PurposeDespite much research, too many employees are disengaged in their work. As such, the present research uses a public sector setting to investigate variables (e.g. public service motivation and high-involvement climate) most likely associated with engagement and demonstrates a conceptual and empirical link to relevant outcomes (e.g. job performance and perceived meaningfulness).Design/methodology/approachAcross a work week, the authors analyze the drivers and outcomes of public service employees' engagement levels and the mediating effect of employee engagement.FindingsEmployee engagement mediated the positive relationship between the authors' independent variables of public service motivation and high-involvement climate and our outcomes of supervisor-rated employee performance and meaningfulness. All direct and indirect effects were statistically significant and positive.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors' sample is a nonprofit government agency, so the results may lack generalizability. Although self-determination theory (SDT) guided their choice of variables and hypotheses, they did not measure the specific needs satisfaction (competence, relatedness, and autonomy) associated with the SDT.Practical implicationsManagers in public-service organizations may want to recruit those high in public service motivation and institute a high-involvement climate via manager skill training.Originality/valueThis article follows a meta-analysis call on SDT to test the impact of variables that fall under the identified form of autonomous motivation, and investigate their impact on engagement and other positive organizational outcomes (e.g. job performance and perceived meaningfulness). Additionally, the author followed calls to extend engagement research to focus on specific industry sectors, such as the public sector.