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 Program Director who will own delivery and strategic direction across a portfolio of high-impact programs. In this role, you will manage a team of Associate Program Directors and program staff, setting the conditions for excellent execution while maintaining the external relationships and policy fluency that government work requires. You will ensure that Code for America’s programs not only deliver for clients and partners today, but build the organizational learning, government trust, and policy foundations that enable systemic, lasting change. About the role: Code for America’s Program Directors lead portfolios of work that sit at the intersection of technology, policy, and government service delivery. At the core of this role is the belief that government services can and should work better for the people who depend on them most — and that achieving that requires sustained, expert leadership over complex, multi-stakeholder programs. As a Program Director at Code for America, you will own a portfolio of approximately four to six projects and the teams that deliver them. Your portfolio may include work across areas such as Safety Net benefits access (including multi-benefit enrollment and Medicaid and SNAP delivery), Tax programs, or Criminal Justice initiatives, depending on organizational need and your area of expertise. You will be externally facing, building and sustaining relationships with federal agencies, state-level leadership, county partners, and/or community-based organizations, while supporting your direct reports in doing the same. You will also work closely with other delivery colleagues to ensure our projects achieve their intended impact and that your portfolio is aligned with Code for America’s strategy. This role will report to the Senior Director of Safety Net and is expected to travel no more than 15%-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. In this position you will: Portfolio Oversight Own partnership escalation and/or strategic direction across a portfolio of approximately four to six projects, ensuring each project meets its commitments to government partners, funders, and clients, and outputs are high-quality and delivered on time and within budget. Collaborate with the Partnerships team to ensure efficient scoping and smooth handoffs, including clear kickoff processes and well-defined responsibilities during project kickoffs and transitions. Ensure programs staff apply consistent delivery management practices, focused on setting clear project timelines and goals, clarifying roles, and running appropriate meeting cadences, leveraging Code for America’s standard best practices, tools, and processes. Ensure ongoing project-level direction & strategy aligns with organizational strategy, ensuring your portfolio advances mission priorities and contributes to measurable client outcomes. Work with programs team members, programs leadership, and discipline leads to ensure each project has a clear, realistic plan for success aligned with organizational goals, partner expectations, client outcomes, and/or philanthropic commitments, and that programs staff understand how to drive aligned progress. Anticipate risks, staffing needs, and resource constraints across your portfolio; serve as the primary escalation point for APDs and programs staff , escalating to programs leadership when the decision has implications beyond your purview. Support APDs in driving clear, frequent communication internally and with external stakeholders to maintain alignment on program progress, scope changes, risks, and emerging opportunities. Partner with programs and resource management leadership to ensure project teams are staffed appropriately from a programs perspective; contribute to headcount recommendations and support recruitment and onboarding of new team members. Ensure APDs serving as Project Sponsors surface staffing needs across delivery disciplines early and escalate when tradeoffs or reprioritization are required. Proactively flag when teams need resource adjustments to ensure strong delivery across multiple teams. People Management Directly manage Associate Program Directors (APDs) and, where applicable, other Program ICs within your portfolio; provide coaching, feedback, and development support that builds their effectiveness as program leaders. Coach and develop people managers on the team, supporting them in managing their own direct reports effectively. Lead goal setting, performance reviews, and regular check-ins to support team performance, professional growth, and team culture. Model Code for America’s values and ways of working across your team, setting expectations for how program staff use best practices and tools, engage with partners, clients, and each other, to ensure strong and efficient program delivery across your portfolio Strategy & Operations Surface insights from projects and partners to inform organizational priorities, strategy, and emerging opportunities, as well as to identify possibilities for policy and systems change. Participate in optional cross-functional working groups addressing organizational priorities, emerging program practices, and the role of technology and artificial intelligence in government service delivery, as relevant. Ensure lessons learned inform other projects across your portfolio and the broader delivery area. External Relationships & Communications Build and sustain relationships with federal agency leads, state-level government partners, county agencies, and mission-aligned community-based organizations across your portfolio. Travel to partner sites, government offices, and program locations as needed to maintain trust, assess project health, and identify opportunities for deeper engagement. Serve as a credible, knowledgeable voice for Code for America for work within your purview, representing the organization’s work you oversee and approach with government and funder audiences. Contribute to cultivation efforts within your portfolio area, including opportunity spotting, advising on statements of work, project scoping, and pitch materials in partnership with the Growth and Partnerships team. Ensure reporting across projects is purposeful, consistent, and aligned with funder and partner requirements, surfacing the right insights and signals for internal organizational leadership. This may include drafting, reviewing, and/or approving grant reports for projects in your portfolio. Other duties as assigned Engage in ad hoc projects and initiatives as required by the organization’s evolving needs. About you: 8+ years of experience in program development, policy, or government service delivery, with demonstrated progression of responsibility; some experience working within or directly alongside government required. Familiarity with agile or iterative program delivery approaches, and experience collaborating with product and engineering teams. 3+ years of experience managing teams, including direct management of at least one people manager. Proven track record of owning complex, multi-stakeholder program delivery — from strategy through execution — in a government, civic tech, or social sector context. Deep familiarity with at least one of Code for America’s program areas: Safety Net benefits access (including SNAP, Medicaid, or multi-benefit enrollment), Tax programs, or Criminal Justice; ability to credibly represent Code for America’s approach with government partners in that area. Demonstrated ability to build and sustain trusted relationships with federal and state agency leadership, county partners, and community-based organizations across political and institutional differences. Strong understanding of government service delivery structures, including the social safety net, and the policy landscape shaping program implementation. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to present complex program and policy information clearly & concisely to government partners, funders, and internal leadership. Ability to manage multiple programs simultaneously, maintaining clarity and accountability across a portfolio with competing priorities. Willingness to travel 15–25% of the time to partner sites, government offices, and program locations. Curiosity about emerging AI tools and a commitment to using them responsibly 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 contributing to cultivation or business development work, including advising on scopes of work, writing funding reports, and sharing program learnings with funders and partners. Experience working in or a