Job Titles in the Federal Government

Overview

Federal job titles can be confusing if this is your first federal job search! Compared to the private sector, federal job titles can appear vague or be a misnomer for the actual work the role requires. If you dig deeper, however, you will see that federal job titles are actually the result of a complex job classification system that seeks to ensure that all federal employees are categorized uniformly and compensated fairly for the same roles.  

This guide will help you understand federal job titling and how you can use it to identify opportunities you are interested in on USAJOBS. 

What is federal position classification?

Position classification is a process through which federal jobs are assigned: 

• A pay system, such as the GS pay scale 

• Grade or band within the GS pay scale (or similar pay system) 

• Occupational series  

• Job title 

Classification follows standards set by the Office of Personnel Management, which apply to federal roles across all agencies. These standards include a description of the work to be performed, official titles and criteria for determining grades within a pay system.

What is an occupational series?

All federal jobs are organized into occupational series or broad job categories. In the private sector, these are often called “job families” and describe the general field or subject matter a role falls into. Some examples of occupational series are: 

• 0100 – Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group 

• 1100 – Business and Industry Group 

• 1500 – Mathematics and Statistics Group 

Each individual federal job is also given a job series code, which is a specific number assigned to each type of job in the federal government. Using the occupational series examples from above, some job series codes that fall under them are: 

• 0100 – Social Science, Psychology, and Welfare Group 
  • 0180 – Psychology

• 1100 – Business and Industry Group 
  • 1140 – Trade Specialist

• 1500 – Mathematics and Statistics Group 
  • 1550 – Computer Science

Job series codes may or may not use the same name as an individual job title. You can learn more about job series codes in our Federal Career Guides.

Where do job titles come in?

Now that we’ve covered position classification and occupational series, you may be wondering – where do the job titles come in? 

Understanding that the federal government seeks to standardize position classifications and occupational series, it is no surprise that federal job titles are also mostly standardized within each job series code. As positions are categorized, the duties and responsibilities factor into which title a job is given, so it’s possible that someone working in personnel operations or benefits administration are given the same job title.  

In recent years, the federal government has been working to adjust federal job titles to better reflect the true nature of each role, but many standard job titles remain the same and may sound generic. In the table below, we have listed some standard federal job titles and their private sector equivalent: 

As you search for opportunities on USAJOBS, it is important to read an entire job announcement so you fully understand the role and if it fits with what you are looking for. Use the occupational series and job series codes to your advantage to narrow down your search by filtering on USAJOBS.  

While federal job titles add another layer of investigation to your job or internship search, understanding where they come from will ultimately deepen your knowledge of federal hiring and all the public service roles available.