Program Associate, Workforce Development

National Council on Aging•Arlington, VA, Arlington, VA, US, VA

1d•$55,000 - $65,000•Hybrid

About The Position

At NCOA, we are on a mission to create the conditions for all to age well in America—today and into the future. Every day, we work to improve the lives of millions of older adults through innovative programs, trusted advocacy, and meaningful partnerships that advance health, economic security, and equity. We are seeking a dynamic and collaborative Program Associate, Workforce Development to bring their expertise, passion, and commitment to help drive our mission forward. This team member will play a pivotal role in supporting workforce development initiatives by providing technical assistance, strengthening grantee and partner relationships, and coordinating grant-funded programs that expand employment opportunities and economic security for older adults. The ideal candidate is an organized and relationship-focused program professional who thrives on supporting partners, coordinating multiple priorities, and providing responsive technical assistance that strengthens program implementation and outcomes. They will embrace and exemplify NCOA's core values of Caring for All, Collaboration, Innovation, Integrity, and Respect, fostering a culture of excellence while helping ensure that every older adult has the opportunity to age with dignity, purpose, and security. If you are ready to make a lasting difference while leading with purpose, we invite you to join our team.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of one year of experience providing technical assistance or in a related role.
1-3 years of relevant work experience in employment and training programs.
Demonstrated ability to manage projects and tasks effectively while maintaining strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
Strong verbal, written, presentation, and facilitation skills, with the ability to adapt communication style to stakeholder needs and effectively engage audiences.
Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with diverse stakeholders and communicate effectively in both internal and external settings.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Word) and experience learning and utilizing databases or web-based systems (e.g., Cumulus, Zengine, GPMS, Salesforce, or similar platforms).
Demonstrated ability to work independently while contributing effectively within a collaborative, cross-functional team environment.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting or facilitating meetings, trainings, presentations, work groups, webinars, communities of practice, or other group discussions preferred.
Experience supporting nonprofit or grant-funded programs, including tracking deliverables, organizing reports, monitoring activities, and assisting with day-to-day program operations.
Experience working with older adults, diverse communities, minority populations, low-income communities, or other underserved populations strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Provide technical assistance and support to network members to build capacity toward an expansive, sustainable infrastructure for programs. Technical assistance includes monitoring partner activities; researching and providing prompt and thoughtful responses to requests for information or assistance; resource development (tip sheets, issue briefs, fact sheets, toolkits, etc.); ongoing communication with partners via various channels to support their activities and goals; and documenting and sharing learnings and exemplary practices from the field.
Serve as a primary point of contact for grantees, service delivery partners, and community-based organizations by providing timely guidance, resources, and customer service to support program implementation and achievement of grant objectives.
Monitor program activities and partner performance to help ensure quality service delivery and compliance with contractual and grant requirements. Manage relationships with partners and grantees and assist with contract administration, reporting, and invoicing requirements.
Review subgrantee reports and other program data to identify trends, accomplishments, and opportunities for continuous improvement and to support reporting to funding agencies.
Serve as an ambassador for NCOA's mission, programs, and social impact goals by building and maintaining strong relationships with external partners and stakeholders.
Apply SCSEP policies, procedures, and program requirements while collaborating closely with the Workforce Development team to support consistent implementation and compliance.
Monitor and triage incoming communications to the SCSEP inbox and respond or escalate inquiries as appropriate.
Assist with the development, maintenance, and ongoing updates of program reporting templates, tracking tools, handbooks, and other operational resources.
Utilize NCOA systems and necessary databases – including Cumulus, Zengine, and the Department of Labor Grant Performance Management System (GPMS) – to support program administration, partner management, reporting, and document distribution.
Track reporting deadlines, review submissions for completeness and accuracy, and populate monitoring and reporting templates to support grant oversight and compliance.
Review subgrantee quarterly narrative reports to identify highlights for NCOA quarterly reports to Department of Labor.
Provide administrative and customer service support to the Workforce Development team, including data entry, document management, and responding to participant and stakeholder inquiries.
Coordinate logistics for meetings, trainings, conferences, webinars, teleconferences, travel, and other program activities.
Foster a collaborative, team-oriented work environment by partnering with colleagues across NCOA to support program implementation, problem-solving, and continuous quality improvement.
Participate in team meetings, work planning, performance monitoring, and continuous improvement activities to support organizational and departmental goals.
Conduct site visits, attend conferences, participate in partner meetings, and travel as needed to support grantee relationships, program oversight, and organizational priorities.
Assist with the development of grant proposals and other funding opportunities to support the growth and sustainability of CEW programs.
Perform other responsibilities as assigned.