Associate, Infrastructure

Location: Flexible within the U.S. but requires access to a major U.S. airport for travel.

Position Type: Full-time

About Us

At Partners for Public Good (PPG), we believe that when government works, communities thrive. Launched in March 2025, we are a fast-growing nonprofit dedicated to helping state and local governments harness core operational functions – procurement, staffing, digital infrastructure, and budgeting – to drive public impact.

Our journey began in 2011 at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Government Performance Lab, where we set out to transform public procurement. Since then, we’ve worked with hundreds of governments across the country to make their procurement systems more efficient, fair, results-driven, and strategic. In 2022, we launched the Procurement Excellence Network, putting our tools and strategies in the hands of over two thousand public servants.

Today, our team of doers, coaches, and advisors partners with governments to create lasting, impactful change. Our vision is simple: every resident has a government they can count on, every day.

Role & Organizational Impact

We’re seeking an Associate to drive the design and execution of projects helping local governments better deliver priority public infrastructure. PPG’s Infrastructure Team helps hundreds of local governments nationwide deliver public infrastructure projects responsively, efficiently, and effectively for all residents. The team provides hands-on support to priority projects, runs workshops, provides training and coaching, and produces off-the-shelf templates and playbooks for governments. The Associate will report to a Project Leader on the Infrastructure Team.

At PPG, Associates drive the day-to-day delivery of programmatic projects, working closely with Project Leaders and Assistant Directors to turn strategy into action. This can include multiple and fractional projects across teams. They facilitate meetings with government partners, design and produce project materials, deliver trainings and coaching, and draft key deliverables and reports. Associates may work on one in-depth project or contribute across several shorter-term or fractional engagements, depending on portfolio needs.

Responsibilities

Project Design & Implementation

• Support project scoping and qualitative/quantitative research through activities such as interviews, surveys, process mapping, and policy reviews.
• Develop realistic and high-impact projects, informed by data and a clear theory of change.
• Design and implement day-to-day project deliverables, such as:
  • Work plans
  • Streamlined policy and procedure documents
  • Research reports or memos
  • Engaging training and case study materials
  • Effective public-facing communications
  • Project impact reports
  • Procurement solicitations
• Lead day-to-day change management and implementation activities, such as:
  • Meetings and workshops with government and nonprofit stakeholders to align priorities, implement project work, and address challenges.
  • Coaching and advisory support to government partners to diagnose the root causes of challenges and offer feedback from outside perspectives.
  • Internal and external project check-ins and strategy pull-ups.

Stakeholder Engagement & Thought Leadership

• Build strong relationships with government leaders and nonprofit partners.
• Represent PPG at conferences and events, presenting insights from project work.
• Contribute to the development of public-facing tools, templates, and publications that share best practices and innovations in public sector operational excellence.

Organizational Growth & Strategy

• Provide input to internal operational improvement initiatives.
• Support efforts to expand and refine PPG’s offerings and impact.
• Support funder reporting and contribute to fundraising efforts by helping to design and scope new projects and identifying data and evidence that presents PPG’s impact.

Who You Are

We’re looking for candidates who are:

• Analytic solution builders. You can break down complex problems. You develop actionable, clear, creative, and high-impact solutions.
• Project managers at heart. You are a self-starter who can juggle multiple priorities, stay organized, and keep projects on track in a remote environment. You have a bias to action and take pride in being an implementer.
• Strong communicators. You excel in verbal, written, and visual communication. You make technical or complex concepts accessible and engaging.
• Change catalysts. You recognize that true change requires culture shifts, capacity-building, and empowerment—in addition to better processes. You build trust and momentum, bringing stakeholders along with you.
• Adaptable. You thrive in a fast-paced, team-oriented environment where every project is unique, and we often have to dive in and learn quickly.
• Collaborative. You care for your colleagues and are quick to pitch in when someone needs help. You are comfortable giving and receiving direct feedback.
• Mission aligned. You are motivated by the opportunity to help state and local governments harness core operational functions so that every resident has a government they can count on, every day.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required. Equivalent years of professional experience and/or certifications will be considered in lieu of formal education.
• Three or more years of experience delivering public infrastructure projects or closely related work. This may include experience in public sector procurement, public works or infrastructure, government finance and operations, or consulting.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams), visual collaboration tools (Canva, Zoom) and comfort with other technology tools.
• Willingness and ability to travel at least 7-10 times per year.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks with minimal supervision.

Additional Information

Deadline to Apply: PPG will review applications on a rolling basis. All applications received by the deadline of February 13, 2026 will be considered.

Compensation: The salary for this role is $100,000 plus benefits. We offer a comprehensive, people-first benefits package to support the well-being of our team and their families. We offer medical, dental, and vision insurance, with multiple plan options to fit individual needs as well as access to health and flexible savings accounts. Paid time off includes: 15 vacation days, 12 sick days, 3 personal days, 2 floating holidays, 12 paid holidays, and a winter recess. We also provide an employer match for retirement savings, paid parental leave, and access to backup care for caregiving needs. To support remote work, we offer work-from-home stipends or shared office space options.

Start date: The desired start date for this role is March or April 2026.

This position is grant-funded. Employment is contingent on continuation of funds and organizational needs, at PPG’s sole discretion.

Physical Demands: This position requires sitting, talking, listening, reading, and writing for up to 8 hours per day. Certain situations may require lifting items up to 20 pounds. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential job duties.

Commitment to Equal Employment Opportunity

Partners for Public Good 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, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Partners for Public Good is committed to the inclusion of all qualified individuals in the hiring process, including but not limited to those with disabilities. If you require reasonable accommodation(s) to participate in the application or interview process, please contact info(at)partnersforpublicgood.org.