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Code for America · 11 hours ago

Associate Program Director

United States

Full-time

Remote

Mid, Senior Level

$109K/yr - $133K/yr

7+ years exp

Code for America is dedicated to transforming government through technology, and they are seeking an Associate Program Director to lead project delivery. The role involves translating program strategies into execution, managing partner relationships, and ensuring cross-disciplinary teams deliver impactful outcomes.

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Responsibilities

Serve as the primary project lead for assigned projects, accountable for successful delivery across scope, timeline, budget, and outcomes

Shape and steward project-level strategy in partnership with the Program Director and other cross-functional leads, translating program priorities into clear delivery plans and success measures

Own project planning from kickoff through close-out, ensuring roles, decision rights, and expectations are clear for internal teams and external partners

Lead cross-disciplinary teams through ambiguity by setting direction, facilitating decision-making, and maintaining momentum toward outcomes

Make informed delivery tradeoffs when constraints arise (e.g., scope, timeline, staffing), clearly articulating options, risks, and recommendations

Monitor progress against goals and adjust plans as needed in response to delivery realities, partner needs, or shifting constraints

Ensure project work remains aligned with Code for America’s values, user-centered principles, and impact goals throughout execution

Elevate insights from project delivery — including risks, opportunities, and learnings — to inform Program Director decision-making and portfolio-level understanding

Lead the end-to-end project management lifecycle for key initiatives, driving scope definition, strategic planning, cross-functional execution, and reporting

Translate program goals into clear scopes, milestones, and realistic workplans across disciplines

Coordinate project timelines, dependencies, and task execution with cross-functional teams

Support smooth cross-functional collaboration (e.g., between Programs, Product, Design, Engineering, Research)

Proactively surface delivery risks early and work with the Program Director to resolve issues before they escalate

Surface project-level staffing and resource needs, including skill gaps, capacity risks, or upcoming transitions that could impact delivery

Use tools and norms (e.g., trackers, templates, standups) that improve teamwide delivery practices

Ensure delivery decisions are grounded in feasibility, capacity, and partner context

Ensure what we deliver is on time, on budget, and aligned with our values and impact goals

Apply Code for America’s program delivery standards through a strong project management framework across projects, including:

Facilitating clear project kickoffs and a shared understanding of goals and roles

Ongoing risk and opportunity management

Demonstrating consistent partner communication and accountability

Upholding clear documentation and knowledge sharing

Facilitating retrospectives and continuous improvement practices

Surface insights, learnings, and best practices from projects to ensure portfolio strategy is aligned with on-the-ground realities

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

Partner with the Program Directors to address resourcing risks and plan for continuity

Document lessons learned and contribute practices, templates, or insights that strengthen delivery across projects and the portfolio

Participate in retrospectives and cross-project learning efforts to reduce duplication and improve delivery consistency

Support the development of philanthropic proposals related to your projects and manage funding streams

Lead external delivery conversations with partners about timelines, expectations, roles, risks, and emerging opportunities

Maintain trusted relationships rooted in shared goals, transparency, and accountability

Align implementation with program goals, ensuring that delivery stays connected to the partner’s operational reality

Manage delivery reporting and check-ins, including funder updates, progress memos, and data-backed storytelling

Serve as the partner’s point of contact for questions, escalations, and progress updates — helping translate technical and product milestones into shared understanding, and partnering with CfA technical staff on managing technical relationships and/or vendors

Identify opportunities for future work with the state, and cultivate relationships that enable us to cultivate new work with the state

Note: The Associate Program Director role is a people management role, but may not have direct reports at this time

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

Qualification

Stakeholder EngagementPublic Benefits KnowledgeProject ManagementStrategic ThinkingAnalytical SkillsTechnical ExperienceCommunication SkillsCollaboration

Required

7+ years of experience leading complex projects in civic tech, consulting, government, or adjacent environments, with demonstrated accountability for delivery outcomes

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