, USDA, or state housing finance authority rules, and guide applicants through origination, closing, and post-closing processes.

Logistics Management Specialists plan, coordinate, and oversee the movement, storage, and distribution of equipment, supplies, and materials for federal agencies, military branches, and state or local government entities. They translate mission requirements into actionable supply chain plans, manage contractor performance, and ensure compliance with federal acquisition regulations and property management statutes. The role sits at the intersection of procurement, transportation, warehousing, and program management.

Mail and File Clerks in public sector agencies sort, route, and track incoming and outgoing correspondence while maintaining organized physical and digital records systems for government offices. They serve as the operational backbone of document flow in agencies ranging from municipal courts and county health departments to federal administrative offices, ensuring that time-sensitive materials reach the right personnel and that records remain retrievable and compliant with retention schedules.

Mail Processing Clerks sort, route, and dispatch incoming and outgoing mail and packages through automated and manual processing systems at postal facilities. Working primarily for the United States Postal Service, they operate high-speed sorting machines, verify addressing and postage, resolve missorts, and keep mail moving through distribution centers on tight dispatch schedules. USPS continues consolidating processing into larger Regional Processing and Distribution Centers, and while equipment like optical character readers and sorting robotics handles routine routing, a 2026 federal review finds most postal operators still use AI for narrow, well-defined tasks.

Management Analysts in the National Guard work as civilian employees embedded within Army or Air National Guard units, providing organizational analysis, process improvement, and administrative support to commanders and staff. They assess unit readiness programs, evaluate operational efficiency, and develop recommendations that directly affect how Guard resources — personnel, equipment, and funding — are allocated and managed across federal and state missions.

A Management and Program Analyst (Government) studies how public programs and agency operations perform and advises managers on what to change. In the federal government the job belongs to OPM's Management and Program Analysis Series, 0343, and sits in program offices, headquarters staffs and evaluation units, where analysts turn budget, workload and performance data into studies, briefings and decision memos. BLS groups the work with Management Analysts, whose May 2025 national median wage was $101,860, with a 10th to 90th percentile range of $60,640 to $171,640. Most federal analysts are paid on the General Schedule, so pay follows grade, step and locality area.

Management and Program Analysts in the National Guard serve as the analytical backbone of State Joint Force Headquarters and subordinate units, evaluating programs, developing policy, managing budgets, and producing studies that inform senior leadership decisions. They work in a hybrid federal-military environment — civilian technicians and full-time support staff working alongside uniformed personnel — where analytical rigor and knowledge of Army or Air National Guard structure both matter.

A Manager of Communications in the public sector leads the development and execution of communications strategies for government agencies, municipalities, or public institutions. They oversee media relations, public information campaigns, digital content, and internal messaging to ensure constituents, stakeholders, and staff receive accurate, timely information. The role bridges policy and public understanding, requiring equal fluency in political context, editorial judgment, and crisis communications.

A mayor is the chief elected official of a city, town or village, serving as the public face of local government and, in mayor-council cities, as its chief executive. How much power the office carries depends on the charter: some mayors run departments and write the budget, while others chair the council alongside a hired city manager. Pay splits along the same line. It ranges from small stipends for part-time posts to executive salaries in larger cities with full-time mayors. Our estimated band runs from about $7,200, the 2018-19 median for part-time mayor-council posts, to $184,464, one large city's 2025 mayoral salary, with $69,322, the 2018-19 median for full-time mayors in mayor-council cities, in the middle.

Public Sector Media Specialists plan, produce, and distribute communications content for government agencies, municipalities, school districts, and public institutions. They write press releases, manage social media accounts, coordinate media inquiries, and produce multimedia content — serving as the communications bridge between public agencies and the communities they serve. The role sits at the intersection of journalism, public relations, and digital content production.

Government Medical Officers serve as licensed physicians within federal, state, or local public health agencies — providing clinical oversight, policy guidance, and population-level health leadership that private practice cannot. They set clinical standards, lead outbreak investigations, evaluate benefits claims, or advise regulatory bodies, depending on the agency. The role sits at the intersection of medicine and public administration, requiring both clinical credibility and the patience to operate inside large bureaucratic structures.

Government Meteorological Technicians collect, process, and disseminate weather observations and forecast data at federal agencies like the National Weather Service, FAA, and Department of Defense installations. They operate and maintain surface observation stations, upper-air sounding equipment, and Doppler radar systems while supporting meteorologists in producing warnings, advisories, and aviation weather products that protect public safety.

NOAA Meteorologists produce weather forecasts, conduct atmospheric research, and develop climate products that protect life and property across the United States and its territories. Working within the National Weather Service, the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, or other NOAA line offices, they apply numerical weather prediction, observational data, and scientific analysis to deliver operationally accurate guidance ranging from hourly local forecasts to seasonal climate outlooks.

Military Personnel and Administrative Assistants support the human resources and administrative functions of military units, defense agencies, and related government organizations. They manage personnel records, process assignments and separations, coordinate training documentation, and maintain the administrative systems that keep service members and their families supported. The role sits at the intersection of military HR policy, federal records management, and direct service to uniformed personnel.

Military Safety and Occupational Health Specialists in military settings develop, implement, and evaluate programs that protect service members, civilian employees, and contractors from workplace injuries, occupational illness, and environmental hazards on DoD installations and deployed environments. They conduct hazard assessments, investigate mishaps, ensure compliance with Army, Air Force, Navy, or Marine Corps safety regulations, and serve as the primary technical authority on occupational health risk management for their unit or installation.

A municipal court clerk runs the records and money side of a city or town court: opening case files on citations and misdemeanor complaints, building the docket, taking payments, issuing notices and warrants, and keeping the official record of what the judge ordered. The job sits inside local government, in a court clerk's office that answers to the presiding judge or a court administrator. BLS counts the work under Court, Municipal, and License Clerks, and in local government that group earned a median of $47,960 in May 2025, with the 10th to 90th percentile running from $35,590 to $74,040.

A museum curator is the specialist who decides what a museum collects, researches what it holds, and builds the exhibitions that put those objects in front of the public. Curators work in art, history, and natural history museums, university galleries, historical societies, and federal institutions, usually reporting to a chief curator or director and working alongside registrars, conservators, and educators. The job mixes scholarship with administration: acquisitions, loans, labels, catalogs, and grant narratives all run through the curator's desk. The Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median annual wage for curators at $63,420 as of May 2025.

NASA Engineers design, analyze, test, and operate spacecraft, launch vehicles, propulsion systems, and ground support infrastructure for human and robotic exploration missions. Working across disciplines from aerospace and mechanical to electrical and systems engineering, they carry their work from concept through launch and mission operations at NASA centers, partner universities, and contractor facilities nationwide.

A NASA Scientist is a researcher who plans investigations, shapes instruments and analyzes mission data in Earth science, planetary science, astrophysics, heliophysics or biological and physical sciences. Civil servant scientists work at NASA centers and headquarters, while others do comparable work at JPL, a federally funded research and development center that Caltech manages for NASA, or at universities and contractors. Civil servants are paid on the federal General Schedule: OPM's 2026 Washington-Baltimore table pays $85,447 at GS-11 step 1 and caps GS-15 at $197,200. Our editorial median is the GS-13 step 1 rate in that table, $121,785.

NASA Technicians support the assembly, integration, testing, and maintenance of spacecraft, launch vehicles, and ground support equipment at NASA centers and affiliated facilities. They work alongside engineers and mission specialists to fabricate, inspect, and verify hardware systems — from avionics and propulsion to thermal protection and structures — ensuring everything that leaves Earth meets flight certification standards.

A National Park Service Ranger is a federal employee who protects national park lands and the people visiting them, working either as an interpretive ranger who leads programs and staffs visitor centers or as a commissioned law enforcement ranger who patrols, investigates and answers emergency calls. Rangers work for the National Park Service, a bureau of the Department of the Interior, in seasonal and permanent appointments. Pay follows OPM's General Schedule: on the 2026 Rest of U.S. tables, rates run from $40,736 at GS-5 step 1 to $82,301 at grade 9 step 10 on the law enforcement table, with higher rates in costlier locality areas.

National Security Analysts assess threats to U.S. national interests by collecting, synthesizing, and interpreting intelligence from open-source, signals, human, and classified sources. They produce written assessments, briefings, and policy recommendations for senior government officials, military commanders, and interagency partners. The role sits at the intersection of geopolitical analysis, data interpretation, and operational support across defense, intelligence community, and civilian agency environments.

NOAA Officers are commissioned members of one of the United States' seven uniformed services, operating ships, aircraft, and field research platforms in support of NOAA's scientific and environmental mission. They command vessels conducting oceanographic surveys, pilot NOAA aircraft into hurricanes and fisheries zones, and lead field operations collecting the data that underpins weather forecasting, fisheries management, and coastal charting. The corps is small — roughly 300 active officers — which means individuals carry broad responsibility early in their careers.

Government Occupational Safety and Health Technicians support safety officers and industrial hygienists in identifying, measuring, and correcting workplace hazards across federal, state, and municipal agencies. They conduct field inspections, collect exposure data, maintain safety records, and help agencies meet OSHA, EPA, and agency-specific regulatory requirements. The role sits at the intersection of hands-on field work and systematic documentation in environments ranging from military installations and federal laboratories to public works facilities and correctional institutions.

An ombudsman is an independent official who takes complaints about government agencies or public institutions, investigates whether the agency acted unfairly or unlawfully, and recommends fixes. Public-sector versions include classical ombudsmen who report to a legislature, executive-branch ombudsmen inside a single department, and State Long-Term Care Ombudsman programs that advocate for residents of long-term care facilities under the Older Americans Act. BLS has no ombudsman occupation; using the closest match, arbitrators, mediators, and conciliators in state government, May 2025 pay runs from $53,940 at the 10th percentile to $134,170 at the 90th, with a median of $81,330.

Public Sector Paralegals provide substantive legal support to government attorneys at federal agencies, district attorney offices, public defender offices, city and county counsel, and state attorney general offices. They draft legal documents, manage case files, conduct legal research, and coordinate with courts and opposing counsel — handling work that directly affects public policy, criminal justice, and civil rights outcomes rather than private client revenues.

Air Force Paralegal Specialists support Judge Advocate General (JAG) officers across the full spectrum of military legal practice — courts-martial, administrative separations, legal assistance, claims, and operational law. They prepare legal documents, manage case files, conduct research, and serve as the administrative backbone of base legal offices worldwide. The role blends civilian legal expertise with the structure and mission demands of an active military installation.

Government Paralegal Specialists support attorneys at federal agencies, U.S. Attorney's offices, state agencies, and public defender offices by researching case law, preparing legal documents, managing litigation files, and coordinating with investigators and witnesses. Unlike their private-sector counterparts, they work on matters where the client is the public — civil enforcement, criminal prosecution, regulatory compliance, and benefits adjudication — with caseloads that are often larger and more varied than anything a private firm carries.

Military Paralegal Specialists support Judge Advocate General (JAG) officers and civilian attorneys across the full spectrum of military legal operations — courts-martial, administrative separations, legal assistance, claims, and international law. Whether serving as enlisted military occupational specialty (68G/27D) personnel or as GS-series civilian specialists, they prepare legal documents, manage case files, conduct legal research, and ensure that military justice proceedings meet the procedural requirements of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

A park ranger protects public parkland and the people who use it, working for the National Park Service, other federal land agencies, state park systems, and county or city park departments. Depending on the posting, the job leans toward interpretation (programs, visitor centers, school groups), resource protection (patrol, monitoring, fire support), or commissioned law enforcement. Federal rangers are classified in OPM's Park Ranger series, GS-0025. Pay here comes from the 2026 General Schedule for the Rest of U.S. locality, with the GS-5 to GS-9 span as an editorial choice: $40,736 at GS-5 step 1, $61,722 at GS-9 step 1, and $80,243 at GS-9 step 10.

Passport Specialists adjudicate applications for U.S. passports and passport cards, verifying citizenship evidence, identity documents, and applicant eligibility under federal law and State Department regulations. They work at regional passport agencies, acceptance facilities, and lockbox processing centers, making legally binding determinations that affect Americans' ability to travel internationally. The role demands precise document examination, regulatory knowledge, and the ability to manage high caseloads without compromising accuracy.

Patent Examiners are federal employees at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office who evaluate patent applications to determine whether an invention qualifies for patent protection under Title 35 of the U.S. Code. They search prior art databases, apply patentability standards, write formal Office Actions, and conduct interviews with applicants' attorneys — serving as the legal and technical gatekeepers of the U.S. patent system.

A personnel security specialist decides whether someone should be trusted with classified information or a sensitive position. The job sits in agency security offices, the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) and cleared contractors, and covers investigation requests, adjudication of finished background investigations, due process for adverse decisions, and continuous vetting alerts. OPM's GS-0080 classification standard makes Personnel Security Specialist the prescribed federal title. BLS publishes no wage series for the job, so the pay shown here is an estimate from OPM's 2026 Washington-Baltimore General Schedule table: $70,623 at GS-9 step 1, $102,415 at GS-12 step 1 and $158,322 at GS-13 step 10.

Physical Science Technicians assist scientists and engineers in conducting experiments, collecting field samples, operating analytical instruments, and maintaining laboratory equipment across federal agencies, state environmental bureaus, and research institutions. They bridge the gap between theoretical research and real-world data collection — running the measurements, calibrating the instruments, and documenting the results that inform regulatory decisions, environmental policy, and scientific publications.

Physical Science Technicians in aerospace support research scientists and engineers by setting up experiments, operating test equipment, collecting data, and maintaining instrumentation at government labs, wind tunnels, and propulsion test facilities. Working primarily for NASA, the Air Force Research Laboratory, or DoD contractors under federal contract, they bridge the gap between theoretical aerospace research and the empirical data that drives design decisions.

Physical Scientists in the federal government design and conduct research, analyze complex datasets, develop scientific policy, and provide technical expertise to support agency missions across defense, environmental protection, energy, and public health. Working at agencies such as NOAA, EPA, DOE, NIST, and the Department of Defense, they bridge the gap between laboratory science and public-sector decision-making — translating physical measurements and models into actionable conclusions that shape regulation, acquisition, and national strategy.

Planners at municipal and county agencies shape how communities grow, develop, and function by reviewing land-use applications, writing zoning codes, conducting environmental reviews, and guiding long-range comprehensive plans. They work at the intersection of law, public policy, design, and community engagement — translating regulatory frameworks and resident input into actionable decisions that affect housing, transportation, and economic development for decades.

Planning Specialists work within municipal, county, or regional government agencies to research, analyze, and implement land use, zoning, transportation, and community development policies. They review development applications, prepare staff reports, support comprehensive plan updates, and serve as the analytical and procedural backbone of a planning department. The role sits between entry-level planners and senior or principal planners, combining technical analysis with direct public engagement.

Policy Analysts research, evaluate, and develop recommendations on public programs, legislation, and government initiatives across areas including healthcare, education, economic development, housing, and national security. They synthesize quantitative data and qualitative evidence into briefings, reports, and regulatory comments that inform decisions by elected officials, agency leadership, and legislative staff. Generative AI tools can now draft first-pass research summaries, which puts more weight on judgment, verification, and communicating findings to non-technical audiences. The role still sits at the intersection of rigorous research and practical politics, requiring both analytical precision and political read.

Policy Directors lead the development, analysis, and implementation of policy agendas for government agencies, nonprofits, and advocacy organizations. They translate complex legislative, regulatory, and administrative goals into actionable programs, manage teams of policy analysts and legislative staff, and serve as the principal policy voice for agency leadership or elected officials. The role sits at the intersection of technical expertise, stakeholder management, and political judgment.

A political campaign manager is the senior staff member who runs an election campaign for a candidate or ballot measure, turning the candidate's goals into a plan, a budget, a staff and a voter-contact program. The manager reports to the candidate, directs the finance, communications and field teams, manages outside consultants, and answers for compliance with campaign finance law. Campaign jobs end when the election does. BLS publishes no wage line for campaign managers; the nearest occupation, general and operations managers, had a May 2025 national median of $105,770, with the 10th to 90th percentile running from $50,090 to $253,390. That benchmark covers year-round managers in every industry, not cycle-length campaign jobs.

A Postal Inspector is a federal agent with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the law enforcement, crime prevention and security arm of the U.S. Postal Service. Inspectors carry firearms, make arrests, execute federal search warrants and serve subpoenas in cases that run through the mail: drug parcels, mail theft, robberies of letter carriers, mail fraud, mail bombs and child exploitation. Hiring runs through periodic application windows and a multi-step screening process. BLS puts the median wage for detectives and criminal investigators, the closest occupation, at $93,790 in May 2025, with the 10th to 90th percentile spanning $55,390 to $160,540.

Presidential Management Fellows are competitively selected graduate-degree holders placed in two-year federal appointments designed to develop the next generation of government leaders. Fellows rotate through agency assignments, complete structured training in policy and management, and gain accelerated eligibility for conversion to permanent federal employment. The program is administered by OPM and accepts roughly 400–600 fellows annually from thousands of applicants.

A press secretary is the official spokesperson for an elected official, government agency, or legislative office, handling reporters' questions, writing statements and releases, and running press conferences. The Bureau of Labor Statistics groups the role with public relations specialists, noting that government PR specialists may carry the press secretary title. In larger offices they report to a communications director or chief of staff, and the job exists at every level of government, from city halls to Congress and cabinet departments. For public relations specialists, BLS reports a May 2025 median wage of $74,750, with the 10th percentile at $44,110 and the 90th at $135,150.

Privacy Act Specialists administer federal privacy compliance programs within government agencies, defense contractors, and federally regulated organizations. They manage System of Records Notices (SORNs), conduct Privacy Impact Assessments (PIAs), respond to Privacy Act requests, and advise program offices on lawful collection, use, and disclosure of personally identifiable information under the Privacy Act of 1974 and OMB guidance.

Public Sector Procurement Analysts manage the sourcing, evaluation, and award of government contracts for goods and services — from IT systems and construction to janitorial supplies and professional services. They ensure every purchase follows statutory requirements, competitive bidding rules, and agency policy, while getting the best value for taxpayer dollars. The role sits at the intersection of contract law, market analysis, and public accountability.

Procurement Officers manage the acquisition of goods, services, and construction on behalf of government agencies, public universities, and other public-sector entities. They design and administer competitive solicitation processes, evaluate vendor proposals, negotiate contracts, and ensure every dollar spent complies with procurement law, agency policy, and audit requirements. Their decisions are public record and subject to protest — which makes procedural precision as important as commercial judgment.

Program Analysts at the Department of State support U.S. foreign policy by collecting, evaluating, and synthesizing data on diplomatic programs, foreign assistance initiatives, and bureau operations. They translate complex information into briefings, budget justifications, and performance reports that senior Foreign Service Officers and political appointees use to make decisions affecting bilateral relationships and global initiatives.

Program Analysts in military settings support the planning, execution, and oversight of defense acquisition programs, operations, and budgets within DoD components, combatant commands, and defense agencies. They analyze program data, prepare decision-support products, track milestones and obligations, and help senior officials make resource and policy decisions across the full program lifecycle — from requirement definition through contract award and performance monitoring.

Program Evaluators design and conduct systematic assessments of government programs, policies, and interventions to determine whether they are achieving intended outcomes and how efficiently they use public resources. Working in federal agencies, state governments, nonprofits, and consulting firms, they translate evaluation findings into actionable recommendations that inform budget decisions, program redesigns, and legislative oversight. The role sits at the intersection of social science methods, public policy, and performance accountability.

A Program Support Assistant keeps a government program office running: scheduling, correspondence, records, travel paperwork, purchase requests and the data pulls behind status reports. The title is used in federal agencies, where the work is clerical and administrative support attached to a specific program rather than a whole department, and it also appears in state and county government. Pay tracks general administrative assistant work: the BLS May 2025 band for secretaries and administrative assistants runs from $33,280 at the 10th percentile to $66,350 at the 90th, with a median of $47,540. Federal holders are paid on the General Schedule by grade, step and locality.

Program Support Clerks provide administrative and operational backbone to government agencies, nonprofit programs, and public institutions. They process paperwork, maintain records, coordinate scheduling, and handle correspondence that keeps program offices functional. The role sits at the intersection of data management, constituent services, and internal logistics — often the first point of contact when something in a program needs tracking down or moving forward.

A Program Support Specialist is a government administrative professional who keeps a public program's records, tracking, reporting, budget figures and customer contact in order so it meets its rules and deadlines. Federal agencies such as the Department of the Interior classify the title in OPM's GS-0301 Miscellaneous Administration and Program series; states such as New Jersey run their own Program Support Specialist job families. BLS has no separate occupation for the role, so pay here follows Business Operations Specialists, All Other in state government: a May 2025 median of $81,380, with the 10th and 90th percentiles at $49,330 and $122,690. Federal jobs are paid on the General Schedule by grade, step and locality.

Property Assessors determine the taxable value of real estate and personal property within a jurisdiction, producing assessments that become the foundation for local government tax revenue. Working for county assessor offices, city governments, or regional appraisal districts, they inspect properties, analyze sales data, apply mass appraisal models, and defend valuations before review boards and in court — their numbers directly fund public schools, roads, and emergency services.

Government Psychologists provide psychological assessment, treatment, consultation, and research services within federal, state, or local agencies — including VA medical centers, military installations, correctional facilities, law enforcement agencies, and public health departments. They operate at the intersection of clinical practice and public policy, applying evidence-based methods to populations and institutional challenges that private practice rarely encounters.

Public Affairs Officers serve as the official voice of government agencies, military branches, and public institutions — managing media relations, drafting press releases, coordinating public communications, and ensuring that agency messaging reaches citizens, lawmakers, and the press accurately and on time. They sit at the intersection of policy, journalism, and constituent services, translating complex government decisions into clear public communication across traditional and digital channels.

Army Public Affairs Specialists plan, produce, and disseminate information that tells the Army's story to internal audiences, civilian media, and the general public. They write news releases, shoot and edit photo and video content, manage command social media, and advise commanders on communication strategy — ensuring accurate information reaches the public while protecting operational security.

Public Agency Board Members on public boards, commissions, and government authorities provide governance oversight, policy direction, and fiduciary accountability for public institutions. Whether serving on a school board, utility district, transit authority, housing authority, or regulatory commission, they review and approve major decisions, set organizational direction, hire executive leadership, and represent the interests of the constituents or mission the board exists to serve.

A Public Health Analyst turns surveillance feeds, vital records, survey data and program reports into findings that health officials can act on. The job sits inside state and local health departments, federal agencies such as CDC, and the nonprofits and research groups that work beside them, where analysts build dashboards, evaluate grant-funded programs and write the briefs behind budget and policy calls. BLS does not track the title separately, so pay here uses the closest occupation, epidemiologists, as reported for state government: a May 2025 median of $84,410, with the 10th to 90th percentile running from $59,640 to $122,370.

Public Health Analysts in epidemiology design and execute disease surveillance systems, analyze population health data, and translate statistical findings into policy recommendations for government agencies, academic medical centers, and public health organizations. They sit at the intersection of data science and field investigation — running regression models one week and conducting outbreak interviews the next — with the goal of reducing preventable illness and mortality at the population level.

Public Health Directors lead government health agencies at the county, regional, or state level — setting population health strategy, managing department budgets and staff, directing disease surveillance and emergency response, and translating epidemiological data into policy and programs. The role sits at the intersection of clinical expertise, public administration, and political accountability, requiring equal fluency in community health data and budget hearings.

Public Health Education Specialists design, implement, and evaluate programs that improve community health outcomes by changing individual and group behaviors. Working in local and state health departments, nonprofits, school systems, and federal agencies, they translate epidemiological data into campaigns, curricula, and interventions that reach real populations — from diabetes prevention in rural counties to vaccine outreach in urban neighborhoods.

Public Health Educators design, implement, and evaluate community-based programs that improve health behaviors and reduce disease burden across populations. Working in health departments, community organizations, hospitals, and federal agencies, they translate epidemiological data and clinical guidance into accessible outreach, education, and policy advocacy. The role sits at the intersection of health science, communication, and community organizing — less clinical than nursing but more analytically demanding than general outreach work.

Public Health Educators in health promotion roles design, implement, and evaluate programs that reduce disease burden and improve population health outcomes across defined communities. Working for local and state health departments, nonprofits, and federally funded programs, they translate epidemiological data into accessible interventions — workshops, media campaigns, clinical partnerships, and policy advocacy — that change health behaviors at scale.

Public Housing Specialists administer federally subsidized housing programs on behalf of local Public Housing Authorities (PHAs), managing tenant eligibility, lease compliance, unit inspections, and rent calculations under HUD regulations. They are the direct point of contact between the housing authority and the low-income households it serves, handling everything from initial applications through annual recertifications and lease terminations.

A Public Information Officer is the official spokesperson and communications lead for a government agency: a city, county, state department, school district, utility or public safety agency. The PIO writes news releases and alerts, answers reporters, runs the agency's social channels and website updates, and steps into the incident command structure when an emergency hits. BLS classifies the job under Public Relations Specialists. In local government, excluding schools and hospitals, that occupation paid a median of $77,870 in May 2025, with the 10th percentile at $48,650 and the 90th at $115,680.

A Public Relations Specialist in government is the writer, spokesperson and message strategist who explains what a public agency is doing and why, to reporters, residents, elected officials and the agency's own staff. The job sits in the communications or public information office of a city, county, state or federal agency, a public university, or a transit or utility district, and usually reports to a communications director. Across all employers, the Bureau of Labor Statistics put the May 2025 median wage for public relations specialists at $74,750, with the lowest tenth earning under $44,110 and the top tenth above $135,150. In government, the pay for a specific post is set by that employer's classification and salary schedule.

A Public Safety Officer protects people and property for a city, campus, transit system or government facility, answering calls for service, patrolling, writing reports and handling medical and fire emergencies. In integrated city departments such as Sunnyvale, California, the same officer is trained as a police officer, firefighter and EMT. On campuses the role may be sworn with arrest powers or non-sworn and focused on patrol, access control and Clery Act reporting. Pay varies with that distinction. The closest federal benchmark, police and sheriff's patrol officers, had a median wage of $76,210 in May 2025, with the middle 80 percent earning between $47,510 and $115,120.

A Public Works Director heads the city or county department that builds, operates and maintains streets, bridges, storm drains, fleet, public buildings and, in some places, the water and sewer utility. The director reports to a city manager, county administrator or elected board and runs the capital program that turns council priorities into construction. BLS has no separate occupation for the job, so the closest pay measure is General and Operations Managers working in local government: a May 2025 median of $130,630, with the 10th percentile at $66,700 and the 90th at $216,070. BLS does not break that row out by department or jurisdiction size.

Public Sector Purchasing Agents manage the acquisition of goods, services, and construction contracts on behalf of government agencies, ensuring compliance with procurement regulations, competitive bidding requirements, and public accountability standards. They evaluate vendor proposals, negotiate contracts, manage supplier relationships, and maintain meticulous records that can withstand public scrutiny and audit. The role sits at the intersection of fiscal responsibility, legal compliance, and operational efficiency for municipalities, counties, state agencies, and federal departments.

Radiation Protection Specialists in the public sector safeguard workers, the public, and the environment from ionizing radiation hazards at government facilities, military installations, research laboratories, and regulatory agencies. They develop and implement radiation safety programs, conduct exposure monitoring, ensure compliance with NRC and DOE regulations, and respond to radiological incidents — serving as the technical authority on all matters involving radioactive materials and radiation-producing equipment.

Railroad Safety Specialists inspect, audit, and enforce federal safety regulations across the U.S. rail network — covering track geometry, signal systems, hazardous materials transport, operating practices, and mechanical equipment. Employed by the Federal Railroad Administration, state rail safety offices, and railroad carriers, they are the regulatory authority that keeps freight and passenger operations within the standards set under the Federal Railroad Safety Act and 49 CFR.

Real Property Management Officers oversee the acquisition, utilization, maintenance, and disposal of government-owned or leased real property assets — land, buildings, and infrastructure — on behalf of federal, state, or local agencies. They ensure assets are accounted for in compliance with federal property management regulations, optimize space utilization, and coordinate with legal, procurement, and facilities teams to support mission requirements throughout the full property lifecycle.

Records Management Specialists organize, maintain, and control the lifecycle of official government records — from creation and active use through retention, archiving, and legally mandated destruction. They ensure that agencies comply with federal, state, and local records laws, respond to public records requests, and build the systems that keep institutional knowledge accessible and auditable across administrations and personnel changes.

Government Recruiters manage the full hiring lifecycle for federal, state, and local agencies — translating civil service classification systems, veterans preference rules, and merit principles into efficient, defensible hiring actions. They partner with agency hiring managers to develop vacancy announcements, evaluate applicants under OPM or state equivalents, and shepherd candidates through background investigations, suitability determinations, and onboarding. The role sits at the intersection of HR compliance and competitive talent acquisition in an environment where process fidelity carries legal weight.

A Regulatory Affairs Specialist manages the paperwork and the relationships that connect an organization to the agencies that regulate it: tracking rules as they move through the Federal Register, preparing submissions and license renewals, answering agency questions, and turning new requirements into internal procedure. In the public sector the job sits inside agencies that write and enforce rules, and inside utilities, health systems and contractors that answer to them. BLS classifies the work under compliance officers, whose May 2025 national median pay was $80,730, with the 10th and 90th percentiles at $48,220 and $133,720.

Public Sector Research Analysts design and execute studies that inform policy, program design, and budget decisions at federal, state, and local government agencies. They collect and analyze quantitative and qualitative data, synthesize findings into reports and briefings, and translate complex evidence into actionable recommendations for policymakers and program managers. The role sits at the intersection of social science methodology, data literacy, and institutional knowledge about how government programs actually operate.

Public Sector Risk Managers identify, assess, and mitigate the financial, operational, legal, and reputational exposures facing government agencies, municipalities, school districts, and public authorities. They design and administer self-insurance programs, manage third-party claims, oversee workers' compensation, and ensure the agency maintains adequate coverage and defensible loss-control practices across all departments.

Safety and Occupational Health Specialists with an environmental compliance focus protect workers and surrounding communities by developing, implementing, and auditing safety programs that satisfy OSHA, EPA, and agency-specific regulatory requirements. In public sector settings — federal installations, municipal utilities, state environmental agencies, and military facilities — they sit at the intersection of worker protection and environmental law, ensuring that operations stay inside both occupational and ecological compliance boundaries simultaneously.

Safety and Occupational Health Specialists (Environmental) in the public sector design, implement, and enforce programs that protect government employees and the public from occupational hazards, environmental exposures, and regulatory noncompliance. They conduct worksite inspections, investigate incidents, interpret OSHA and EPA regulations, and advise agency leadership on controlling chemical, biological, radiological, and physical hazards across federal installations, military bases, and state facilities.

Safety Inspectors employed by federal, state, and local government agencies conduct on-site inspections of workplaces, construction sites, public facilities, and industrial operations to verify compliance with safety codes, regulations, and permit conditions. They document violations, issue citations, order abatements, and testify in enforcement proceedings — serving as the primary enforcement arm between regulatory agencies and the public they protect.

Public Sector Schedulers coordinate project timelines, workforce shifts, facility bookings, or service delivery windows across government agencies, transit authorities, public utilities, and municipal departments. They build and maintain master schedules, identify conflicts before they cascade, and serve as the operational hub between project managers, department leads, field crews, and the public. The role demands precision, adaptability, and fluency with scheduling software at an enterprise level.

Science and Technology Managers in the public sector lead research programs, technology development initiatives, and cross-agency scientific projects for federal departments, national laboratories, and defense agencies. They translate scientific objectives into funded programs, manage interdisciplinary teams of researchers and engineers, oversee contractor performance, and ensure technical work aligns with agency mission requirements and congressional mandates. The role sits at the boundary between technical leadership and government program management.

Science Program Specialists manage and coordinate scientific research programs within federal agencies, state science offices, and public research institutions. They serve as the operational backbone of grant portfolios, research initiatives, and science policy programs — translating agency mission into funded projects, tracking deliverables, and bridging the gap between scientists, administrators, and policymakers. The role requires equal parts technical literacy and program management discipline.

Science Technicians in the public sector assist scientists, researchers, and engineers at federal and state agencies, national laboratories, environmental monitoring stations, and public health departments. They collect and analyze samples, operate specialized instruments, maintain laboratory equipment, and compile data that informs regulatory decisions, environmental policy, and public health responses. The role spans a wide range of disciplines — biology, chemistry, environmental science, geology — depending on the hiring agency.

Scientific Illustrators working in the public sector create accurate, publication-ready visual representations of biological specimens, geological formations, medical procedures, archaeological artifacts, and environmental data for government agencies, natural history museums, research universities, and science communication offices. They translate complex technical findings into images that serve both peer-reviewed publications and public education, working closely with scientists, curators, exhibit designers, and communications staff to ensure every illustration is simultaneously correct and visually compelling.

Security Administration Specialists manage the administrative, policy, and compliance infrastructure that keeps government information systems and personnel secure. Working within federal agencies, state departments, or defense contractors, they maintain security documentation, process personnel clearances, enforce access controls, and ensure programs comply with NIST, FISMA, and agency-specific directives. The role sits at the intersection of HR, IT, and regulatory compliance — less hands-on-keyboard than a cybersecurity analyst but equally essential to a functioning security program.

Security Administrators in the public sector manage the physical, personnel, and information security programs that protect government facilities, classified materials, and agency personnel. They administer security clearance programs, enforce access controls, conduct security awareness training, and serve as the primary liaison between their agency and oversight bodies such as the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA). The role sits at the intersection of regulatory compliance, personnel management, and operational security.

Security Officers in the public sector protect government buildings, courthouses, transit hubs, schools, and other public facilities by monitoring access, deterring criminal activity, and responding to emergencies. They work under the authority of municipal, county, state, or federal agencies — or contracted security firms serving public clients — and operate within statutory guidelines that distinguish their authority from sworn law enforcement.

Security Specialists in the public sector design, implement, and oversee programs that protect government personnel, facilities, information, and critical infrastructure from physical and informational threats. They administer security clearance adjudication, conduct vulnerability assessments, manage access control systems, and ensure compliance with federal security directives such as NISPOM, NIST SP 800-53, and Homeland Security Presidential Directives. The role exists across federal agencies, state governments, defense contractors, and law enforcement support organizations.

Senior Advisors in the public sector provide high-level strategic counsel to agency heads, elected officials, and cabinet-level executives on policy, legislation, and operational priorities. They synthesize complex information from multiple sources, coordinate across departments and external stakeholders, and translate political or programmatic goals into actionable recommendations. The role demands both deep subject-matter expertise and the political acuity to operate effectively in government environments.

A Sheriff is the top law enforcement official in a county, usually elected by its voters rather than hired by a city or county board. The office runs the county jail, staffs courtrooms, serves civil papers and warrants, and patrols territory that city police departments do not cover. The job combines sworn command, jail administration and the direct accountability of an elected official who must face voters every term. In states such as Ohio and Florida, pay is set by statute on a population scale: 2026 schedules run from $81,712 for a small Ohio county to $193,038 at the bottom of Florida's scale, which frames an estimated band of $82K to $193K.

Signal Officers are military or federal communications leaders responsible for planning, deploying, and securing the voice, data, and satellite networks that keep command elements connected in garrison and in the field. They bridge the gap between tactical warfighting requirements and the technical architecture of radio, satellite, and cyber infrastructure — managing both the personnel who operate the equipment and the engineering decisions that determine what equipment gets used.

Signal Support Systems Specialists install, operate, maintain, and troubleshoot tactical and strategic communications systems for military units, federal agencies, and defense contractors. Working across radio networks, satellite terminals, network infrastructure, and COMSEC equipment, they keep the communications backbone of military operations and government installations functioning under demanding field and garrison conditions.

Army Signal Support Systems Specialists (MOS 25U) install, operate, and maintain tactical and strategic communications networks that keep commanders connected on the battlefield and in garrison. They configure radio systems, manage network infrastructure, and troubleshoot signal equipment across voice, data, and satellite channels — serving as the communications backbone for Army units at every echelon.

Marine Corps Signal Support Systems Specialists (MOS 0621) install, operate, and maintain tactical communications networks — radio systems, satellite terminals, switching equipment, and data transport infrastructure — that keep commanders connected in garrison and in the field. They work across Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) elements, supporting voice, data, and video communications from the forward edge back to higher headquarters.

Social Insurance Specialists administer government-run benefit programs — Social Security, unemployment insurance, disability, and workers' compensation — by evaluating eligibility, processing claims, and ensuring regulatory compliance. They serve as the operational link between complex federal and state policy frameworks and the individuals and employers those programs are designed to protect. The role demands precise regulatory interpretation, case management discipline, and direct public-facing communication under often difficult circumstances.

Solicitors in the public sector provide legal counsel to government agencies, municipalities, and public authorities — drafting ordinances, reviewing contracts, representing the government in litigation, and advising elected officials on the boundaries of their legal authority. Unlike private practice, the work is measured by sound governance and public interest rather than billable hours, and the client is ultimately the public itself.

A Special Assistant to the Mayor serves as a senior staff member in the Office of the Mayor, translating executive priorities into actionable policy, managing relationships with department heads and external stakeholders, and handling the daily flow of decisions, briefings, and communications that keep a mayor's office functional. The role sits at the intersection of policy, politics, and operations — requiring someone equally comfortable drafting a legislative memo and representing the mayor in a community meeting.

Special Programs Managers in the public sector design, fund, and oversee targeted initiatives — workforce development, community services, federal grant programs, or interagency initiatives — that fall outside an agency's core operating budget. They manage grant portfolios, coordinate cross-departmental teams, ensure regulatory compliance, and translate program outcomes into the reporting language that keeps funding alive and stakeholders informed.

Special Projects Coordinators in the public sector manage time-limited initiatives, cross-departmental programs, and priority assignments that fall outside routine agency operations. They work directly with department directors, elected officials, and external stakeholders to plan, track, and deliver projects ranging from community outreach campaigns to facility upgrades to grant-funded service expansions. The role sits at the intersection of administrative management, policy implementation, and operations.

A Special Projects Manager in government runs the assignments that belong to no single department: a citywide initiative handed down by the city manager, a grant-funded program that needs an owner, an operational review the council asked for. The job sits in an executive office, such as a city manager's office, and leads teams borrowed from other departments. Pay is benchmarked here to BLS figures for project management specialists in local government, which had a May 2025 median of $99,110, with $61,710 at the 10th percentile and $137,720 at the 90th. The work is heavy on analysis, contracts and writing for elected officials.

Special Projects Officers in the public sector design, coordinate, and drive complex, high-priority initiatives that fall outside standard departmental workflows. They serve as the operational bridge between senior leadership directives and ground-level execution — managing timelines, stakeholders, budgets, and deliverables across multiple agencies or divisions. The role demands political awareness, strong project management discipline, and the ability to produce results in environments where authority is rarely direct.

Special Projects Specialists in the public sector manage discrete, high-priority initiatives that fall outside an agency's routine operations — cross-departmental task forces, grant-funded programs, legislative mandates, or executive office directives. They coordinate stakeholders, track deliverables, produce briefings and reports, and move projects from concept to completion inside bureaucratic environments where timelines, political visibility, and budget constraints all run simultaneously.

Public sector Speechwriters research, draft, and refine spoken remarks, testimony, keynote addresses, and formal statements for elected officials, cabinet secretaries, agency directors, and other government leaders. They translate policy positions and political priorities into language that is clear, persuasive, and authentic to the principal's voice — on deadline, often without credit, and always with an audience that spans constituents, press, and political opponents.

A State Senator is an elected lawmaker who sits in the upper house of a state's legislature, representing one district and voting on the bills, budgets and confirmations that pass through that chamber. Senators sit on standing committees, carry legislation, answer to constituents and oversee state agencies through hearings and appropriations. The job looks very different from state to state: in some capitols it is a full-time post with a professional staff, while in others it is a part-time citizen role squeezed around a regular career. Pay follows the same split. The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) puts the 2025 average base salary for a state legislator at $46,279, before per diem and mileage.

Strategic Communications Specialists in the public sector plan and execute communications strategies that inform the public, manage agency narratives, and support elected officials or department leadership in delivering consistent, accurate messaging across multiple channels. They write speeches, press materials, and digital content; coordinate with media; and translate complex policy into plain language that serves diverse constituencies. The role sits at the intersection of policy, journalism, and public relations — requiring both political awareness and editorial discipline.

Strategy Advisors in the public sector develop and communicate the analytical frameworks, policy options, and implementation roadmaps that government executives use to make consequential decisions. They sit at the intersection of policy analysis, organizational design, and stakeholder management — translating political priorities and public mandates into actionable plans that can survive budget cycles, legislative scrutiny, and operational reality. The role exists across federal agencies, state cabinets, municipal offices, and public-sector consulting practices that serve government clients.

Supervisory Park Rangers lead teams of uniformed rangers in protecting natural and cultural resources, enforcing federal and state regulations, and delivering public safety services across national parks, monuments, recreation areas, and state park systems. They manage patrol operations, oversee interpretation and education programs, coordinate emergency response, and hold direct accountability for staff performance and unit-level budgets.

Supervisory Postal Inspectors lead teams of U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) agents investigating federal crimes involving the U.S. Mail — mail fraud, identity theft, narcotics trafficking, robberies, and child exploitation. They manage active caseloads, supervise junior inspectors, coordinate with federal prosecutors and partner agencies, and ensure investigative compliance with federal law and USPIS policy.

A Supervisory Transportation Security Officer (STSO) is the first-line supervisor of a TSA screening team, running a shift of Transportation Security Officers and Lead TSOs at an airport checkpoint or checked baggage operation. The STSO sets lane assignments, resolves the alarms and escalations officers cannot close, rates performance, and writes up incidents for law enforcement and airport managers. The job sits one rung above the lead officer on TSA's screening career path and below the transportation security manager. BLS federal wage data for first-line protective service supervisors, the nearest benchmark, put the May 2025 median at $89,070, with a 10th-to-90th percentile range of $77,310 to $104,330.

Supervisory Transportation Security Specialists lead teams of security personnel within TSA or equivalent DHS components, overseeing screening operations, threat assessments, and regulatory compliance at airports, transit systems, and surface transportation facilities. They are accountable for operational performance, workforce development, and the procedural integrity of federal security programs. The role sits at the intersection of frontline operations management and policy enforcement in one of the most scrutinized areas of federal service.

Survey Statisticians design, implement, and analyze statistical surveys that generate the data governments and public institutions use to make policy decisions. Working at federal agencies like the Census Bureau, BLS, or CDC — or at state agencies, research universities, and contractors — they develop sampling frames, write estimation procedures, assess data quality, and translate complex findings into actionable information for non-technical audiences.

Sustainability Coordinators in the public sector plan, implement, and track environmental and climate programs for municipal, county, or state government agencies. They manage energy efficiency initiatives, greenhouse gas inventories, waste reduction programs, and grant-funded sustainability projects — translating policy commitments into measurable operational changes across government departments and community stakeholders.

Tax Assessors are local government officials responsible for determining the assessed value of real and personal property within a jurisdiction for ad valorem tax purposes. They apply mass appraisal techniques, analyze market sales data, and maintain property records to ensure equitable and legally defensible valuations that form the tax base funding schools, roads, and public services.

A tax collector bills, receives, posts and enforces the property taxes and other local levies a government is owed, then distributes the money to the funds and taxing districts that depend on it. The job sits in a city, town, township or county finance office, either as an appointed officer under the finance director or as an elected official, depending on the state. BLS counts it with tax examiners and revenue agents: in May 2025 that group earned a median of $62,370, with the 10th percentile at $42,000 and the 90th at $114,550. Delinquency enforcement, from liens to tax sales, is the legally exacting core of the work.

A Tax Commissioner is an elected or appointed government official responsible for administering property tax assessment, collection, and compliance within a county or state jurisdiction. They oversee valuation of real and personal property, manage billing and payment processing, enforce delinquent collections, and ensure the office operates within statutory requirements. The role blends legal authority, financial management, public-facing customer service, and team leadership.

Tax Examiners review, audit, and process individual and business tax returns filed with federal, state, and local tax agencies to ensure accuracy and compliance with applicable tax law. They correspond with taxpayers and representatives, determine deficiencies or overpayments, and close cases through assessment, adjustment, or referral to enforcement. The role sits at the intersection of legal interpretation, financial analysis, and public administration.

Tax Law Specialists research, interpret, and apply federal and state tax statutes, regulations, and case law to resolve complex compliance questions, support enforcement actions, and advise government agencies on tax policy. Working within the IRS, state revenue departments, or legislative offices, they are the technical authority that keeps tax administration legally sound — translating dense regulatory language into defensible agency positions.

IRS Tax Specialists examine individual and business tax returns, resolve compliance issues, and administer federal tax law across a range of enforcement and advisory functions. Working within the Internal Revenue Service's examination, appeals, or taxpayer services divisions, they apply the Internal Revenue Code to real financial situations — auditing returns, resolving disputes, and ensuring accurate tax assessments on behalf of the U.S. Treasury.

Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers in the public sector install, configure, maintain, and troubleshoot the voice, data, and emergency communications systems that keep government agencies, public safety organizations, and municipal facilities operational. They work across central offices, field sites, and government buildings — ensuring that 911 dispatch centers, public networks, and interagency communication links stay up around the clock.

Telecommunications Equipment Repairers in the public sector install, troubleshoot, and maintain the voice, data, and radio communication systems that keep government agencies, public safety organizations, and military installations operational. They work on everything from PBX telephone switches and fiber distribution frames to public safety radio networks and emergency dispatch infrastructure — the equipment that cannot go down when it matters most.

Military Telecommunications Specialists design, install, operate, and maintain the voice, data, and radio communication systems that keep military units connected across garrison and deployed environments. They work on everything from tactical radio networks and satellite terminals to fiber infrastructure and classified voice-over-IP systems, ensuring commanders have reliable communications under any operational condition. The role spans active duty, reserve components, and civilian defense positions within the Department of Defense.

A Town Administrator serves as the chief administrative officer of municipal government, implementing policy set by an elected selectboard or town council, managing day-to-day operations across every town department, and stewarding public funds on residents' behalf. The role bridges elected leadership and professional staff, translating board priorities into budgets, staffing decisions, capital projects, and service delivery. Positions typically call for an MPA or comparable municipal management experience, and may also call for enough technology judgment to evaluate AI-assisted permitting, records, and constituent-service tools before a department adopts them. The job carries full accountability for a community's administrative performance.

A town manager is the appointed chief administrative officer of a municipality, hired by the elected council or select board to run daily operations while the elected body sets policy. The manager prepares the budget and capital plan, hires and directs department heads, writes the agenda materials the council votes on, and answers for how public works, police, planning and finance actually perform. Under the council-manager form the job is nonpartisan, and the manager answers to the governing body that made the appointment. BLS puts the median pay of chief executives in local government at $142,710 a year (May 2025), with the 10th and 90th percentiles at $50,980 and $306,780.

Traffic Management Coordinators plan, monitor, and optimize the movement of vehicles and pedestrians across public road networks by operating traffic control systems, coordinating with emergency and public works agencies, and analyzing signal timing and congestion data. They work for municipal transportation departments, metropolitan planning organizations, and state DOTs — keeping signal networks, incident response protocols, and construction detour plans aligned with safety and efficiency targets.

Traffic Management Specialists plan, operate, and optimize traffic control systems — signals, signage, incident management, and real-time monitoring — for municipal, county, and state transportation agencies. They sit at the intersection of engineering support, public safety, and operations, coordinating with law enforcement, emergency responders, and construction crews to keep vehicles and pedestrians moving safely through complex road networks.

Traffic Management Specialists (TMSs) are Federal Aviation Administration air traffic control professionals who coordinate the flow of aircraft across large segments of the National Airspace System. Working from Air Route Traffic Control Centers (ARTCCs), Terminal Radar Approach Control facilities (TRACONs), or the Air Traffic Control System Command Center (ATCSCC), they issue traffic management initiatives — miles-in-trail restrictions, ground delay programs, and airspace flow programs — that keep demand from overwhelming controller capacity at airports and en route sectors.

Transit Managers oversee the daily operations, personnel, budgets, and service delivery of public transportation systems — bus routes, light rail, paratransit, or multimodal networks. They are accountable for on-time performance, safety compliance, federal funding requirements, and the riders who depend on the system to get to work, school, and medical appointments every day.

Transit Security Officers protect passengers, employees, infrastructure, and assets at airports, transit systems, rail corridors, ports, and bus terminals. They deter criminal activity, enforce access control, respond to emergencies, and coordinate with law enforcement agencies to maintain safe movement of people and goods through public transportation networks.

Army Transportation Officers plan, coordinate, and execute the movement of personnel, equipment, and supplies across ground, air, and sea domains in support of military operations worldwide. They lead transportation units ranging from motor transport companies to watercraft detachments, manage multi-modal movement operations, and serve as the primary logistics advisors on mobility and distribution to supported commanders. The role demands equal proficiency in tactical leadership, joint logistics doctrine, and the administrative systems that underpin Army force projection.

Transportation Planners develop and analyze plans, policies, and projects that shape how people and goods move through cities, regions, and corridors. Working for metropolitan planning organizations, state DOTs, transit agencies, and local governments, they translate travel demand data, land use projections, and community input into long-range plans, capital programs, and corridor studies that guide infrastructure investment for decades.

Transportation Safety Specialists develop, implement, and monitor safety programs for public transportation systems — highways, transit, rail, aviation, or multimodal networks. Working for state DOTs, metropolitan planning organizations, transit authorities, or federal agencies, they analyze crash data, conduct field inspections, coordinate with law enforcement and engineering staff, and push safety improvements through regulatory compliance and program management.

Transportation Security Inspectors (TSIs) are federal law enforcement support professionals employed by the Transportation Security Administration who evaluate, inspect, and enforce security compliance across aviation, surface, and cargo transportation systems. They audit airport operators, airlines, freight forwarders, and mass transit agencies against TSA-mandated security programs, identify vulnerabilities, document violations, and initiate enforcement actions when regulated entities fall short of federal standards.

Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) are federal employees of the Transportation Security Administration who screen passengers, baggage, and cargo at commercial airport security checkpoints. They operate advanced imaging technology, X-ray equipment, and explosive trace detection systems to identify prohibited items and security threats while processing millions of travelers annually under federal aviation security regulations.

Transportation Security Specialists protect the safety and integrity of the nation's transportation networks — aviation, rail, mass transit, pipeline, and maritime — by assessing vulnerabilities, coordinating threat responses, and ensuring compliance with federal security directives. They work across TSA, DHS, state departments of transportation, and transit authorities, translating intelligence and policy into operational security measures at the field level.

Transportation Specialists (Aircraft) plan, coordinate, and execute the movement of military and government aircraft, aviation equipment, and associated cargo through domestic and international logistics networks. Working within DOD agencies, the FAA, GSA, and other federal entities, they apply Federal Aviation Regulations, USTRANSCOM directives, and ICAO standards to keep aircraft assets and support equipment moving safely, legally, and on schedule.

A Trustee in the public sector holds a fiduciary and governance role on behalf of a government body, public institution, or nonprofit entity — overseeing policy direction, financial stewardship, and organizational accountability. Whether serving on a school board, library board, public pension board, or housing authority, Trustees set strategic direction, approve budgets, hire executive leadership, and ensure the organization operates within its legal mandate and in the public interest.

An urban planner decides, on paper and in public hearings, how land in a city, county or region gets used. Planners write and amend zoning codes, check development applications against those rules, draft long-range general plans, and turn census, parcel and traffic data into maps and staff reports that planning commissions and councils vote on. Local government is the main employer. In May 2025, BLS put the median wage for urban and regional planners in local government at $85,980, with the 10th percentile at $58,740 and the 90th at $133,540. The work rewards clear writing, comfort at a podium, and patience with multi-year processes.

A Veterans Affairs Director leads a county, state, or VA facility office that connects veterans and their dependents to earned benefits, health care access, housing support, and employment programs. The director manages veterans service officers, case managers, and benefits counselors, sets office policy and budget priorities, and coordinates with the Department of Veterans Affairs, state agencies, and veterans service organizations to keep claims moving and services accurate. Directors also represent their office before county boards, state legislatures, or Congress, and increasingly oversee how AI-assisted claims tools are used alongside human reviewers rather than in place of them.

Veterans Affairs Specialists work within the VA system, state veterans agencies, and county service offices to help veterans, service members, and their dependents access earned benefits — including disability compensation, healthcare enrollment, education assistance, home loans, and pension programs. They guide clients through complex federal claims processes, coordinate with VA regional offices, and serve as the operational link between veterans and the bureaucratic systems that determine their benefits.

A Victim Advocate is the staff member in a prosecutor's office, police department, hospital program or community crisis agency whose job is to keep a crime victim informed, safe and heard from the first report through sentencing. The work blends crisis response, case management, court accompaniment and paperwork such as compensation claims and protective order petitions. BLS does not track victim advocates as a separate occupation; the nearest one, social and human service assistants, paid a median of $45,930 in May 2025, with the 10th percentile at $34,200 and the 90th at $63,290. Positions sit in both government agencies and nonprofit programs.

Visual Information Officers lead the visual communications function at government agencies and military commands—managing design teams, setting visual standards, directing production of graphics, multimedia, exhibits, and photography, and ensuring all visual communication products meet agency branding, accessibility, and security requirements. They combine design leadership with program management and senior stakeholder communication.

Visual Information Specialists create graphics, illustrations, multimedia presentations, videos, and exhibits that communicate government agency information to internal stakeholders, policymakers, and the public. Working primarily at federal agencies, military installations, public universities, and other government entities, they combine design proficiency with an understanding of public communications standards and accessibility requirements.

A Volunteer Coordinator recruits, screens, trains, schedules and retains the unpaid workforce that public agencies, hospitals, libraries, parks departments and nonprofits use to extend what their paid staff can deliver. In government the job usually sits in a department's program or community relations office and reports to a supervisor or volunteer services manager. The State of Texas classifies it as social services work in four levels, Volunteer Services Coordinator I through IV. Pay depends on the employer and the level: our editorial estimate runs from $35,439 to $76,028, with a midpoint near $55,700, bounded by that Texas salary schedule.

Voting Systems Analysts manage, test, maintain, and certify the electronic voting equipment and election management software used to conduct elections at the county, state, or federal level. They ensure that voting systems meet certification standards, perform logic and accuracy testing before elections, support ballot programming, and document system performance to maintain public confidence in election integrity.

Water Resources Engineers plan, analyze, and design systems that manage the movement, supply, and quality of water—working on flood control infrastructure, stormwater management, watershed planning, dam safety, water supply systems, and water quality protection. They apply hydraulic modeling, hydrology, and regulatory expertise in government agencies, consulting firms, and utilities.

Weather Observers take official surface weather measurements and encode them into standardized aviation and meteorological formats for use by pilots, air traffic controllers, forecasters, and climate researchers. They operate at FAA-controlled airports, National Weather Service stations, military installations, and other certified observation sites—providing accurate, timely data that supports flight safety and weather prediction.

Weather Technicians collect, process, and quality-control meteorological observations at surface stations, upper-air sounding sites, and automated weather networks for the National Weather Service and other government agencies. They maintain observation equipment, launch radiosondes, encode and transmit weather data, and support meteorologists in delivering warnings, forecasts, and climate records.

Workforce Development Specialists connect job seekers to employment services, training programs, and career resources through American Job Centers and public workforce agencies funded under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). They assess client needs, develop individual employment plans, coordinate access to training and support services, and track outcomes to demonstrate program effectiveness.

A Youth Program Coordinator runs one or more structured programs for children and teens, such as after-school clubs, summer youth employment, conservation corps or mentoring, for a city or county youth bureau, parks department, school district or contracted nonprofit. The coordinator recruits participants, schedules and supervises front-line staff, manages enrollment and safety records, and reports results to the funder. BLS does not track the title separately; the nearest federal proxy, social and human service assistants in local government, earned between $36,540 and $76,370 in May 2025, with a median of $49,990. Coordinators who direct staff and budgets may be classified as social and community service managers instead.

Youth Services Librarians design and deliver library programs and services for children, tweens, and teens—managing collections, facilitating story times and reading programs, coordinating summer reading initiatives, and creating welcoming spaces where young library users build lifelong reading habits. They serve as the bridge between children and the library's resources in ways that directly support early literacy and educational equity.