(Remote Work) Senior Manager, Certification – Results for America

Job Overview

• Job Title Senior Manager, Certification
• Hiring Organization Results for America
• Company Website https://results4america.org/
• Remote Locations Worldwide
• Job Type  Remote, Full-Time

Organization Overview

Results for America (RFA) is the leading, national nonprofit organization helping policymakers at all levels of government harness the power of evidence and data to solve the world’s greatest challenges. Our mission is to make investing in what works the “new normal,” so that, one day, all government leaders use rigorous evidence and quality data to inform important policy and funding decisions. We believe that data-driven and evidence-based policy decisions could significantly increase the impact of the over $1 trillion that governments spend annually to advance economic mobility and racial equity.

Founded in 2012, RFA spent its first three years partnering with policy innovators to build the credibility of evidence-based policymaking, securing early and important wins in education, expanding its work to multiple levels of government and driving awareness and demand through carefully orchestrated education and communication campaigns. During its second phase (2015-2018), RFA worked to demonstrate the power of evidence-based policymaking in ways that resonate with an even broader universe of elected officials and policymakers. Now in its third phase of work, RFA intends to demonstrate that governments at all levels can make faster, more lasting progress in accelerating economic mobility for residents when they use evidence and data in decision-making. By creating specific issue-area wins, RFA will further cement support for evidence-based policymaking among all policymakers as the “new normal.”

Department Overview

This position sits within RFA’s local government practice, which supports local governments in using data and evidence to deliver real change for residents. One of our flagship initiatives is What Works Cities (WWC), a Bloomberg Philanthropies funded initiative that helps city governments across the country improve residents’ lives by using data and evidence effectively to tackle pressing challenges. To accomplish this, we work directly with city leaders and staff through coaching and implementation support, a range of online and in-person learning opportunities, and a growing professional network. This support is guided by What Works Cities Certification, the first-ever national standard of excellence for data-driven, well-managed local government.

What Works Cities Certification assesses cities based on their data-driven decision-making practices, such as whether they are using data to set goals and track progress, allocate funding, evaluate the effectiveness of programs, and achieve desired outcomes from contracts with outside vendors. The program also measures whether cities are publicly and transparently communicating about their use of data and evidence. By aspiring toward Certification and implementing the best practices outlined in the program’s criteria, cities across the Americas are more effectively delivering results for residents. What Works Cities Certification also serves as an international recognition program, which celebrates and accelerates the use of data and evidence in local governments by rewarding achievements and providing a clear path to excellence. Since our launch in 2015, we have helped more than 150 cities make progress on their most pressing issues, from health and public safety to homelessness and blight.

Position Overview

Results for America is seeking a dynamic professional with a passion for improving the performance of city government and strong program development, project management, relationship management, communication and interpersonal skills to join the Certification team. The Senior Manager will be crucial in driving the success of the international expansion of the What Works Cities Certification program to Latin America, driving international demand for the program through the development of a recruitment and public goods strategy, and working closely with the Community & Implementation team to successfully support cities participating in the Certification program.

Position Reporting Relationship

The Senior Manager, Certification (Latin America) reports to the Director, Certification.

Job Responsibilities

Certification Program: International Expansion Management (30%):

• Manage the international expansion and implementation of the Certification program to Latin America and Canada;
• Oversee partnerships with international organizations and partners that are working with cities to submit assessments and advance data-driven practices;
• Lead efforts to ensure multilingual access to program materials and supports, including serving as a liaison to companies providing translation services;
• Oversee and provide training and support to international partner organizations and RFA team members that are leading cities through the assessment and reassessment process; and
• Serve as thought partner with programmatic leadership on the strategic expansion of the international portfolio.

Certification Program: International Program Implementation (25%):

• Along with members of the Certification team, conduct and complete reviews of assessments submitted by local governments, including careful review of supporting documentation, running review calls with cities and planning and leading site visits;
• Lead high-performing cities through the full Certification cycle, including planning and designing city site visits and conducting meetings with city staff and chief executives, identifying impacts and outcomes of the cities’ data-driven efforts, and contributing to the announcement and celebration of cities that achieve Certification;
• Support a high-quality experience for all participating cities;
• Draft reports and presentations based on internal and external data about cities; and
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of the infrastructure and tools needed for day-to-day service excellence, program coordination, project management and program management.

Certification Program: International Expansion – Recruitment and Public Goods Strategy (15%)

• Design and manage a recruitment and public goods strategy for the Certification program for international audiences at multiple levels of local government (city practitioners, chief executives, etc.);
• Oversee content development specific to Certification, including recruitment materials to encourage cities to submit full assessments;
• Develop strategic partnerships to increase reach of public goods related to Certification;
• Work closely with the Communications team to develop collateral and content specific to Certification; and
• Serve as a thought partner for overall recruitment for the Certification program.

Certification Team: Capacity Building and Management (15%)

• Oversee engagements of work and contracts with external consultants as needed; Lead collaborations with other teams across RFA, regularly assessing what current work has an effect or impact on other team’s strategies and convening necessary teams or individuals to work together and share information;
• Manage the recruitment and selection and work of Certification team interns; and
• Supervise the work, performance, professional growth and development of a new team member (role/level/focus TBD in alignment with WWC planning).

Data Management and Impact (15%):

• Manage data and tracking performance of local governments participating in

Certification, mainly through Salesforce and the assessment platform;

• Assist with the measuring and monitoring of the impact of the Certification program including data-driven, evidence-based work occurring in cities;
• Support communication related to the program’s impact to key stakeholders, including developing presentation decks, reports, and data analysis that demonstrate the impact of the program and data-driven work being done in cities; and
• Collaborate with the Results for America team, supporting the continued development of tools, best practice content, and stories of success and impact.

All RFA employees are expected to participate in the organization’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts.

This is a full-time, exempt position. There will be opportunities for travel, consistent with the responsibilities outlined above.

Job Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree and 8 to 10 years of work experience;
• Experience working in or with governments is preferred; a working knowledge of their structures and constraints and passion for local government innovation is a plus;
• Strong experience in the political, economic, cultural, and/or social context of Latin American countries/cities is preferred;Proven experience in project management and helping many organizations go through a simple process; PMP / Lean Six Sigma Certification a plus; and
• Experience using Google Suite, MS Office, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint; knowledge of database management (including Salesforce) with the ability to construct and produce reports is a plus.

Competencies/Skills

• Spanish and/or Portuguese speaking skills are required;
• Strong familiarity with any of the following topics: data management and governance, data analytics, organizational performance management, budgeting, procurement, open data, community engagement, digital transformation, evidence-based policymaking;
• Demonstrated strong program management, program development, user experience, and relationship building skills;
• Excellent presentation, analytical and verbal and written communications skills;
• Exhibit a strong work ethic and solid organizational skills, including attention to detail, time management and the ability to manage and coordinate simultaneous projects and successfully prioritize among multiple tasks;
• Self-starter with the ability to drive multiple projects forward and work independently in a fast-paced, results-oriented workplace;
• A commitment to a collegial workplace;
• Strong commitment to the Results for America mission and vision; and
• Strong commitment to RFA’s diversity, equality, and inclusion commitments.

Please note that Results for America will not be providing visa sponsorship for this position.

Employee Benefits

At Results for America, all staff members currently receive a compensation package that includes: (1) a salary aligned with RFA’s position level and salary bands and against similar nonprofit organizations; and (2) a suite of benefits that includes a choice of medical and/or vision and dental care, paid time off, a 403b retirement plan with employer match, and education and commuter benefits. The salary range for this position is $82,000-98,000.

How To Apply

To apply for this position, please send your cover letter and resume to
recruiting@results4america.org. The subject line of your email should read “YOUR NAME –
Senior Manager, Certification (Latin America)”.