20 High-Paying Civil Service Jobs

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Top 20 Civil Service Jobs
Benefits of Civil Service Jobs
What Are Civil Service Jobs?
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When looking for a job, most professionals tend to treat civil service positions as their last-resort option.

Many believe such jobs to be career dead ends or low paying, misconceptions that are far from the actual truth.

In this article, we’ll explain what civil service jobs are and discuss some of their key benefits. We’ll also provide you with a list of 20 lucrative civil service jobs from different industries.

Top 20 Civil Service Jobs

Civil service jobs offer many benefits that make them much more lucrative than simply being substitutes for when you can’t secure a private sector position.

Registered nurse
Average Annual salary: $63,000

Instead of private clinics and hospitals, many healthcare professionals choose employment through the civil services sector.

As a registered nurse, you’ll evaluate patient health concerns and provide necessary treatment.

The variety of work environments and specializations available to you are almost as broad as in the private sector.

For example, you could choose to work for large VA hospitals or help develop public healthcare needs.

Nursing is also among the fastest-growing jobs in New Jersey and Tennessee.

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Civil executive
Average Annual salary: N/A

Just as is the case in the private sector, government agencies require managers to lead employees and make decisions.

Your duties will include managing civil employees, communicating with the public, and evaluating civil processes.

All government agencies need civil executives, whether they focus on legal, administrative, or technological industries.

Chief executives are among the fastest-growing jobs in Massachusetts.
Intelligence analyst
Average Annual salary: $74,000

Intelligence analysts are responsible for gathering international information and data.

You’ll create and present data reports to help inform decision-makers while they communicate and work with other countries in matters of economics and politics.

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Law enforcement officer (LEO)
Average Annual salary: $37,000

Almost all law enforcement officers are public-sector employees.

As an LEO, you’ll be responsible for learning and enforcing local, state, and federal laws in your community.

There are many different roles, such as:
- Local police officer
- County sheriff
- Criminal investigator
- Detective
- Civil Prosecutor
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Elementary school teacher
Average Annual salary: $49,000

Elementary school teachers are tasked with the crucial role of educating the youth of the country.

You’ll create, plan, and teach educational material to kids between kindergarten and fifth grade.

Most elementary school teachers are primary school educators, teaching general forms of education. You can also choose to specialize in specific areas such as special education.

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Administrative assistant
Average Annual salary: $33,000

Administrative assistants support other civil service workers in their assigned department and are typically responsible for three primary duties:
- Employee record-keeping
- Hiring other civil service employees
- Labor management
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Information technology (IT) specialist
Average Annual salary: $74,000

Information technology specialists are responsible for the maintenance of technical tools and systems, as well as evaluating and maintaining security needs.

There are a variety of specializations available, ranging from providing general troubleshooting assistance to other civil service workers to implementing new systems and procedures for maximizing confidentiality.

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Finance analyst
Average Annual salary: $72,000

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) employs financial analysts to aid financial investigations and evaluate civil tax needs.

All other government agencies also require financial analysts to make sure that their various departments are operating within budget and advise leaders in financial matters.

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Chief engineer
Average Annual salary: $96,000

Your particular duties as chief engineer will depend on the agency you work for, as well as whatever particular project you’re assigned to.

For example, chief engineers who work for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are responsible for overseeing supplies, maintenance, and electronic systems aboard research and survey ships.

Job-seekers first obtain at least a bachelor’s degree in mechanical, electrical, or marine engineering.

Engineering is one of the highest-paid fields in Phoenix, Arizona.

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General statistician/Mathematician Statistician
Average Annual salary: $69,000

Statisticians are required across every public agency to analyze data and inform key decisions.

The variety of work available to you is extremely wide.

You could choose to lend your skills to the Food Safety and Inspection Service to perform predictive analysis of food safety data.

Or perhaps you could work with the national census to identify interesting trends.

To work as a mathematician or statistician for the government, you’ll need at least a bachelor’s degree. If you’re applying for the FBI, you’ll need to obtain extra training at their academy in Quantico, Virginia.

Statistician is among the fastest-growing careers in New York.

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Nurse anesthetist
Average Annual salary: $176,000

Also known as certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs), nurse anesthetists are nurses who administer anesthesia.

In addition to obtaining a master’s degree in anesthesia, you’ll need to pass a national certification exam and finish extensive clinical training.

The Veteran’s Health Administration employs most federal nurse anesthetists, assigning them duties such as understanding laboratory results and ventilator settings on top of administering anesthesia.

Anesthesiology is also the highest paying career in Louisiana and Texas.

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Patent attorney
Average Annual salary: $96,000

The United States Patent and Trademark Office employs patent attorneys for tasks such as:
- Developing public policy
- Creating proposals to improve patent laws
- Using their expertise to contribute to trade agreements
Patent attorneys must hold a law degree, understand the fine details of patent law, and be able to explain technical subjects in depth.

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Patent administrator
Average Annual salary: N/A

Drawing from the expertise of patent attorneys, patent administrators are the professionals who directly assess, process, and file patent applications.

Rather than holding a background in law, patent administrators tend to specialize in engineering or related subjects that enable them to review technical patent documents.
Securities compliance examiner
Average Annual salary: N/A

Securities compliance examiners, most commonly employed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), ensure that companies comply with guidelines and regulations.

After the 2008 financial crisis, banking, trading, and investment companies have become the main focus of these professionals.

However, they also audit and investigate fraud in other industries such as food, electronics, and entertainment.

Securities compliance examiners typically obtain their roles through a background in finance and accounting. The most common previous career for these individuals is certified public accountant (CPA).
Program manager
Average Annual salary: $93,000

Program managers oversee projects to make sure that they’re successful in meeting their goals.

This includes tasks such as ensuring that projects operate within budget, deadlines are met, and leaders are effective.

All government agencies hire program managers. However, the most common employers are the Department of Energy and United States Customs and Border Protection.

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Astronomy and Space sciences director
Average Annual salary: $142,000

The primary government employers of astronomy and space scientists are NASA, NOAA, and the National Science Foundation.

Your duties will vary depending on the agency, department, and project. A few of these include creating planetary maps, supporting space missions, and contributing to cutting-edge space research.

You’ll need at least a bachelor’s degree in physics, math, or a related field.

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Chemist
Average Annual salary: $60,000

There is always high demand for both organic and inorganic chemists in federal agencies relating to public health and environmental protection.

You’ll conduct quantitative and qualitative chemical analysis to identify everything from chemical contaminants in food supplies to the government.

There are also positions for chemists in agencies such as the Secret Service to conduct forensic research.

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Software Engineer
Average Annual salary: $86,000

Software engineers design, develop, and test all manners of computer applications for local, state, and government governments.

This could be something as simple as a website for your county’s new public health program to complex systems-level software for aerospace or military applications.

In addition to working with new software, you may also be tasked with transitioning or decommissioning old systems.

Most government software is decades old. Although they may still be functional, they often require software engineers to create new cybersecurity protocols to protect information confidentiality.

To pursue this role, you’ll typically need at least a bachelor’s degree in computer science or a related subject.

Software engineer is among the fastest-growing jobs in Louisiana.

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Technical systems program manager
Average Annual salary: N/A

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employs technical systems program managers to ensure that the nation’s airports follow all safety standards.

These professionals coordinate with financial specialists and civil engineers, among others, to implement airport security standards and make sure that existing procedures are being practiced.
Administrative law judge
Average Annual salary: $69,000

These professionals are responsible for handling claims against government programs, such as Medicaid, Medicare, or Social Security.

You can pursue employment across a variety of agencies, from the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission to the Office of Medicare Hearings.

Administrative law judge is a highly specialized role and requires licensed attorneys to hold more than seven years of experience practicing law.

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Benefits of Civil Service Jobs

What Are Civil Service Jobs?

When someone refers to a civil service job, they’re describing employment under a government agency, whether local, state, or federal.

The variety of civil service jobs available is almost as wide as in the private sector. No matter your background or specialization, there is likely a civil service job out there for you.

This includes jobs that most individuals don’t associate with the public sector, such as accountants, software engineers, and public relations professionals.

Civil service jobs offer many benefits that make them much more lucrative than simply being substitutes for when you can’t secure a private sector position.

These include the typical:

Healthcare insurance
Paid time off
Retirement funding

More uniquely, civil service jobs offer:

Job security. Public service jobs are among the most secure work environments you could work at.

Compared to working for a private company, such jobs are much less affected during economic downturns and are less prone to downsizing.

There also exist many more rules that protect civil servants from sudden termination and generous severance packages when termination actually occurs.
Competitive salary. Unless you’re planning to work for an industry-leading company, a civil service job is likely to pay you just about as much as you would have earned in the private sector.

Salaries for civil-service jobs aren’t just competitive, but often come with transparent systems for receiving raises.

These systems typically use “steps,” which are raises based on how long you’ve worked for a particular government agency.
Ease of applying. While there doesn’t exist a central source for local and state agencies, the USAJOBs website conveniently shows you all current federal job openings along with their job descriptions and application process.

Each agency has its own standardized job application process. This consistency means you know exactly what to expect during the application process, allowing you to prepare appropriately.

Never miss an opportunity that’s right for you.

Author

Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.

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