Associate Program Director

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 demonstrated interest in 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. Code for America is based in California and can employ those who reside full-time within the United States. This is a remote position. We are currently hiring for multiple headcount with focus areas on Medicaid, SNAP, and Safety Net. We are looking for candidates with direct experience in these areas. In this position you will: Project Leadership: 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. Delivery Accountability & Standards: 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 Program Team Leadership: 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. Partnership Management: 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 Code for America 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 People Management & Organizational Leadership: 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 About you: 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 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. Collaborator who values honesty and openness, builds relationships, seeks input, does not shy away from conflict, and facilitates decision-making. Strong analytical and communication skills. Ability to work independently and collaboratively. Ability to thrive in ambiguity and work on under-defined challenges. Curiosity about emerging AI tools and a commitment to using them ethically and effectively. A deep commitment to Code for America's mission of making government services work well for the people who need them most. It’s a bonus if you have: 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 What you’ll get- Salary: Code for America’s salary bands are transparent as a part of our commitment to transparency and fairness. As part of our hiring practices, we aim to target the midpoint of the 2nd quartile of the range for all new hires. Offer targets vary based on market / geographic location. The offer targets for this role range from $108,503 to $132,825, annually. Your Recruiter will discuss compensation in more detail & answer any related questions, during the initial Recruiter phone screen. Benefits and Perks: This role includes a comprehensive benefits package including the following: Values: Leadership and teammates who share a strong work ethic and values, and who respect and care for one another A collaborative, cross-functional, hardworking, and joyful environment Employee Enablement Support: 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 Professional Development: $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 Retirement & 401k Plans: Employees receive a 100% employer match on the first 3% of contributions. Employees with 3+ years of service receive an additional 50% match on contributions between 3% and 5%, for a maximum employer contribution of 5% Medical: 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 Remote Work: Code for America employees may work remotely across the US Code for America employees main residence must be within the US Full-time employees work 40 hours per week, Monday - Friday Collaborative working hours: we aim to hold all internal meetings between 10 AM - 3 PM PT. We expect all Code for America staff to be available during these set working hours Time Off: Open personal time off (subject to manager approval), a minimum of 14 paid holidays, and an 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 Timeline: From the time you are contacted by a Recruiter, you can expect a 1-2 month, or longer, hiring process. The specific hiring process and timeline goals for this role will be covered during the initial Recruiter phone screen. Code for America's standard interview process details are also available on our careers page. Equal Employment Opportunity: Code for America is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants will not be discriminated against because of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, religion, national origin, citizenship status, disability, ancestry, marital status, veteran status, medical condition or any protected category prohibited by local, state or federal laws. Code for America Workers United: This position is not covered by a Collective Bargaining Agreement between Code for America and Code for America Workers United, affiliated with OPEIU, Local 1010. The agreement was ratified on January 13, 2026, and is currently in effect.