Manager, Program Operations

Manager, Program Operations

District Alliance for Safe Housing

Status: Full-time, exempt employee

Salary: $80,000 - $85,000

Reports to: Deputy Chief & Chief Financial Officer, dotted reporting line to Chief Program Officer

Location: Hybrid (in-person and remote), Washington, DC

About the District Alliance for Safe Housing

Founded in 2006, the District Alliance for Safe Housing (DASH) is DC’s largest provider of safe housing and trauma-informed services for survivors experiencing homelessness due to domestic and sexual violence. DASH meets survivors where they are, eliminating barriers to safe housing so that they can rebuild their lives on their own terms.

DASH supports survivors—individuals, families, and transitioning youth aged 18-24—with housing; flexible financial assistance; and holistic services. DASH provides a continuum of emergency-to-transitional and transitional-to-permanent safe housing programs, including the 42-unit Cornerstone building, owned and operated by DASH.

DASH’s key programs include: Cornerstone, Empowerment Project, Right to Dream, Survivor Resilience Fund, and Safe Nights Fund.

DASH holds Candid’s Gold Seal of Transparency and has been recognized by the Catalogue for Philanthropy as one of the DC region's best nonprofits. To learn more, visit www.dashdc.org.

Position Overview

The Manager, Program Operations plays a critical role in supporting the Deputy Chief & Chief Financial Officer (DC & CFO) and Chief Program Officer (CPO) by ensuring effective project management, compliance tracking, and operational efficiency across DASH’s Program portfolio. This position serves as a key liaison between the DC & CFO, CPO, and Program teams, providing strategic support and oversight to ensure that programmatic goals are met on time and within scope. As part of the Data & Impact team, the Manager, Program Operations works with the DC & CFO and Program leadership to help ensure budget compliance, program adherence to grant agreements and organizational policies and procedures, and proper program data capture and reporting. This role helps drive continuous improvement by supporting the implementation of systems and processes that strengthen cross-team collaboration and results.

Specific areas of responsibility include:

Program Operations and Administration (35%)

• Assists the CPO with Programs administrative requests and queries and helps to keep the Programs department organized and running smoothly on a day-to-day basis.
• Provides executive-level support to the DC & CFO and CPO, including calendar management, meeting coordination, and communication facilitation.
• Coordinates and helps to facilitate meetings, including preparing agendas, documenting minutes, and following up on action items.
• Compiles and analyzes program data and information to prepare comprehensive reports for the DC & CFO, CPO, and Executive team, providing insights and recommendations to inform decision-making.
• Performs quarterly audits of Programs files and records to ensure that all required documents are collected and filed appropriately.

Program and Project Management (50%)

• Supports the development and maintenance of workplans to ensure program delivery and data reporting across the Programs portfolio, including Cornerstone, Empowerment Project, Right to Dream, Survivor Resilience Fund, and Safe Nights Fund. Supports the identification of timelines for achieving workplan scope and targets and developing and implementing best practices to support achievement.
• Develops and implements systems to support and monitor day-to-day program activities, including program entries, lease-ups, and upcoming exits, as well as financial assistance requests, to ensure timely completion, maintenance of financial safeguards, and that internal controls are upheld.
• Works with the DC & CFO, CPO, and Program leadership to help manage the Programs budget and oversees program expenses within their approved budget and grant awards.
• Supports the CPO to track, investigate, and resolve programmatic and staff escalations, including survivor complaints, difficulties with program partners, and program non-compliance. Prepares reports for the Executive Team summarizing issues, outcomes, and trends, and recommends actions to improve accountability, quality, and alignment with program standards and organizational values.
• Supports the creation of policies, procedures, guidelines, FAQ documents, and other resources to support Program operations and service delivery.
• Helps to identify and address gaps in knowledge, skills, and resources to strengthen service delivery.
• Ensures staff consistently apply the DASH model and organizational policies and procedures for effective service delivery.
• Contributes to the development of programmatic reports and data reporting, helping to ensure accurate and timely dissemination of information to internal and external stakeholders. Collaborates with program staff to analyze and present data.
• Understands grant requirements and ensures program and service delivery balances grant requirements and DASH’s trauma-based, survivor-informed values. Ensures program and service compliance with federal, state, and local confidentiality and victim services laws and regulations.
• Works in partnership with program leadership and program staff to support detailed recordkeeping and ensure the accuracy of files, fostering an organized and transparent system that facilitates efficient retrieval and utilization of essential information.
• Ensures staff rigorously maintain financial safeguards and uphold internal controls.
• Helps to ensure audit readiness of Programs budgets and portfolios, including Cornerstone, Empowerment Project, Right to Dream, Survivor Resilience Fund, and Safe Nights Fund.

Leadership and Team Management (15%)

• Helps to oversee and support the Programs department. Works in partnership with the CPO to support the development, coaching, and retention of high-performance team members, empowering them to elevate their level of responsibility, span of control, and performance. Helps to delegate work streams effectively, fostering professional growth and motivating and holding team members to a high standard of excellence and accountability.
• Helps to foster a culture of continuous learning, skill-building, and empowerment to enhance the effectiveness of programs teams in delivering high-quality services to survivors. Supports staff to develop problem-solving skills and contributes to team brainstorming to respond to nuanced and individualized cases.
• Helps to ensure Programs staff understand how to implement their work according to the model of voluntary service and trauma-informed care for clients, the DASH model, and grant requirements. Ensures Programs staff consistently apply the DASH model and organizational policies and procedures for effective service delivery throughout programs.
• Identifies team training needs and consults with the CPO and People & Culture to find or develop appropriate training resources.
• Assists in fostering a collaborative and innovative program culture that encourages continuous improvement and learning.
• Models DASH’s standard of understanding, sensitivity, and responsiveness to cultural differences in the organization’s service and employee population.
• Masters, communicates, and models DASH values.

Experience, Skills and Qualities

While we understand that no single candidate can possess every qualification listed below, the following are priority areas:

• Three or more years of related experience, or a combination of professional experience and a degree. Bachelor's degree (BA/BS) in a relevant field (e.g., nonprofit management, business administration, psychology, social work, social services) required, with relevant experience substituting for education.
• Strong project management and analytical skills with ability to consolidate and analyze data, identify trends, generate reports and insights, and develop informed recommendations to support decision-making and identification of opportunities for improvement.
• Strong administrative and organizational skills, and attention to detail. Proven ability to work as part of a team and independently, organize and prioritize tasks effectively, and manage multiple projects simultaneously with accuracy and efficiency.
• Demonstrated experience producing written materials, including training materials and standard operating procedures. Ability to develop and document processes, ensuring accuracy and compliance. Demonstrated ability to create, maintain, and organize documentation in a clear and accessible manner.
• Strong communication, collaboration, ethics, adaptability, and problem-solving skills. Strong ability to respond diplomatically to challenging issues, and give and receive feedback with openness, compassion, and respect.
• Proven capacity to respond sensitively and thoughtfully to individuals from diverse cultural, ethnic, and social backgrounds, encompassing a range of values, attitudes, and languages.
• Proficiency in project management tools (Monday.com, Trello, Asana), Microsoft Office Suite (Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, OneDrive, Outlook), and Internet Browsers (Firefox, Chrome, Internet Explorer).
• Preferred but not required: Knowledge of and experience working on issues related to trauma (e.g., domestic violence, gender-based and power-based violence, sexual assault/violence, stalking, human trafficking). Understanding of the dynamics of trauma and ability to work within a trauma-informed framework.

Other:

• Ability to travel within Washington, DC, including to DASH offices, community sites, and other Washington, DC locations during business hours is expected.
• Must provide proof of eligibility to work in the United States.
• Must successfully complete a background investigation, as well as a routine drug screening (if required by any of DASH’s funding agreements).
• Must provide proof of vaccination against COVID-19 unless qualified for medical or religious exemption.

Compensation & Benefits

DASH offers a competitive salary in the range of $80,000 - $85,000. DASH benefits include health, dental, and vision insurance, with DASH covering 90% of the employee’s premium and 80% for spouse and children; a minimum of 20 days of paid leave, 15 holidays, and a weeklong winter holiday; and a 3% DASH non-elective contribution retirement plan.

Application Process

Good Insight, a national nonprofit executive search firm headquartered in Washington, DC, is assisting with this search. Interested applicants should upload a resume and a detailed cover letter in PDF format to good-insight.org/careers. Confidential inquiries about the role may be directed to DASH@good-insight.org. For best consideration, submit a resume and a cover letter by early July, 2025. Qualified applicants will be contacted on a rolling basis. Early applications are encouraged due to the pace of the search.

Location

DASH is located in Washington, DC. The Manager, Program Operations position operates on a hybrid schedule that requires location in the DC region. The number of in-office days will be agreed with the successful candidate but is expected to average two to three days per week.

Physical Demands

This role includes prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer. Contact DASH@good-insight.org to request reasonable accommodations.

Equal Employment Opportunity

DASH is a proud equal opportunity employer committed to an inclusive work environment and building a team that reflects the rich diversity of our community. DASH bases employment decisions on each person’s performance, qualifications, and abilities. DASH does not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or characteristics protected by the District of Columbia and federal law. People of color, people with disabilities, and people of diverse sexual orientations, gender expressions, and identities are encouraged to apply.