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With recent major tech layoffs, many tech professionals are scrambling to find jobs. Working for the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) may not be the first thing that comes to mind for those looking for a tech career, but VA is second-to-none for solving real problems for Veterans on a scale you won’t find elsewhere. The agency offers employees a sense of purpose with mission-oriented work to help Veterans receive the best care possible.
VA is the place for tech professionals looking to work on rewarding and challenging projects. Many tech skill sets are transferable across industries from the private to the public sector. Tech talent can get a taste of working with the public sector by applying to programs like the Presidential Innovation Fellows (PIF) program or the U.S. Digital Service (USDS) program. These partnerships with VA give tech professionals a sense of what working on a VA project looks like.
Recruiting top tech talent
The Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO), an office within the VA Office of Information and Technology (OIT) led by VA Assistant Secretary for Information and Technology and Chief Information Officer (CIO) Kurt DelBene, encourages tech professionals to consider looking into the public sector for their next career move.
Mr. DelBene emphasizes, “VA’s Office of Information and Technology (OIT) is hiring technology professionals looking for a fulfilling career path doing what they love and supporting our Veterans. VA is the largest integrated health care and benefits organization in the United States, and OIT aims to be the best IT shop in Government.”
Having worked in both the private and public sector, Mr. DelBene believes in bringing both commercial industry standards and innovation to Government and bringing a sense of purpose and mission to information technology (IT) professionals in the private sector. This begins with recruiting the right people. The PIF and USDS programs help to meet these goals.
VA continues to drive Digital Transformation with clear and purposeful priorities defined by Mr. DelBene. These priorities guide us in our vision to be the leading Government IT organization. One of those priorities, People Excellence, renews our commitment to our workforce to attract and retain some of the best industry talent while also pursuing a more inclusive, accessible workplace.
Partnerships with programs like PIF and USDS provide the opportunity for VA to further people excellence and develop a workplace that attracts and retains the best IT talent. Developing this workplace includes understanding IT career pathways for employees; creating career progression plans; improving recruitment of highly talented technical team members; and creating an inclusive environment representing the diversity of the Veterans we serve.
Pursuing a career in the public sector
There is a gap in the tech industry when it comes to recruiting for public service. IT professionals typically seek private-sector jobs that offer robust benefit and salary packages. To many, that is incentive enough for their career choice. The PIF and USDS partnerships with VA help to combat this. Chief Technology Officer Charles Worthington shares the reason why he pursued a career with the Government on a podcast called IT Visionaries, “I never expected that I was going to work for the Government. I came from private sector tech doing product design and software development, and I joined what I thought was going to be a 1-year fellowship. What I found here is that everyone is working at a place like VA for the right reason.”
Halfway through Mr. Worthington’s PIF fellowship in 2013, the Healthcare.gov website launched and crashed. The crash led to the website being rescued by a team comprised of presidential innovation fellows and others with modern tech skills scrambling together to figure out the kinks and provide over a million Americans with health care enrollment. The experience prompted the Government to put together a permanent capability of people with the right skills to tackle these dilemmas, ultimately contributing to the pitch for USDS.
When reflecting on the Healthcare.gov crash, Mr. Worthington shares, “Coming out of that experience, it made the status quo feel untenable because it was a signature policy of the administration, and they couldn’t figure out how to ship a modern website correctly, and then it was rescued by this team of people who had this more modern set of skills. It gave momentum to the idea that the Government should have a permanent capability of people who have these skills and who can help work on some of the most important services.”
The Healthcare.gov experience played a big factor into the establishment of USDS in 2014 to improve the Government’s use of technology to serve the Nation’s Veterans better. USDS brings together talented engineers, strategists, product managers, designers, and procurement experts to change our Government’s approach to technology and has been instrumental in driving VA’s digital transformation efforts.
The partnership between VA and PIF
The PIF program is a selective and prestigious program that pairs top technologists, entrepreneurs, and innovators with Government agencies to work on pressing projects. Launched by the Obama Administration in 2012, the program has continued under subsequent administrations. The program has worked with VA on several projects to improve services for Veterans, such as modernizing VA’s electronic health records system, improving the claims and appeals process, and developing new tools to better connect Veterans with the benefits and services they deserve and have earned. Fellows in the program work closely with VA staff and leadership to identify and implement innovative solutions to challenges VA faces.
The recruitment efforts of VA and the PIF program are designed to attract individuals who are passionate about serving Veterans and improving the agency’s operations and services. The partnership encourages and allows VA to tap into a pool of highly skilled and motivated individuals who can bring fresh perspectives and innovative solutions to the agency during, and hopefully after, the fellowship is complete.
According to a 2020 PIF Impact Report, since 2012, over 190 industry leaders in design, technology, and strategy pursued a career in Government after completing the fellowship. Overall, 53% of graduates continued into Government roles following the fellowship and contribute to narrowing the gap that exists in bringing top tech talent into Government.
The partnership between VA and USDS
PIF is only a 1- to 2-year fellowship, and the Government needed a more permanent capability of talented IT professionals to solve pressing problems. This is where USDS comes into the picture.
USDS collaborates with public servants throughout Government to help untangle complex challenges and ultimately deliver a better Government experience to people. Like the PIF program, USDS works closely with VA to modernize its technology systems and make them more user-friendly for Veterans, their families, and caregivers. Modernization efforts include launching an in-house digital service at VA; developing a digital health platform to deliver telehealth services to Veterans; partnering on the launch of an accessible mobile app; and more.
USDS plays an essential role in recruiting top talent from the private sector to work on high-impact digital projects in the Federal Government. This program seeks individuals who are passionate about public service and who are interested in using their skills to make a positive impact on Veterans’ lives.
According to Mr. Worthington, “Something that the tech industry over the past couple decades has failed to develop is a tradition of public service,” and the partnership between VA and USDS is a step towards creating this tradition.
The collaboration and combined talent are very valuable when USDS and VA work together, and this is shown through a variety of past successful projects. In 2018, the USDS team at VA and OCTO addressed challenges that Veterans faced in accessing digital tools and content on VA’s website. Veterans had difficulty navigating between pages and found that the website was structured around the agency, rather than their needs. To address this issue, the USDS team worked with teams across VA to create a new VA.gov website that would provide easy access to the most needed information about VA services.
Over 5,000 Veterans, Service members, caregivers, and family members provided input during the development process. According to a 2020 USDS Impact report, since the launch of the website in November 2018, VA.gov has supported nearly 1.7 million logins per month, and there has been a 30% increase in the customer satisfaction score for the modern webpages. Veterans have used the site to check the status of their claims, apply for education benefits, and apply for health care.
How to get involved
Many tech companies are currently downsizing, but VA, in partnership with USDS and PIF, are actively recruiting and hiring innovative minds to help jumpstart a mission-driven career!
If you’re interested in getting involved with either of these partnerships, the first step is to check the Presidential Innovation Fellows and U.S. Digital Service websites for current opportunities and eligibility requirements.
The PIF website has information on the application process and fellowship projects. Learn more about how the PIF application process works.
Head to the USDS website to learn more about their unique mission, how they work with Federal agencies like VA, and the impact of their projects on millions of people. Learn more about what capabilities USDS is looking for and how to apply.
A career with VA offers a unique and rewarding opportunity to work with some of the Federal Government’s most brilliant minds on innovative projects that have a measurable impact on Veterans’ lives. Applicants who share a passion for delivering seamless, unified care and services to Veterans and their families are encouraged to apply for open positions. For any inquiries, contact oitcareers@va.gov and head over to the DigitalVA career page to learn more.
VA recognizes that its employees are its greatest asset and is committed to providing them with the support and resources they need to succeed. Through prioritizing employees and engaging in partnerships with programs like PIF and USDS, VA aims to attract and retain top talent, which in turn helps to better serve the needs of Veterans and their families. Learn more about VA’s commitment to recruiting the best minds in the industry.
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