Program Manager

Citizen University is seeking a proactive, flexible, and organized Program Manager to join our Labs team—our innovation division focused on creating and experimenting with novel methodologies, rituals, and experiences that strengthen local participation and the practice of powerful, responsible citizenship. Our Labs team works on a variety of projects throughout the year, so the ideal candidate is a highly responsible systems thinker who approaches challenges with curiosity and initiative, excels at project management, thrives in an iterative environment, and brings clarity and relational skill to complex initiatives. This role is perfect for someone who loves to learn, is comfortable in a fast-paced environment, takes full ownership of their work, and delights in delivering high-quality events that support community engagement and civic belonging.

Who we are

At Citizen University, we are working to fortify habits and skills of powerful, responsible citizenship in communities around the country. We believe that the health of civic life in America - from our neighborhoods to the whole of our nation - is shaped by how we practice citizenship every day with the people around us. We’re working to make that more possible, through relational programs, innovative projects, and civic network-building. Explore our website to learn more about what we do.

What You'll Do: Key Responsibilities

• Project Integrity & Oversight - 20%
  • Drive task and timeline planning and execution for all assigned Labs projects.
  • Oversee project implementation to meet participant needs and organization standards.
  • Manage logistics contractors and other vendors to deliver effective, high-quality events, as assigned.
  • Design and develop new program content in collaboration with the Labs Director, as assigned.
  • Collaborate with the Communications team to circulate stories and key learnings from our project work
• Project Administration - 20%
  • Maintain all internal systems, materials, and processes (e.g., Google Drive, Asana) for easy utilization by the team.
  • Create systems to collect, track, and maintain accurate program and participant data within our CRM and other systems to support evaluation.
  • Monitor relevant budgets, timelines, and deliverables, and manage expense reports.
  • Drive collaborative cross-team communication and support team compliance with internal administrative processes.
• Program Communication & Facilitation- 30%
  • Develop and manage communications with participants and partners, ensuring external materials are polished, clear, and on-brand.
  • Plan and facilitate relational virtual meetings and co-facilitate in-person events and engagements across the Labs portfolio, as assigned.
  • Deliver surveys and other evaluation tools to collect necessary data.
  • Provide contractors and guest facilitators with the necessary information and support for consistent, high-quality delivery.
• Partnerships & Admissions - 30%
  • Serve as the primary contact for active partnerships, tracking tasks, deliverables, and maintaining smooth communication.
  • Track stories of impact to support sharing the outcomes of our work.
  • Drive application review and admission processes for relevant projects, as assigned.
  • Field inquiries and serve as a confident ambassador for Labs work in the field

Who You Are: What You'll Bring

Your Skills & Experience:

• Strong project management experience, supporting complex tasks, timelines, and event logistics, along with experience creating processes that lead to exceptional event delivery.
• Proven experience managing large group events (in-person and virtual) and skilled in program implementation, evaluation, and iterative improvement.
• Able to write clearly and effectively to communicate program needs and narratives, manage budgets, and support cross-functional administrative operations.
• Comfortable using collaborative digital tools for workflow and task management, communication, and data management.
• Ability to creatively solve problems and manage multiple priorities at once.
• Experience managing membership groups or networks a plus.
• Experience in civic engagement/democracy field is preferred.

Your Relational Strengths:

• Responsibility & Desire for Growth: Takes full responsibility for assigned projects and tasks, approaches new challenges with initiative and a growth mindset, and is eager to learn new skills.
• Problem-Solving Under Pressure: Demonstrates confidence and humility when problem-solving under pressure.
• Relational Communication: Practices responsive, relational communication grounded in flexibility, responsibility, and clarity.
• Belonging-minded Facilitation: Able to facilitate gatherings that support belonging, adaptability, honesty, and mutuality.
• Collaborative Teammate: Appreciates being a part of, and helping to strengthen, collaborative, joyful, values-aligned team dynamics

Working with us

At Citizen University, we place high value on an innovative spirit, deep commitment to our mission, and a can-do attitude. Even if you don't check every item above, if you know your background and experiences would make you a good fit for this role, we encourage you to apply.

This is a regular, full-time, exempt remote position with regular travel for program support (approximately 20-25% of the time, or 5-8 days per month). Some night and weekend hours are required during immersive program and project weeks. We prioritize the safety and wellbeing of our employees and will make reasonable accommodations to create the least restrictive work conditions possible.

Benefits that support our people: We offer a robust benefits package that includes 100% employer sponsored health insurance coverage including dental and vision (with optional dependent additions), Flexible Spending Accounts, an Employee Assistance Program, Life Insurance, Short-Term Disability, a company match on 403(b) Retirement Plan eligible contributions, 2 weeks of sick time, 3 weeks of PTO plus the entire week between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day, and 10 additional holidays off. You'll also receive a MacBook, a home office equipment, and tech stipend, and a professional development budget to help you grow.