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Comment by verst | Hacker News Reader

I'll let @bmogilefsky describe the jobs. @18F as a whole hires engineers, designers, product managers, content writers, journalists, folks with non-traditional cross-functional backgrounds, etc.

Salary depends on job grade. See [1] for an explanation of the grades within 18F. Then see the GS pay scale [2] to figure out the pay for your grade in your region.

[1]: https://pages.18f.gov/joining-18f/pay-grades/

[2]: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries...

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Nothing says "we employ the best" like "fixed salary based on tenure and job function"

18F and other groups in government offer a great potential for impact, but we don't have the same flexibility in compensation policy because of universal federal rules.

Speaking personally, I think there's a lot of room for policy folks to dig into how gov't can better hire and retain skilled talent, but that's not 18F's function.

For sure, I don't blame 18f, it is just super annoying to see things like this.

That's a bit out of our control. We are able to hire quickly because we use a "specialist" hiring authority, but that comes with downsides like what you describe. I'm a developer and am making more than I did at any previous job, if that helps.

18F positions are limited to 2 years, renewable by another 2 years.

Many people (self included) leave the private sector for this duration to support the mission of 18F. After the term is over many people will return to the private sector.

I'm OK with a pay cut to work on meaningful projects that benefit the American public. I'm not worried about returning to the private sector if/when I choose to do so.

Do they claim anything like "we employ the best"?

(It's probably better that they don't: http://www.joelonsoftware.com/items/2005/01/27.html)

No. I love all of my colleagues, but we don't claim to have superpowers.

https://m.signalvnoise.com/we-only-hire-the-best-c711c330fc2...

http://www.joelonsoftware.com/items/2005/01/27.html

They are working within constraints. The federal government has all kinds of rules about salary and benefits.

When I applied, they had a table of salaries, adjusted for location, so at least they were transparent about it.

Right now I am in college, does 18F or USGS have flexible hours or work for me over the summer?

I'd love to get involved, I'm mainly focused in software engineering. It seems like a great cause to partake in.

I can't give a comprehensive answer as to how we hire, but I can offer my personal experience: I was able to finish my last year of part-time law school when I started at 18F. I was working full time, and everyone was very respectful about having a life outside of work.

In the shorter term, do check out https://micropurchase.18f.gov. It's where we post very short term contract opportunities ($3,500 or less, and tasks typically take up to a week). I also happen to be a dev on this project, so feel free to reach out here or at micropurchase@gsa.gov if you have any questions.

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