Associate, Procurement Innovation

Partners for Public Good•, (Multiple States)

7d•Remote

About The Position

Partners for Public Good (PPG) is a nonpartisan team dedicated to strengthening operational systems within state and local governments, including procurement, staffing, budgeting, and technology. They work alongside government staff through implementation to ensure policy translates into tangible results for residents. PPG also engages in applied research and fosters a practitioner community through the Procurement Excellence Network. The organization believes that when government works effectively, communities thrive. This role supports a new initiative focused on procurement innovation, piloting cutting-edge solutions with two large city governments. The goal is to enhance how governments spend and procure goods and services by increasing vendor competition, strategically applying AI, strengthening interdepartmental coordination, and creatively engaging residents. The Associate will leverage their expertise in government procurement or public-sector innovation to manage these projects, conduct policy analysis, and design scalable solutions. They will also provide coaching to city governments piloting innovative procurement projects and support the overall procurement innovation cohort.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required. Equivalent years of professional experience and/or certifications will be considered in lieu of formal education.
Three or more years of related work experience in areas such as government operations, policy implementation, consulting, or innovation-focused initiatives.
Experience in problem diagnosis, project design/implementation, stakeholder engagement including effective coaching and meeting facilitation, or change management within complex organizations.
Demonstrated understanding of public procurement processes, government operations, or regulatory environments at the state or local level preferred
Willingness and ability to travel as needed, up to 8 times per year.

Responsibilities

Support project scoping and problem diagnosis through activities such as quantitative analysis, interviews, surveys, focus groups, process mapping, and policy reviews.
In collaboration with government leaders, develop ambitious and high-impact projects, informed by data and a clear theory of change.
Design and implement day-to-day project deliverables, such as problem diagnosis memos, prototype/pilot project roadmaps and workplans, ongoing steering committee reports, and engaging training materials.
Lead day-to-day change management and implementation, such as meetings and workshops with government and nonprofit stakeholders to align priorities, implement project work, and address challenges.
Provide coaching and advisory support to government partners to diagnose the root causes of challenges and offer feedback from outside perspectives.
Conduct internal and external project check-ins and strategy pull-ups.
Provide direct support on converting a government idea into a tangible yet ambitious intervention/solution to address core problem(s).
Support funder reporting and contribute to fundraising efforts.
Build strong relationships with government leaders, nonprofit partners, government technology companies, entrepreneurs, and start-ups.
Contribute to the development of public-facing tools, templates, and publications that share best practices and innovations in public sector operational excellence.
Represent PPG at conferences and events, presenting insights from project work.
Provide input to internal operational improvement initiatives.
Support efforts to expand and refine PPG’s offerings and impact.