USDA Hiring Event to Fill 228 McAllen-Area Jobs
Local employers hiring trades, lab, and IT workers should expect added competition during the Nov. 17-19 window.
Updated on Nov. 11, 2026 in Jobs — General
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The USDA will hold a hiring event in McAllen on Nov. 17-19, 2026, to fill 228 positions at the New World Screwworm Sterile Fly Production Facility in Edinburg. Applications are submitted online at USAJobs.gov, and the agency will conduct interviews at the event for roles spanning administrative, IT, science, and skilled trades work.
Why it matters
The facility is a national security priority because protecting U.S. livestock and wildlife from New World Screwworm depends on sterile fly releases. For operators in the Rio Grande Valley, the buildout creates a concentrated local demand for workers across pay grades, which can pull labor from nearby employers.
The USDA is filling 228 positions at the Edinburg facility, with skilled trades roles accounting for 175 of them and starting pay ranging from $29,725 to $89,508 annually. The facility is projected to produce 100 million sterile flies per week in 2027, rising to about 300 million at full capacity.
The players
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
The federal agency responsible for protecting American agriculture and livestock, and the operator of the sterile fly facility and its hiring program.
The details
The sterile insect technique raises New World Screwworm flies in a biosecure environment and sterilizes them with irradiation before release in targeted areas. Female screwworm flies mate only once, so eggs produced after mating with sterile males do not hatch, which suppresses the pest population over time. The Edinburg facility is designed to scale that production substantially, and its staffing needs span laboratory, technical, and trades work.
Timeline
November 2026: USDA begins hiring 228 positions at the Edinburg facility.
Nov. 17-19, 2026: Hiring event held at the Embassy Suites by Hilton McAllen Convention Center, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.
April 2027: Edinburg facility expected to be completed.
2027: Facility anticipated to begin producing 100 million sterile flies per week.
Market Landscape
The Edinburg facility extends a sterile fly production model already operating at existing facilities in Panama and Mexico, moving a core piece of the response onto U.S. soil. The buildout is being completed five years ahead of its original schedule, which places it among the faster federal livestock-protection infrastructure projects on record.
Local employers in skilled trades, lab support, and IT should expect added competition for workers during the November hiring window. Operators who supply services or equipment to federal facility projects in the Rio Grande Valley may see procurement activity rise as construction and staffing ramp toward 2027.
The takeaway
Operators competing for skilled trades, lab, and IT talent in the Rio Grande Valley should calendar the Nov. 17-19 hiring window and expect wage pressure through the 2027 buildout. Track the facility's April 2027 completion date as the point when the local labor market is likely to stabilize.
What happens next
The USDA hiring event runs Tuesday, Nov. 17 through Thursday, Nov. 19, 2026, and the Edinburg facility is expected to be completed in April 2027.
Further reading
For other openings in the region, browse the Jobs — General section.
More information
Apply for the open positions through the USAJobs.gov federal job portal.
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