Code for America believes government can work for the people, by the people, in the new digital age, and that government at all levels can and should work well for all people. For more than a decade, we’ve worked to show that with the mindful use of technology, we can break down barriers, meet community needs, and find real solutions.

Our employees build and transform government and community tools and services, making them so good they inspire change. We merge the best parts of technology, nonprofit, and government to help support the people who need it most.

With a focus on transparency and fairness, and deep empathy for partners in government and community organizations and the people that our partners serve, we’re building a movement of motivated change agents driven by meaningful results and lasting impact.

At Code for America, you contribute to exciting work while learning and developing in a supportive and flexible environment. Our compensation and benefits are holistic and thoughtfully curated to represent our employees and our mission. Help us drive real generational change that lasts.

Code for America is looking for a talented Associate Program Director who will actively engage in the development of program strategy and motivate your team to deliver high-quality innovative services to those who need them most, while advancing systems change toward our long-term vision of government that works for all people.

About the role: 

The Associate Program Director plays a crucial role in supporting the success of Code for America's programs. The Associate Program Director will collaborate with Code for America’s cross-functional program, product, research, design, and engineering teams to execute bold strategies for Code for America’s digital service delivery that provide greater leverage for systems change. The Associate Program Director will also cultivate and grow strategically aligned relationships with external partners, government agencies, and direct service organizations. The ideal candidate will be a strategic thinker who is able to manage details with a consistent bias towards action and impact, and should be comfortable independently setting ambitious goals and working towards deadlines. 

The Associate Program Director should be skilled at cultivating government partnerships, managing multiple deadlines and stakeholders, and facilitating alignment with cross-functional technology teams and other stakeholders. You should have a strong understanding of federal and state-administered safety net programs, along with an understanding of the on-the-ground realities of accessing benefits such as SNAP, Medicaid, TANF, WIC, EITC, or CTC. The ideal candidate will also have some technical experience with digital services and a passion for using technology to improve people’s lives.

This role will report to the Director of Programs and is expected to travel no more than 25% of the time.

Code for America is based in California and can employ those who reside full-time within the United States. This is a remote position.

In this position you will:

• Project Leadership:
  • Develop and implement program goals and strategy  
  • Help set and communicate strategic direction and progress to senior leadership
  • Ensure the development and delivery of scopes of work aligned with the program’s values, theory of change, and service delivery model
  • Identify goals, track metrics, develop impact measures, and report on results  
  • Draft communications, including emails, blogs, online resources, presentations, trainings, and one-pagers
  • Package and share Code for America learnings, best practices, and insights with external partners in order to amplify impact 
  • Manage program budget and logistics
  • Spot opportunities to advance strategic goals via new projects, initiatives, or partnerships
  • Work with cross-functional counterparts to drive superb cross-functional execution, identify risks and opportunities, and communicate these to senior leadership.
• Program Team Leadership:
  • Provide strategic guidance to Safety Net program leadership in collaboration with product and tech peers
  • Build out the processes, resources, and internal team configurations needed to ensure effective partnerships, service delivery, and the team’s ability to meet direct impact and systems change goals
• Partnership Building and Stakeholder Management:
  • Build and maintain strong relationships with government agencies, non-profits, and community organizations to strengthen Code for America’s collaborative strategic partnerships.
  • Communicate the voice of government partners internally and in decision-making, and communicate technical strategy and priorities to government partners.
  • Secure and manage funding streams.
  • Advocate for policy changes to improve government services.
  • Represent Code for America at industry events and conferences.
• People Management & Organizational Leadership:
  • Hire, develop, motivate, and lead people so they are productive, successful, and fulfilled members of the team, whose contributions are in alignment with the organization’s vision, mission, and goals. 
  • Collaborate with the broader Programs team to engage and broaden learning for future work. 
  • Participate in relevant cross-org working groups to provide expertise and perspective about how to position our work and think about organizational strategy, given inevitable shifts in the external government environment.
• Other duties as assigned
  
  

About you:

This role is perfect for you if you’re a strategic thinker who can balance big-picture vision with detailed execution, move work forward with a bias toward action, and confidently set ambitious goals while managing overlapping deadlines.

• At least 7 years of relevant experience, including at minimum three years of working with government service delivery and/or civic technology. 
• Strong understanding of public benefits implementation and administration, particularly SNAP, WIC, Medicaid, EITC, CTC, or other anti-poverty programs. 
• Proven track record of cross-sector stakeholder engagement (public, nonprofit, private), ideally including product development, data usage, policy, and collaborative implementation.
• Problem solver and strategic thinker who is comfortable using frameworks and data to help structure the team's thinking and solve multi-faceted problems.
• A compelling oral and written communicator with a can-do attitude, who is able to clearly explain concerns, reasoning, and decisions to internal teams and external partners. 
• Thrives in a fast-paced environment, gravitates towards continuous change, and is able to change their mind based on new information or constructive feedback.
• Natural collaborator who values honesty and openness, builds relationships, seeks input, does not shy away from conflict, and facilitates decision-making.
• Passion for the Code for America mission and vision for digital service delivery, and strong and persuasive values for the role of user-centered technology in government.
• Deep commitment to transparency and fairness. 
• Strong analytical and communication skills.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively.
• Passion for government service improvement.
• Ability to thrive in ambiguity and work on under-defined challenges.

It’s a bonus if you have:

• Experience working with public servants, government agencies, and non-profit organizations.
• Lived experience with social safety net programs, like SNAP, Medicaid, TANF, or WIC.
• Experience with government technology procurement
• Experience working with social impact-focused technology teams

What you’ll get-

Salary: 

Code for America’s salary bands are transparent as a part of our commitment to transparency and fairness. As part of our hiring practices, we aim to target the midpoint of the 2nd quartile of the range for all new hires.

Offer targets vary based on market / geographic location. The offer targets for this role range from $108,503 to $132,825, annually.

Benefits and perks: 

• Values:
• Leadership and teammates who share a strong work ethic and values, and who respect and care for one another
• A collaborative, cross-functional, hardworking, and joyful environment
• Employee Enablement Support: 
• Laptop provided
• $700 remote environment setup; $200 stipend and up to $500 reimbursement, in accordance with our equipment policy
• Cell phone and/or internet reimbursement of $50 per month 
• Professional Development:
• $1000 annual (per calendar year) stipend towards professional development; prorated at time of hire
• Up to $1000 of professional development funds can be rolled over each year, up to a maximum of $2000
• Retirement & 401k Plans:
• Employees under 3 years are eligible for a 100% employer match of up to 3% of employee contribution
• Employees with 3+ years are eligible for an additional 50% employer contribution over 3%, to a maximum of 5%
• Medical:
• Full benefits package with options up to 100% coverage toward select medical, dental, and vision plans
• Employer contributes up to 80% of the cost towards dependent and family coverage
• Remote Work:
• Code for America employees may work remotely across the US
• Code for America employees main residence must be within the US
• Full-time employees work 40 hours per week, Monday - Friday
• Collaborative working hours: we aim to hold all internal meetings between 10 AM - 3 PM PT. We expect all Code for America staff to be available during these set working hours
• Time Off: 
• Open personal time off, a minimum of 16 paid holidays, and an org-wide closure from Christmas Day through New Year's Day
• Paid sick time; up to 96 hours annually
• Competitive paid parental and family leave
• 4 weeks of paid sabbatical after 4 years of service, with an option of up to 4 additional weeks of unpaid time away

Equal Employment Opportunity: 

Code for America is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants will not be discriminated against because of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, religion, national origin, citizenship status, disability, ancestry, marital status, veteran status, medical condition or any protected category prohibited by local, state or federal laws.

Code for America Workers United:

This position is not covered by a Collective Bargaining Agreement between Code for America and Code for America Workers United, affiliated with OPEIU, Local 1010. The agreement was ratified on October 27, 2023, and is currently in effect.

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