Associate Program Director

Code for America

4h•$108,503 - $132,825•Remote

About The Position

Code for America is seeking a talented Associate Program Director (APD) to serve as the primary delivery lead for individual projects within their portfolio. APDs are responsible for ensuring projects are delivered with discipline, clarity, and impact, adhering to Code for America’s delivery standards within a broader program and portfolio structure. This role involves translating program strategy into execution, managing partner relationships, and ensuring cross-disciplinary teams are aligned and supported to achieve outcomes. The APD will also be the first line of escalation for delivery and partnership risks, working closely with Program Directors to diagnose issues and resolve challenges. The Associate Program Director plays a crucial role in supporting the success of Code for America's programs. They will collaborate with cross-functional teams (program, product, research, design, and engineering) to execute strategies for digital service delivery that drive systems change. The role also involves cultivating and growing relationships with external partners, government agencies, and direct service organizations. The ideal candidate is a strategic thinker with a bias towards action and impact, comfortable setting ambitious goals and meeting deadlines. They should be skilled in cultivating government partnerships, managing multiple deadlines and stakeholders, and facilitating alignment with cross-functional technology teams. A strong understanding of federal and state-administered safety net programs (SNAP, Medicaid, TANF, WIC, EITC, CTC) and their accessibility is essential, as is some technical experience with digital services and a passion for using technology to improve lives. This role reports to the Director of Programs and requires no more than 25% travel. Code for America is based in California and employs individuals residing 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.
Curiosity about emerging AI tools and a commitment to using them ethically and effectively.
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 to 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