Job Titles in government contracting are not always the same as those in the private sector. Even if the names are identical, the duties and responsibilities may differ when working on a federal or state government contract.
Roles on a government contract are often referred to as Labor Categories (sometimes called “LCATs”). And on some contracts, the government often has specific criteria for each labor category that a company might bill to the government.
When working on a government contract, it is important to understand the difference between a job title and a labor category. A job title is simply the name of the position, while a labor category describes the work that will be performed under that title.
For example, imagine you are working on a contract to provide support services to a government agency. One of the positions you plan to fill is an Administrative Assistant. In the private sector, the duties of an administrative assistant might include handling correspondence, scheduling appointments, and maintaining files.
On a government contract, however, the duties of an administrative assistant might also include preparing reports for senior officials and attending high-level meetings. Therefore, the labor category for an administrative assistant on a government contract could be “Administrative Assistant/Senior Level.”
Depending on the industry, the same job title might also have different labor categories. For example, the “Project Manager” title in the construction industry might refer to someone responsible for day-to-day operations. In contrast, in the IT industry, the same title might refer to someone responsible for overseeing the entire project.
It is important to understand the difference between job titles and labor categories because the government often has different requirements for each. For example, a position might require a certain level of experience or education that is different from what is required in the private sector.
If a contractor bills the government for an employee who does not meet the specific criteria of the job description, including education, years of experience, certifications, and skills – then the contractor could violate the False Claims Act.
When applying for a government contract, carefully read the job descriptions and identify the labor category that best fits your skills and experience.
We compiled this guide by looking at job listings, labor category descriptions in government-wide contracts, and the websites of government contractors.
We combed job advertisements, government contract language, and company websites to bring you these handy guides to typical government contracting labor category descriptions to make it easier to find what you’re looking for. These guides will be updated, and new labor categories will be added regularly.
- Acquisition/Procurement Specialist
- Administrative Assistant
- Application Engineer
- Application Programmer
- Application Systems Analyst
- Artificial Intelligence Analyst
- Artificial Intelligence Engineer
- Artificial Intelligence Programmer
- Automation Engineer
- Biostatistician
- Business Analyst
- Business Process Reengineering Specialist
- Chief Information Security Officer
- Chief Information Security Officer – Deputy
- Cloud Architect
- Cloud Engineer
- Cloud Migration Specialist
- Communications Specialist
- Computer Scientist
- Computer Systems Analyst
- Configuration Management Specialist
- Consultant
- Cost Analyst
- Cyber Security Specialist
- Data Entry Clerk
- Data Scientist
- Data Security Specialist
- Data Standardization Specialist
- Data Warehouse Analyst
- Data Warehouse Programmer
- Data Warehousing Administrator
- Database Administrator
- Database Management Specialist
- Database Specialist
- Desktop Support Specialist
- Digital Media Specialist/Technician
- Disaster Recovery Specialist
- Document Support Specialist
- Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Specialist
- Facilitator
- Financial Analyst
- Functional Analyst
- Geographic Information System (GIS) Specialist
- Governance Specialist
- Graphical User Interface Designer
- Graphics Specialist
- Hardware Installation Technician
- Help Desk Manager
- Help Desk Manager – Deputy
- Help Desk Specialist
- Information Engineer
- Information Security Analyst
- IT Policy/Legislative Specialist
- IT Support Technician
- Knowledge Management Specialist
- Medical Billing/Account Management Specialist
- Modeling and Simulation Specialist
- Network Administrator
- Operations Manager
- Operations Manager – Deputy
- Program Analyst
- Program Manager
- Project Leader
- Project Manager
- Public Health Analyst
- Public Relations Specialist
- Quality Assurance Analyst
- Quality Assurance Engineer
- Quality Assurance Manager
- Quality Assurance Manager – Deputy
- Quality Assurance Specialist
- Quality Assurance Tester
- Release Management Analyst
- Release Manager
- Release Manager – Deputy
- Risk Management Analyst
- Robotic Process Engineer
- Scientific Data Analyst
- SCRUM Master
- Strategic/Capital Planner
- Subject Matter Expert
- Supply Chain Risk Management
- System Administrator
- System Programmer
- Systems Architect
- Systems Engineer
- Technical Writer/Editor
- Telecommunications Engineer
- Telecommunications Specialist
- Test Engineer
- Training Specialist
- User Experience Specialist
- Video Specialist
- Web Content Administrator
- Web Designer
- Web Software Developer
- Webmaster
- Wide Area Network Administrator