Senior Program Manager, Opportunity Accelerator

Full-time, term-limited opportunity: 9-12 months (please see details below) 

NOTE: This is a full-time, term-limited position of 9-12 months, depending on the length of the first year experimental period of the Opportunity Accelerator project. 

The term will be discussed and decided together during the job offer process. If Code for America decides to continue with Opportunity Accelerator beyond the first year experimental period, a high-performing Senior Program Manager will be invited to apply for a permanent position to grow and scale the program. Full-time employment beyond the term-limited position is not guaranteed though we anticipate a high-performing Senior Program Manager will be have gained valuable experience and relationships that can be leveraged when applying for any permanent positions at that time. 

Code for America believes government can work for the people, by the people, in the 21st century. We build open source technology and organize a network of people dedicated to making government services simple, effective, and easy to use. Our employees build and transform government services, making them so good they inspire change. We merge the best parts of technology, non-profit, and government to help support the people who need it most. With a focus on diversity, equity, inclusion, and deep empathy for both the government and the people the government serves, we’re building a movement of motivated change agents driven by meaningful results and lasting impact. At Code for America you will contribute to meaningful 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. Come help us drive real generational change that lasts.

Code for America is looking for a talented Senior Program Manager to join our experimental, innovative Opportunity Accelerator team and bring best-in-class strategic thinking, project management, stakeholder management, and communications skills directly to local communities and governments as part of a unique non-profit partnership. Opportunity Accelerator is a partnership between Results for America, the Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab, Johns Hopkins University Center for Government Excellence, and Code for America. These four organizations are well-known to both government partners and funders as having the most tangible, proven results in the field of government performance and service delivery improvement towards equitable, just, community-driven outcomes. The big exciting idea is to see what happens when combining the four organizations’ expertise and bring them as a single package to local communities. The first year will be focused on three local communities across the country, with scale-up planned for a multiple-year effort bringing the Opportunity Accelerator to dozens of communities nationwide. 

You will be a founding member of the new Opportunity Accelerator team and have a pivotal strategic and operational role in defining and building out this program. You will serve as the project lead from Code for America to the partnership and in the three pilot communities that Opportunity Accelerator will work in over the first year. 

We have an exciting vision for Opportunity Accelerator, as it is novel in three ways. Opportunity Accelerator is place-based, focusing on the custom needs of local communities. First, the OA approaches communities with the goal of advancing economic mobility and racial equity, but without preconceived hypotheses of what domains (e.g., housing, safety net, education) to work. Second, the OA is a true partnership of four different organizations working as peers. Third, rather than building bespoke technical solutions (e.g., apps, websites) for local government that may not be maintained after the OA leaves, Code for America’s approach is to take a consultative, coaching approach to build up city/county government capacity to do best-in-class government service delivery themselves. 

As Senior Program Manager, Opportunity Accelerator, you will:

• Identify goals, track metrics, develop impact measures, and report on results
• Draft communications including emails, blogs, online resources, presentations, trainings, and one-pagers. 
• Assist in developing and implementing OA-wide program goals and strategy, weighing and balancing considerations across the communities OA is working on, the OA partners, and Code for America. 
• Work with OA partners to prototype, test, and refine integrated diagnostic and technical assistance projects that combine the core competencies of OA partners in a coordinated way.
• Deliver diagnostic and technical assistance to local government and community partners in three communities.
• Codify learnings, representing both Opportunity Accelerator and Code for America. 
• Represent Code for America internally and externally, including with funders; serve as a liaison between Opportunity Accelerator and Code for America. 
• Manage program budget and logistics in coordination with the Chief of Staff of Code for America who manages and directs the Opportunity Accelerator initiative, and communicate strategic direction and progress to senior leadership. 

About you:

• 5+ years professional experience, with 2+ in a program and/or project management role. 
• Ability to work collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team in a fast paced agile environment across multiple organizations and manage competing priorities.
• A structured thinker with strong analytical writing and communication skills.
• Comfortable speaking in large groups, facilitating meetings and delivering presentations. 
• Skilled communicator with strong interpersonal skills who will work collaboratively and effectively as a member of a distributed team.
• Experience with meeting preparation including agenda setting, materials preparation and logistical considerations.
• Ability to prioritize in a fast-paced work environment, staying calm and upbeat while working under pressure and with tight deadlines.
• A deep passion for our mission of making government services better for people who need them.
• A commitment to integrity, inclusion, compassion, and a high bar for quality work. 

It’s a plus if you: 

• Thrive in ambiguity as an entrepreneurial self-starter with immense excitement for working on difficult, under-defined challenges. This is an opportunity to build something new, and to do so requires proactive creativity and not only comfort with not knowing exactly what comes next, but also the ability to embody one of Code for America’s values: “No one is coming. It’s up to us.” 
• Have experience working with public servants, government agencies, and/or non-profit organizations, especially in the govtech/civtech space.

We strongly encourage individuals impacted by the criminal justice system or safety net system (either with direct or indirect experience, such as an impacted family member) to apply, as these are areas where Code for America does a significant portion of its work. 

This role may be remote or based in San Francisco or Washington, D.C., and reports to the Chief of Staff. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Code for America is currently remote-only with in-person attendance in the SF office only under extreme extenuating circumstances. 95% of our staff are not going in-person into the office at all, and 5% are going on an as-needed basis. This will be a remote position at least through June 2021. Code for America has set a policy that travel and in-person work will not be required until June 2021 at the earliest, except for extreme extenuating circumstances. Note that after that time, when that policy changes, we expect this position will have estimated 25-50% travel to Opportunity Accelerator communities. 

What you’ll get: 

• Full benefits package with 100% coverage towards select medical, dental and vision plans and contributes 80% of the cost towards dependent and family coverage
• 401k plan with matching funds 
• A collaborative, hardworking and fun environment
• Leadership and teammates who value Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity
• Professional development includes bi-annual 360 review process and $1000 annual budget 
• A manager and org-wide structure that supports and enables professional development
• Compensation: Code for America’s salary bands are transparent internally as a part of our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We extend this to our hiring process. This role at this level is ranged from ($80,000 - $120,000) in yearly salary. As a part of our equitable hiring practices, we target the median for all new hires. The median for this role is $100,000. These ranges and the target are for the San Francisco/ Bay Area market and subject to adjustment for cost of living differentials. 

Equal Employment Opportunity

Code for America values a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace and strongly encourages women, people of color, LGBTQ+ folks, people with disabilities, members of ethnic minorities, foreign-born residents, and veterans to apply. 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.