Program Manager, Civics Credentialing System (CCS)

About Team Democracy

Team Democracy is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization committed to strengthening civic trust, protecting democratic norms, and bridging political divides in the United States. Through initiatives like the Civics Credentialing System (CCS), we empower citizens, institutions, and communities to visibly demonstrate their commitment to democratic values.

About the Civics Credentialing System

The Civics Credentialing System is an open digital badge-based framework designed to recognize and incentivize civic learning and pro-democracy engagement. Built in collaboration with nonprofits, schools, and civic institutions, CCS aims to make civic participation more visible, valued, and rewarding.

Position Summary

Team Democracy is seeking a strategic and collaborative Program Manager to lead the ongoing development, management, and expansion of the Civics Credentialing System. This role requires a unique blend of program design, partner engagement, platform management, and operational leadership. The ideal candidate brings experience in nonprofit innovation, digital tools, civic education, and stakeholder collaboration. This is a part-time position, working approximately 20 hours weekly.

Key Responsibilities:

Program Implementation & Partner Management

• Identify and engage potential credential-issuing partners
• Oversee intake and onboarding of new credentialing partners
• Manage contracts, financial agreements, and service fulfillment
• Support ongoing badge issuance
• Troubleshoot adoption and accessibility issues

Operations Management

• Oversee day-to-day operations of CCS, ensuring strong coordination across teams and partners
• Create and maintain internal systems and documentation to support efficient program execution
• Track and report on partner onboarding, badge issuance, and deliverables using project management tools
• Ensure accurate data management across CCS platforms (e.g., CRM, badge portal)
• Coordinate team check-ins, monitor progress against milestones, and support organizational compliance

Technology & Platform Support

• Define and prioritize requirements for the CCS website and digital badging platform in collaboration with the CTO team
• Support testing and deployment of the CCS website and digital badging platform

Fundraising & Business Development

• Develop and implement a business and fundraising strategy in partnership with Team Democracy’s Fundraising & Development team

Governance & Standards Management

• Develop and maintain standards, guidance materials, and intake and governance processes in collaboration with TD leadership
• Convene and manage advisory boards and working groups in collaboration with TD leadership

External Communications & Representation

• Develop a communications and outreach plan for CCS in collaboration with TD leadership and communications staff
• Represent CCS and Team Democracy at conferences, panels, and public events
• Support content development for social media, newsletters, and earned media campaigns

Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL)

• Design and manage MEL strategy to assess CCS usage, reach, and impact
• Support continuous improvement through adaptive learning practices
• Guide credentialing partners on using MEL data to refine their programs

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience in program or project management, ideally within civic engagement, education, or nonprofit sectors
• Strong skills in cross-sector partnership building and stakeholder communication
• Familiarity with open digital badging, credentialing platforms, or digital learning tools
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Experience managing distributed teams, project workflows, and cloud-based tools (e.g., CRMs, Google Workspace, task management software)
• Comfortable in a fast-paced, startup-style nonprofit environment with evolving priorities