Government Performance Lab Fellow

Summary: The Government Performance Lab (GPL) seeks to hire fellows with a passion for improving government performance and solving social problems to support work to strengthen access to and delivery of public benefits programs, including through technology-enabled solutions. This work is part of the GPL’s Children & Families policy area, which supports jurisdictions to strengthen supports for children and families and shrink the harm of punitive government responses such as child protection interventions, including by working to increase access to public benefits, improve maternal and infant health, strengthen access to behavioral health supports, and increase kin-first care.

Fellows may provide support remotely to one or more jurisdictions or may provide on-site support to a government. Fellows function as day-to-day project managers, conducting transformation projects from conceptualization through design and implementation. They work collaboratively with their manager and receive coaching to help them develop their skills to drive projects forward.

Compensation: This role is funded at an annual salary of $92,000 plus benefits. This position is a term appointment ending one year from date of hire, with the possibility of renewal. The role will receive a Harvard appointment as a Fellow.

Potential locations: DMV Area (District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia) or remote (requiring access to major U.S. airports for travel).

Start date: Candidates should be available to start by August/September 2026.

To apply: Please submit your application using the GPL Online Application Form. Applications will be considered on a rolling basis. If selected for interviews, candidates will be asked to participate in case interviews and submit examples of previous work products.

Required Qualifications

• At least three years of full-time professional work experience.
• Strong project management capabilities—the ability to independently execute project tasks and meet key project deadlines. 
• Ability to navigate complex organizations, develop trust and credibility with stakeholders, and build strong relationships among diverse groups.
• Ability to communicate ideas clearly, efficiently, and with humility both verbally and in writing, including through slide decks, meeting facilitation, memos, delivery of trainings, and public speaking.
• For some projects, ability to travel on a regular basis is required.

Preferred Qualifications 

Many kinds of experiences could prepare an individual to thrive in this role. We expect candidates to have many but not necessarily all of the qualifications listed below: 

• Passion for improving government performance and solving social problems. 
• Self-motivated approach with a learning mindset and an orientation towards results. 
• Awareness of and sensitivity to the needs and concerns of individuals from diverse cultures, backgrounds, and orientations. 
• Sound analytical skills, with experience analyzing and using both quantitative and qualitative data to generate and communicate insights that drive impact.
• Graduate-level training in public policy, business, law, economics, social work, or related fields.

Key responsibilities typically include:

Project Management  

• Manage and coordinate projects while navigating complex organizational structures, including developing workplans and balancing multiple workstreams across various government entities.
• Develop, introduce, and oversee performance management systems to enable government and service providers to better collaborate on service delivery.

Communications and Stakeholder Management 

• Conduct interviews and site visits with government officials, community stakeholders, and people with lived experience to help identify service delivery barriers and inform solutions.
• Facilitate meetings, trainings, and workshops to advance project work and build capacity; provide coaching to permanent government staff.
• Brief agency leaders and solicit decisions from them at key project milestones.
• Create memos, presentations, training documents, and solicitations with the aim of making complex information easier to understand.

Research and Data Analysis  

• Help governments match and analyze administrative data to measure population outcomes, understand cost-effectiveness, and form insights that can improve service delivery. 
• Use continuous improvement tools to analyze existing processes and design new processes that enable agencies to better serve constituents.
• Review research literature, government documents, and best practices to inform work.

Community of Practice  

• Share insights with government collaborators and GPL colleagues to help spread lessons and best practices. 
• Contribute to publications including project features and solutions briefs to help share insights externally.

Continuous learning is a key part of the overall fellowship experience. Fellows are part of a community of GPL team members spread across the country dedicated to sharing lessons learned and refining GPL tools, models, and frameworks. Through project work and engagement with the broader GPL community, fellows develop substantial policy area expertise, hands-on project management experience, and deeper familiarity with government processes.

About the Government Performance Lab

The mission of the Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab is to accelerate progress on difficult social problems by improving how state and local governments across the country function. Our team collaborates closely with government innovators in developing and testing ways to create more just and effective service systems in areas including child and family wellbeing, safety and justice, and homelessness and housing. To date, the GPL has engaged with 112 jurisdictions across 38 states and has conducted more than 278 projects shifting more than $7B in government spending towards results.

Harvard University is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions, or any other characteristic protected by law.