Program Manager

Overview

Unite America seeks a Program Manager. Reporting to the Partnerships Director, the Program Manager will play a key role in a fast-paced organization and department working to rapidly scale the number of political reform campaigns across the country. No day will be the same, but the individual will be a key player in administering a number of key functions and programs, including the design and operation of critical internal and external systems, services, and resources, evaluation and management of grant proposals and materials, support to the policy and partnership team and its leader, and the execution of new strategic and programmatic initiatives.

The Program Manager’s two largest priorities will be: first, support the building and maintaining of Unite America’s shared assets and resources for our grantee community, and; second, supporting the managing of our grantmaking systems for a philanthropic fund doing more than $20M/yr in grantmaking to more than 50 organizations.

The ideal candidate has exceptional organizational skills, is able to build and maintain various operational systems with a strong attention to detail, can strengthen the grant-making process for internal and external stakeholders, and has a track record of building and running new programs and projects. Within a growing organization, this role requires hands-on project management and execution (“no task too small”) and collaboration across multiple departments.

The position will be based at Unite America’s headquarters in Denver, CO. Unite America offers a stipend for new hires willing to relocate.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Movement Infrastructure

Support Unite America’s efforts to provide “shared infrastructure” to our grantees;
Work with the Partnerships Director to identify what needs our grantees have — including assets, tools, and resources we can provide at scale to our community;
Support the “building” of new assets for our grantee community. Organize and maintain assets once they have been built in internal and external libraries.
Initially, for example, you will: run our DemocracyJobs.org platform, maintain our messaging library, organize our polling bank, improve our grantee portal, support our monthly grantee newsletter, update our preferred vendor list, and more.
Support the Partnerships Director in maintaining and growing relationships with 25+ key national nonpartisan allies and hundreds of state and local partners;
Join coalition calls and 1:1 meetings with grantees to take notes, identify next steps, and support your Unite America colleagues in delivering value to our grantees;
Provide project management for new and existing programmatic initiatives;
Create and maintain systems to track engagements with key stakeholders (e.g. elected officials, prospective grantees, academics, coalition partners, vendors)
Plan and execute events — both virtually and in-person — especially to convene Unite America Fund grantees to build community, improve skill sets, and facilitate shared learning.
Conduct ad hoc research projects on a wide range of partners, grantees, and campaigns;
Grant Administration

Administer the process of making grants to Unite America Fund grantees, including by:
Organizing files, drafting grant agreements, liaising with grantees, and working with our operations and compliance teams;
Updating trackers and providing real-time reports to Unite America staff members on our spending, budget, and available resources;
Managing up to our team of Senior Directors overseeing grants to ensure they are moving grantees through the process in an efficient and timely manner.
Support the evaluation of grant proposals, ensure strategic alignment of all grantmaking, and help ensure the accountability for results among campaigns and organizations in our investment portfolio;
Play a role in a new “Measurement, Evaluation, and Learning” function so that we more systematically evaluate the effectiveness of our grantmaking, while also identifying lessons learned from our grantees and sharing them with new ones;
Interface with our development and operations teams to track the Unite America Fund;
Conduct diligence on prospective grants, including research on grantees who have applied and organizations that our Fund should solicit proposals from;
Identify areas for systems improvements, propose solutions, and implement fixes — to upgrade internal processes and the external customer experience of being a Unite America Fund grantee.
Administrative Support for Policy & Partnerships Team

Meeting support, including note-taking, task tracking, and follow-up;
Attend external meetings on behalf of Unite America, reporting back on topics, decision points, and content;
Organize and maintain key files, including trackers, budgets, and proposals;
Scheduling and calendar management to support the Sr. Director of Policy & Partnerships
Other

Contribute to the organization’s culture and live our values in the workplace;
Attend twice annual all-staff retreats and other gatherings as neede
Requirements
QUALIFICATIONS

You have 3+ years of relevant work experience, ideally in a political, philanthropic or nonprofit organization.
You have supported, built, and administered significant programs or projects.
You have a track record of administering documented processes with excellence.
You feel comfortable creating, refining, and maintaining spreadsheets, CRMs, and tracking systems.
You are proficient in Google suite (e.g. Gmail, Drive, Calendar, Sheets, Slides, etc.).
You are a clear, concise, and effective communicator when writing to and speaking with colleagues.
You have project management and research experience.
You are well organized and able to manage a variety of projects, systems, and databases.
You can multitask, prioritize, and execute at a high level.
You are energized by a fast-paced, innovative environment with high expectations.
You possess an all hands on deck, team-first mentality, and you believe no task is beneath you.
You have a very high standard of professionalism and personal integrity.
You have a strong desire to fix a broken political system and passion for our cause.
You have experience planning and executing in-person and virtual events.

 

ABOUT UNITE AMERICA

Unite America is a non-partisan, philanthropic venture fund (composed of several legal entities) that invests in candidates, campaigns, and organizations in order to advance nonpartisan election reforms that will foster a more representative and functional government capable of solving America’s most pressing challenges.

Founded in 2014, Unite America and its 25+ person team has grown to be a leader in the democracy reform movement. The organization has existed in its current form, and with its current primary focus, since 2019; in that time, we have successfully mobilized tens of millions of dollars from scores of philanthropists to candidates and reform campaigns across the country.

Recent victories where we played a leading or a major supporting role to win: a major anti-gerrymandering campaign in Virginia; a first-of-its-kind,top-four nonpartisan primary system in Alaska that helped elect one of the most ideologically diverse slate of statewide officeholders in recent history; and a ballot initiative in Nevada to implement Alaska-style reforms in that state. We are poised to dramatically scale our impact in the years to come.

At Unite America, we are working to build a more representative and functional government that puts voters first and reflects the diversity of our country, and an inclusive democracy in which leaders embrace problem-solving over fueling divisiveness. Likewise, we have a vision of building an organization that reflects diverse identities, experiences, and perspectives; a culture of working across differences toward common goals; and a workplace where everyone feels included, respected, and heard. To that end, Unite America is proud to have made diversifying our team, ensuring more equitable opportunity, and fostering a culture of belonging a priority. Our organizational values reinforce this commitment as we work to model the leadership we seek, solve problems together, and take care of one another, to name a few.

 

Benefits

 

Competitive Compensation ($60k-$80k)
401(k) Plan (with up to a 3% employer contribution match)
Health Care Plan (medical, dental, and vision)
Unlimited Paid Time Off (vacation, sick days, public holidays, and team-wide wellness days)
Family Leave (maternity, paternity, and adoption)
Paid sabbatical after 4 years on staff
Training & Professional Development
Wellness Resources
Opportunity to join an inclusive, vibrant, and diverse team