Agriculture Department Seeks Candidates for Digital Service Fellowship

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is looking for customer experience, procurement and digital service delivery experts to address ease-of-use challenges.

Interested parties have until March 4 to apply to the Digital Service Fellows Program, which is limited to 500 prospects, Nextgov/FCW reported.

The USDA plans to hire between 5 and 20 applicants, who will be assigned to two- to four-year tour-of-duty roles remotely or in Washington, D.C.

Fellows will support ongoing digitization efforts and high-impact service providers for key programs such as farm loans and nutrition assistance.

According to USDA Chief Information Officer Gary Washington, the Digital Service Fellows Program will ensure that the department has subject matter experts on hand to solve problems faster and avoid waiting for new hires or contracts.

Fatima Terry, the department’s deputy director for the digital service, said the fellowship will advance partnerships to drive the development of “customer-centric services.”

USDA’s digital service team is modeled after a similar initiative in the White House.