Program Director - Design for America (Remote)
Design for America / Program Director
Design for America (DFA) is a pioneering social impact nonprofit training the next generation of social innovators. It is a network of college students, young professionals, alumni, educators, and partner organizations engaging DFA's award-winning tools and coaching to learn about and tackle relevant social challenges. Using DFA’s design thinking curriculum, student teams bring together local organizations, mentors, experts, and others to help improve their communities.
DFA’s Program Director is a key leadership role - working alongside two peer Directors (Director of People & Culture; Director of Operations & Projects), DFA’s Executive Director, and a dedicated multi-disciplinary team to distill and implement ongoing strategic priorities:
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Role Overview
Position Title: Program Director
Reports to: Executive Director
Supervisory Duties: Yes
Classification: FT Temporary (1-year appointment, with potential to extend;
benefits package included)
Salary range: $70-75K
DFA’s Program Director is a key leadership role - working alongside two peer Directors (Director of People & Culture; Director of Operations & Projects), DFA’s Executive Director, and a dedicated multi-disciplinary team to distill and implement ongoing strategic priorities:
● Improve DFA Network/studio health and continuity
● Define, validate, and enhance participant impact
● Grow and diversify the DFA Network
● Achieve a sustainable financial model through diverse funding streams
● Establish DFA’s position as a member-led, community-centered social innovation leader
Key Areas of Impact
As Program Director, you’ll work closely with a direct team and the wider DFA National staff to provide oversight, goal-setting, and implementation support for network programming – including a newly launched DFA Fellows program; ongoing Studio Support; and new Studio Launching pipelines. Other areas of organizational support will include stewardship for several programmatic relationships, participation in an emerging curriculum research project, technology integration, and overall strategic mission alignment.
● DFA Fellows: Provide leadership and guidance for DFA’s new Fellows program – a national cohort of 10-12 DFA “superstars” currently onboarding for a year of network coaching and support around design education; studio sustainability; and community outreach.
○ Work with the DFA National team to establish and concretize assessment metrics for Fellows’ development and network impact
○ Support and guide the Fellows team’s development and deployment of Fellows programming, including virtual and in-person gatherings
○ Create a supportive, curious, reflective culture of inquiry for the DFA Fellows team and for Fellows themselves, including mentorship for DFA staff
○ Lead and advance norms and practices for Fellows’ engagement, share-outs, and storytelling
○ Work with Fellows, DFA National, DFA studios, mentors, community partners and others to track and iterate on Fellows model in real time
○ Provide strategic leadership for analysis and synthesis of the 2023-24 Fellows program, including recommendations for subsequent years
● Studio Support: Provide strategic guidance for studio/network activities and resources across DFA’s 40+campus studios, national project participation, and global virtual studios.
o Work with DFA National team to distill and prioritize resources for DFA studios
o Lead and enliven DFA’s network offerings, including career fairs, resume-building workshops, design thinking / social innovation panels, studio visits, etc.
o Work with the DFA National team and Fellows to develop, propose, and implement new programs and offerings
o Strategically engage DFA’s broad alumni network
o Provide input on the development of DFA’s Slack/Salesforce-powered community innovation platform, a database and virtual gathering space highlighting collaboration amongst DFA studios, partners, educators, and mentors
o Work with the DFA National team, the DFA community, and outside researchers on an ongoing initiative to distill and quantify DFA’s core curriculum
● Studio Launching: Provide strategic guidance and tactical support for DFA National team and campus partners in identifying new launching opportunities; onboarding and coaching new studios through established processes and creative variations; and synthesizing features of success and challenge.
o Align DFA’s studio cultivation and launching process with key strategic goals around growing the network and diversifying participation o Oversee studio onboarding, including administrative compliance, training, recruitment support/troubleshooting, and studio/team formation
o Create concrete, measurable goals and establish regular checkpoints to evaluate progress for launching studios
o Support DFA’s “Next Designer” initiative inviting HBCUs and MSIs into the network
o Provide leadership and frameworks for studio launch videos and other public share-outs
o Scout for innovative, mission-aligned partnerships centered around new studio launches
Qualifications – must have
● 5+ years of experience managing programs at a nonprofit, startup, educational institution, or equivalent experience
● Experience leading or managing programs through transitional growth stages; experience working in fast-paced, complex environments
● Outstanding management skills – managing people, projects, and processes
● Experience overseeing budgeting processes and managing budgets across programs
● Exemplary communication skills: oral, written, and virtual
● Exceptional program impact and evaluation skills
● Flexible problem-solving skills
● Passion for lifelong learning and development
● Firm commitment to team success and building strong relationships with colleagues, students, stakeholders and partners
● Ability to work independently as a self-starter and on teams as a collaborator
● Experience mentoring and coaching
● Experience/Familiarly with some or all of the following platforms: Google Suite: Drive, Sheets, Docs, Forms, Zoom, Slack
Qualifications – nice to have
● Familiarity with design thinking, community-based design, or social innovation
● Awareness of or experience with equity-based design practices
● Experience with informal learning research rubrics
● Experience working with universities, students, faculty, administrators, etc.
Work Location & Environment
This position is 100% remote, with occasional travel required. The heart of DFA National comes from our community-centered design, creative problem-solving, and a values-based work environment. We are a team of interdisciplinary strategists, designers, educators, artists, and facilitators working across the US. Like the DFA network itself, our team thrives because we are interdisciplinary and multigenerational. We highly encourage anyone who believes in the power of design for good to apply. We welcome new voices and perspectives and look forward to
hearing from you!
How to Apply
Submit resume and cover letter to jobs@designforamerica.com, Subject line: DFA Program Director. Links to a portfolio of written work, deliverables, presentations, or other materials are welcome.