Senior Program Manager

Location: Chicago, IL or remote in the U.S.

Start Date: May 2026

Deadline to Apply: March 20th, 2026 or until we hit our cap of 200 of applications, whichever is earlier.

Type: Full time

Travel: Up to 8%, dependent on need and public health considerations

When you think about elections, you might think about popular candidates, “I voted” stickers, and all sorts of paperwork and deadlines. But behind the scenes are thousands of election officials in state and local governments who are working hard to make sure ballots are counted and voices are heard.

In order to run excellent elections everywhere, local officials need timely, actionable, research-based strategies. To fill that gap, CTCL’s Research Department produces actionable insights that elevate the voices and needs of local election officials and today’s voters.

As Program Manager of Reach at CTCL, you will lead the field-building research program (REACH) and coordinate across projects to achieve long-term strategic goals. You’ll report to the Associate Director of Strategy.

Responsibilities

• Research
  • Support Director and Associate Directors to develop annual research agenda
  • Support Project Managers to choose research methods and quality assurance systems for their projects
  • Ensure strategic alignment and cohesion across research projects
  • Coordinate with Impact, Research, and Learning team to evaluate project impact and support learning agendas
  • Contribute to reports and deliver presentations at conferences
• Administrative Support
  • Determine and communicate scope of work for core projects in a way that supports organizational strategy and meets key stakeholders’ needs
  • Coordinate with the Associate Director of Strategy, our legal team, and partners to share and finalize scopes of work and contracts
• Program leadership
  • Promote collaboration and knowledge sharing across departments
  • Cultivate and manage external partnerships to support our field-building research, and help teammates identify new projects to pursue with partners
  • Participate in departmental strategy conversations, and lead field-building research strategy conversations with partners.
  • Continue learning about demographic and civic participation research to understand how our research can help advance the field
• People Management
  • Manage project managers
  • Contribute to the hiring process of direct reports
  • Support direct reports to set goals, coach them in weekly 1:1s, and evaluate their performance
  • Help direct reports pursue professional development and gain relevant knowledge
• Commitment to priority audiences
  • Ensure CTCL programs for election departments prioritize voters with limited access to the election system, especially when supporting with developing our annual research agenda and evaluating project impact. This includes voters who are newly eligible, have limited English proficiency, live with disabilities, or are from communities that are impacted by the digital divide or historical disenfranchisement due to race

Skills/Qualifications

• You are a strategic thinker. You’re comfortable with navigating both the detailed nature of our day-to-day work and able to see how our work connects to the bigger picture of our vision. You engage teammates, reflect on internal and external factors, and evaluate strategic options for maximum impact. You can translate strategic initiatives into tangible scopes of work, and share the “why” behind this work with your team. You carry out your work with an eye toward continuous improvement and collaboration, and proactively identify new ways to collaborate with other departments and partners to advance our work.
• You are self-motivated. You work well independently, manage your own time and workload, and you know when to ask for help.
• You have strong verbal and written communication skills. You communicate clearly to a wide variety of stakeholders (including staff and external partners) across a variety of modes of communication. You independently lead external coordination with partners and internal coordination with staff by setting up workflows to support collaboration and ensure follow-through on next steps.
• You have experience managing projects and are familiar with project management tools and best practices. You have experience driving strategic long-term projects (12+ months) by developing strategic plans, tracking against high-level goals, and handling multiple concurrent workstreams. You clarify project roles, anticipate needs, and address challenges to meet deadlines.
• You have experience managing people, including hiring, managing, and evaluating staff members, and supporting them to do excellent work while promoting their well-being. You understand how to get things done through other people by delegating tasks, setting clear expectations, seeking input from and addressing diverse stakeholders’ needs, and setting and holding people accountable to clear goals. You also ask questions to understand root issues and advocate for direct reports’ needs.
• You’re comfortable navigating ambiguity and leading people through change. You can lead new programs, shift tactics, and act with incomplete information, all while keeping the long-term vision and core values at the center of your work. You understand that some work requires iterative development and you can confidently navigate this ambiguity. You can effectively manage change and adaptive challenges with your team.
• You are enthusiastic about strengthening public service and expanding civic participation. You believe in democracy, care about voting, and are comfortable working in nonpartisan spaces.
• You are curious. You are committed to learning new things and developing new skills.

Experience in leading or contributing to demographic research, launching new projects and programs, public speaking, and giving presentations at conferences are all pluses, but not requirements for the role.

About the Center for Tech and Civic Life

CTCL is a nonpartisan nonprofit that connects Americans with the information they need to become and remain civically engaged, and ensures that our elections are more professional, inclusive, and secure. We do this by collecting and disseminating civic information to the public, connecting election officials with tools and training, and advocating for increased government funding for election departments across the country.

To date, we’ve published civic datasets that answer the questions “What’s on my ballot?” and “Who represents me?” which have been accessed over 250 million times. We’ve trained thousands of election officials, serving over 80 million voters, on topics like election website design and cybersecurity best practices. Our advocacy efforts have led to $468 million in new state & federal appropriations for election administration.

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Unlimited vacation and sick days, 2-week winter break, and federal holidays
• Flexible work schedule
• Annual employee allowance and professional development stipend
• Employer 401(k) contribution matching up to 4%
• Local coworking space stipend for remote staff