What agency do you want to work for?

HHS is composed of a central office in Washington, DC, and 11 supporting agencies. HHS employs more than 80,000 federal employees across the United States and around the world. There are 10 regional offices ensuring HHS maintains close contact with state, local, and tribal partners and addresses the needs of communities and individuals served through HHS programs and policies.

The agencies and offices cover specific areas in the field but there is also a lot of overlap. Knowing the mission and programs for each division can help you narrow down your job choices. HHS.gov provides a complete list of all of the agencies and offices

  • The Office of the Secretary is headquartered in Washington, DC. Everyday HHS provides millions of children, families, and seniors with access to high-quality health care, by helping people find jobs and parents find affordable child care, by keeping the food on Americans’ shelves safe and infectious diseases at bay, and by pushing the boundaries of how we diagnose and treat disease.

    Positions featured at OS include:

    • Public Health Advisor
    • International Public Health Analyst
    • Paralegal Specialist
  • The Administration for Children and Families is headquartered in Washington, DC. ACF fosters health and well-being by providing federal leadership, partnership, and resources for the compassionate and effective delivery of human services. ACF grant programs lead the nation in strengthening economic independence and productivity and in enhancing quality of life for people across the life span.

    Positions featured at the ACF include:

    • Child and Family Program Specialist

    • Head Start Program Specialist

    • Management Analyst 
  • The Administration for Community Living  is headquartered in Washington, DC. ACL works to maximize the independence, well-being, and health of older adults, people with disabilities across the life span, and their families and caregivers. ACL includes the efforts and achievements of the Administration on Aging, the Office on Disability, and the Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in a single agency, with enhanced policy and program support for both crosscutting initiatives and efforts focused on the unique needs of individual groups such as children with developmental disabilities, adults with physical disabilities, or seniors, including seniors with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.

    Positions featured at the ACL include:

    • Aging and Disability Program Coordinator
  • The Agency for Health Care Research and Quality is headquartered in Rockville, MD. AHRQ produces evidence to make health care safer, higher quality, more accessible, and more affordable for all Americans, and to work with HHS and other partners to make sure that the evidence is understood and used.

    AHRQ funds and conducts health services research to examine how people get access to care, how much care costs, and what happens to patients as a result of care they receive. Information from AHRQ's research is utilized to assist consumers and health care providers in making more informed decisions and in improving the quality of health care services nationwide.

    Positions featured at the AHRQ include:

    • Health Scientist Administrator
    • Physician
  • The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry is headquartered in Atlanta, GA. ATSDR serves the public through responsive public health actions to promote healthy and safe environments and prevent harmful exposures. ATSDR efforts prevent exposure to such substances, adverse human health effects, and diminished quality of life associated with exposure to hazardous substances.

  • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is headquartered in Atlanta, GA. The CDC works 24/7 to protect America from health, safety, and security threats, both foreign and in the U.S. Whether diseases start at home or abroad, are chronic or acute, curable, or preventable, human error or deliberate attack, CDC fights disease and supports communities and citizens to do the same.

    CDC increases the health security of our nation. As the nation’s health protection agency, CDC saves lives and protects people from health threats. To accomplish our mission, CDC conducts critical science and provides health information that protects our nation against expensive and dangerous health threats, and responds when these arise.

    Positions featured at the CDC include:

  • The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is headquartered in Baltimore, MD. As an effective steward of public funds, CMS is committed to strengthening and modernizing the nation’s health care system to provide access to high-quality care and improved health at lower cost. CMS is the largest purchaser of health care in the United States, providing health coverage for more than 100 million individuals. CMS administers Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and new private insurance and private insurance market reform programs.

    Positions featured at the CMS include:

    • Health Insurance Specialists
    • Management Analysts
    • Actuaries
  • The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is headquartered in Silver Spring, MD. FDA's responsibilities include  protecting the public health by ensuring the safety, efficacy, and security of human and veterinary drugs, biological products, and medical devices; and by ensuring the safety of our nation's food supply, cosmetics, and products that emit radiation.

    FDA also has responsibility for regulating the manufacturing, marketing, and distribution of tobacco products to protect the public health and to reduce tobacco use by minors.

    FDA is responsible for advancing the public health by helping to speed innovations that make medical products more effective, safer, and more affordable and by helping the public get the accurate, science-based information they need to use medical products and foods to maintain and improve their health.

    FDA also plays a significant role in the Nation's counterterrorism capability. FDA fulfills this responsibility by ensuring the security of the food supply and by fostering the development of medical products to respond to deliberate and naturally emerging public health threats.

    Positions featured at the FDA include:

  • The Health Resources and Services Administration is headquartered in Rockville, MD. HRSA improves health and achieve health equity through access to quality services, a skilled health workforce, and innovative programs. HRSA is the primary federal agency for improving access to health care services for people who are uninsured, isolated, or medically vulnerable.

    Positions featured at the HRSA include:

    • Administrative Officer
    • Public Health Program Specialist
    • Purchasing Agent 
  • The Indian Health Service is headquartered in Rockville, MD, and is responsible for providing federal health services to American Indians and Alaska Natives. The IHS is the principal federal health care provider and health advocate for Indian people, and its goal is to raise their health status to the highest possible level. The IHS provides a comprehensive health service delivery system for American Indians and Alaska Natives.

    IHS is divided into twelve physical areas of the United States including Alaska, Albuquerque, Bemidji, Billings, California, Great Plains, Nashville, Navajo, Oklahoma, Phoenix, Portland and Tucson. Each of these areas has a unique group of Tribes that they work with on a day to day basis.

    IHS is looking to fill various positions to help respond to and fight COVID-19. View open positions at USAJobs.gov.

    Positions featured at IHS include:

  • The National Institutes of Health is headquartered in Bethesda, MD, and is made up of 27 different components called Institutes and Centers. Each has its own specific research agenda, often focusing on particular diseases or body systems. All but three of these components receive their funding directly from Congress, and administrate their own budgets. NIH leadership plays an active role in shaping the agency's research planning, activities, and outlook. NIH is the nation’s medical research agency — making important discoveries that improve health and save lives.

    Positions featured at the NIH include:

  • The Commissioned Corps is headquartered in Washington, DC. The Corps protects, promotes, and advances the health and safety of our Nation. As America's uniformed service of public health professionals, the Commissioned Corps achieves its mission through rapid and effective response to public health needs, leadership and excellence in public health practices, and advancement of public health science. 

    Positions featured in the Corps:

  • Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is headquartered in Rockville, MD. SAMHSA works to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on America's communities. SAMHSA serves as a national voice on mental health and mental illness, substance abuse, and behavioral health systems of care. It coordinates behavioral health surveillance to better understand the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on children, individuals, and families, and the costs associated with treatment. SAMHSA also helps to ensure dollars are invested in evidence-based and data-driven programs and initiatives that result in improved health and resilience.

    Positions featured at SAMHSA include:

    • Statistician
    • Grants Management Specialist
    • Contracts Specialist

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