Join the APHIS Team

APHIS has experts in every area of animal and plant health, as well as a highly skilled cadre of support professionals who help us accomplish our goals. Biotechnology, global trade, emergency response, animal welfare, wildlife management, scientific research—these are just a few of the things we cover.

Are you interested in a career as a ...

Veterinarian, Writer, Plant Pathologist, Economist, IT Specialist, Public Affairs Specialist, Foreign Service

We Do That!

Rescuing cattle during a natural disaster? Yes.

Training dogs to sniff out tree-killing insects? Sure thing.

Interacting with Members of Congress, industry groups, and the media? Every day.

Using pyrotechnics to keep flyers safe from bird hazards? We’re on it.

Traveling abroad to negotiate trade deals? We do that too.

Here at APHIS, we make American agriculture thrive.

Benefits

Medical

Our employees enjoy the widest selection of health plans in the country and can change plans or providers every year during Open Season or after a major life change, such as marriage, birth, or adoption. With a range of choices, eligible APHIS employees can pick the plan that meets their health care needs.  More Information

Dental & Vision Insurance

Generous medical benefits aren’t the only health benefits we offer. Our employees can also purchase supplemental dental or vision insurance through the Federal Employees Dental/Vision Program, commonly called FEDVIP. FEDVIP offers competitive premiums and no pre-existing condition limitations.  More Information

Life Insurance

Most of our employees are eligible for term life insurance through the Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) program. FEGLI consists of basic life and three forms of optional insurance. Basic coverage is equal to an employee’s annual salary rounded up to the next $1,000 plus $2,000.  More Information

Annuity

APHIS employees are part of the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS), a retirement plan that provides benefits from three different sources: a basic benefit plan, Social Security, and the Thrift Savings Plan. Both the employee and APHIS pay into the basic benefit. When you retire, you receive annuity payments each month for the rest of your life. Your basic annuity is computed based on your length of service and the average of your three highest years of earnings.

Thrift Savings Plan

In addition to a basic annuity, our employees can participate in the Thrift Savings Plan, a retirement savings and investment plan. The plan offers both a traditional (pre-tax) and Roth (post-tax) option. APHIS matches contributions up to 5%.  More Information

Flexible Spending Accounts

We offer Flexible Spending Accounts, allowing employees to save pre-tax dollars for health care and/or child or elder care expenses. The average tax savings for someone earning $50,000 who contributes $2,000 into an account is roughly $600. That means you get $2,000 worth of purchasing power and pay about $600 less in Federal taxes.  More Information

Child Care Subsidy

Some APHIS employees are eligible for our Child Care Tuition Assistance Program (CCTAP). If your family has an adjusted gross income (AGI) of less than $60,000 and you have a child 13 years or younger (or under 18 years if disabled) in a licensed child care facility, you can participate in the program. Maximum monthly subsidies range from $200-$500 depending on AGI.  More Information

Other Employment Benefits

Fitness Subsidy

APHIS offers a fitness subsidy to its employees. Participants are reimbursed for half the cost of a single gym membership, up to $25 a month. Some APHIS offices even have an onsite gym.  More Information

Volunteer Hours

We care about and support our community. With supervisors’ approval, our employees can volunteer while on paid leave, up to 2 hours every week. That could translate to 104 hours or 13 full days of paid time to enrich your local community. Past volunteer activities have included picking produce from local farms for donation, stocking shelves at the community food bank, and tutoring students from neighborhood schools.  More Information

Transit Subsidy

We provide a transit subsidy to cover commuting costs, up to $225 per month. To be eligible, employees must use public transportation and/or a registered vanpool for their daily roundtrip commute to and from work.  More Information

Maxiflex Scheduling

To enhance work/life balance, we offer our employees flexible (maxiflex) scheduling. Full-time employees work 80 hours every 2 weeks but can choose to vary the length of the workweek and workday with supervisor approval.  More Information

Work at Home (Telework)

Many of our employees are able to telework 1 day a week, adding flexibility and minimizing time spent commuting. More Information

Earned Time Off

Full-time employees earn annual leave hours every 2-week pay period.

• 4 hours of annual leave each pay period up through 3 years of service = 104 hours/13 days
• 6 hours of annual leave each pay period (except 10 hours in the last pay period) with more than 3 years of service but less than 15 = 160 hours/20 days
• 8 hours of annual leave each pay period with more than 15 years of service = 208 hours/26 days

A maximum of 240 hours of annual leave can be carried over from year-to-year. This is in addition to 10 paid Federal holidays.

Full-time employees also earn 4 hours of sick leave every pay period and can carry over an unlimited amount of sick leave from year-to-year.  More Information

Professional Development

APHIS’ employees are its most valuable resources, and their success is fundamental to the Agency’s success. That’s why we’ve made employee training and development a top priority. We offer a wide range of learning opportunities—including online course offerings in USDA’s AgLearn, onsite classroom instruction, personal coaching, staff shadowing, and temporary assignments.