Associate Program Director

Code for America

3h•$108,503 - $132,825•Remote

About The Position

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 (APD) who will serve as the primary delivery lead for individual projects within Code for America’s portfolio. APDs are accountable for ensuring projects are delivered with discipline, clarity, and impact — applying Code for America’s delivery standards while operating within a broader program and portfolio structure. In this role, you’ll translate program strategy into execution, steward partner relationships, and ensure that cross-disciplinary teams are aligned and supported to deliver outcomes. You’ll also be expected to escalate delivery and partnership risks early — Program Directors are the first line of escalation and you’ll partner closely with Program Directors to diagnose issues, frame options, and resolve challenges, before they escalate further. 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. The Associate Program Director should also 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 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. We plan to hire both full-time permanent and full-time 12-month Fellow positions from this posting, for specific projects. Employment type will be determined by project needs at the time of offer. Code for America is based in California and can employ those who reside full-time within the United States. This is a remote position.

Requirements

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.

Nice To Haves

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

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
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

Benefits

Laptop provided
A one-time $700 payment for remote environment setup; $200 stipend (in first paycheck) and up to $500 reimbursement, in accordance with our equipment policy
Cell phone and/or internet reimbursement of $50 per month
$500 annual (per calendar year) stipend towards professional development; prorated at time of hire
Up to $500 of professional development funds can be rolled over each year, up to a maximum of $1000
Training / guidance for staff required to utilize AI as part of their role, plus opportunities for employees to gain AI-related skills to support job and career growth
100% employer match on the first 3% of contributions for 401k
Additional 50% match on contributions between 3% and 5% for employees with 3+ years of service, for a maximum employer contribution of 5%
At least one no cost health insurance option for full-time employees for employee-only coverage
A minimum of 80% of the cost of dependent coverage for health insurance
Open personal time off (subject to manager approval)
A minimum of 14 paid holidays
Org-wide closure from Christmas Day through New Year's Day
Paid sick time; up to 96 hours annually
17 weeks of paid parental and family leave
3 weeks of paid sabbatical after 5 years of service