Associate Director, Strategic Operations
Code for America
Operations
United States · Remote
Code for America believes government can work for the people, by the people, in the new digital age, and that government at all levels can and should work well for all people. For more than a decade, we’ve worked to show that with the mindful use of technology, we can break down barriers, meet community needs, and find real solutions.
Our employees build and transform government and community tools and services, making them so good they inspire change. We merge the best parts of technology, nonprofit, and government to help support the people who need it most.
With a focus on transparency and fairness, and deep empathy for partners in government and community organizations and the people that our partners serve, we’re building a movement of motivated change agents driven by meaningful results and lasting impact.
At Code for America, you contribute to exciting work while learning and developing in a supportive and flexible environment. Our compensation and benefits are holistic and thoughtfully curated to represent our employees and our mission. Help us drive real generational change that lasts.
Code for America is looking for a talented Associate Director, Strategic Operations, who drives organizational impact by connecting strategy to execution—ensuring priorities are clear, teams are aligned, and progress is visible across the organization. By strengthening planning, communication, and operating rhythms, this role enables teams to move faster, adapt to change, and deliver on mission-critical outcomes more effectively.
About the role:
Strategic Operations at Code for America supports the organization in turning strategy into coordinated action. This function aligns leadership priorities, planning processes, operating rhythms, and internal systems so leaders and staff across the organization have clarity on direction, progress, and decision-making.
Working closely with senior leadership and reporting to the Senior Advisor, Strategic Operations, the Associate Director, Strategic Operations plays a key role in advancing this work. This role contributes to core Strategic Operations functions, helping ensure that strategy is translated into clear priorities, aligned work, and shared understanding across the organization.
A central focus of this role is internal communications and change coordination, serving as a primary mechanism for bringing strategy to life across the organization. This includes translating leadership priorities and decisions into clear, actionable communication; supporting organization-wide planning and reporting cycles; and helping leaders and teams navigate change with clarity and cohesion.
This role is well suited for someone who brings a systems and service design mindset to organizational operations; someone who can connect strategy to day-to-day work, design structures that improve how work happens, and continuously refine systems based on feedback and evolving organizational needs.
This role will report to the Senior Advisor, Strategic Operations and is expected to travel no more than 10% of the time.
Code for America is based in California and can employ those who reside full-time within the United States. This is a remote position.
In this position you will:
- Strategic Operations & organizational alignment
- Support the design and ongoing improvement of organization-wide planning, prioritization, and review processes
- Help maintain and evolve operating rhythms (e.g., planning cycles, progress reviews, leadership forums) that drive alignment and accountability
- Coordinate across teams and functions to ensure priorities are understood, dependencies are surfaced, and work is aligned to strategy
- Identify gaps in how strategy translates into day-to-day work by integrating data, stakeholder input, and organizational context to diagnose root causes and propose improvements to systems, processes, and coordination mechanisms
- Internal communications strategy & systems
- Develop and evolve internal communication strategies that support organizational clarity and shared understandingDefine and maintain communication channels, structures, and practices that connect strategy, decisions, and ongoing workIdentify breakdowns in information flow and design solutions to improve transparency, accessibility, and alignment
- Define and maintain communication channels, structures, and practices that connect strategy, decisions, and ongoing workIdentify breakdowns in information flow and design solutions to improve transparency, accessibility, and alignment
- Identify breakdowns in information flow and design solutions to improve transparency, accessibility, and alignment
- Implementation of communications & operating rhythms
- Lead key organizational communication channels (e.g., all-hands, leadership updates, organization-wide announcements)
- Translate leadership priorities, strategic decisions, and progress updates into clear, actionable communications
- Manage timelines, materials, and processes that support consistent and effective communication and coordination
- Change management & coordination
- Support organizational change efforts by helping translate evolving priorities into clear guidance, timelines, and expectations
- Partner with leadership to coordinate communication and alignment during periods of change (e.g., new initiatives, structural shifts, planning transitions)
- Help staff understand what is changing, why it matters, and how it impacts their work
- Demonstrate active listening and model constructive dialogue, especially during periods of change or uncertainty.
- Strategic reporting & insights translation
- Support the synthesis of reporting outputs into clear insights and internal updates
- Help ensure progress tracking informs decision-making and is accessible across the organization
- Other duties as assigned
About you:
This role is a strong fit for someone who is passionate about helping organizations operate with clarity, alignment, and momentum—and who thrives at connecting strategy to coordinated action. You are energized by turning complex priorities, decisions, and progress into human-centered systems, processes, and communications that help leaders and teams work more effectively together.
Ideally, you bring a systems or service design mindset to organizational operations, approaching this work with curiosity, creativity, and care. You are equally comfortable thinking at the strategic level and working through the details required to make that strategy tangible and actionable.
- 7+ years of experience in strategy and operations, internal communications, organizational effectiveness, or leadership support roles
- Excellent written, visual, and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex ideas into clear, actionable outputs
- Experience working closely with senior leaders, with the ability to navigate across functions and influence without direct authority
- Demonstrated experience supporting planning, reporting, or operational processes that drive alignment, accountability, and decision-making
- Experience designing and implementing internal communications strategies and systems that support organizational clarity and shared understanding
- Familiarity with service design principles and human-centered practices, and experience applying these approaches to internal systems, workflows, or organizational processes
- Strong ability to synthesize complex information (e.g., strategy, decisions, progress) and translate it into clear, accessible formats for different audiences
- Strong project management and coordination skills, with the ability to balance multiple competing priorities while maintaining high quality on mission-critical deliverables — even as organizational needs and timelines shift
- Experience supporting organizations through periods of change by providing clear communication, structured coordination, and thoughtful sequencing of information
- Ability to work iteratively as priorities evolve, helping the organization adapt to new opportunities and constraints
- Demonstrated curiosity and creativity for improving organizational systems and practices, including thoughtful experimentation with emerging tools (such as AI) to strengthen workflows, communication, and coordination
- Ability to successfully pick up new systems quickly — we use G-Suite, Slack, and Asana for internal communications and project management.
- High level of integrity — ability to handle sensitive information with discretion and maintain confidentiality.
It’s a bonus if you have:
- Experience working in nonprofit, civic technology, government, or unionized environments
- Professional or academic experience in Service Design, design strategy, or a related field
- Experience supporting organization-wide planning cycles, strategic reviews, or progress tracking systems
- Experience using AI tools or automation to support internal operations, communication, or knowledge sharing
- Experience facilitating organizational learning practices, retrospectives, or reflection sessions
- Familiarity with knowledge management or internal documentation systems
- Experience working in organizations undergoing rapid growth, transformation, or strategic change
- Prior experience and ability with the systems we use (e.g. G-Suite, Slack, Asana)
What you’ll get -
Salary:
Code for America’s salary bands are transparent as a part of our commitment to transparency and fairness. As part of our hiring practices, we aim to target the midpoint of the 2nd quartile of the range for all new hires.
Offer targets vary based on market / geographic location. The offer targets for this role range from $128,945 to $157,850, annually.
Benefits and perks:
- Values:
- Leadership and teammates who share a strong work ethic and values, and who respect and care for one another
- A collaborative, cross-functional, hardworking, and joyful environment
- Employee Enablement Support:
- Laptop provided
- A one-time $700 payment for remote environment setup; $200 stipend (in first paycheck) and up to $500 reimbursement, in accordance with our equipment policy
- Cell phone and/or internet reimbursement of $50 per month
- Professional Development:
- $500 annual (per calendar year) stipend towards professional development; prorated at time of hire
- Up to $500 of professional development funds can be rolled over each year, up to a maximum of $1000
- Training / guidance for staff required to utilize AI as part of their role, plus opportunities for employees to gain AI-related skills to support job and career growth
- Retirement & 401k Plans:
- Employees receive a 100% employer match on the first 3% of contributions.
- Employees with 3+ years of service receive an additional 50% match on contributions between 3% and 5%, for a maximum employer contribution of 5%
- Medical:
- At least one no cost health insurance option for full-time employees for employee-only coverage
- A minimum of 80% of the cost of dependent coverage
- Remote Work:
- Code for America employees may work remotely across the US
- Code for America employees main residence must be within the US
- Full-time employees work 40 hours per week, Monday - Friday
- Collaborative working hours: we aim to hold all internal meetings between 10 AM - 3 PM PT. We expect all Code for America staff to be available during these set working hours
- Time Off:
- Open personal time off (subject to manager approval), a minimum of 14 paid holidays, and an org-wide closure from Christmas Day through New Year's Day
- Paid sick time; up to 96 hours annually
- 17 weeks of paid parental and family leave
- 3 weeks of paid sabbatical after 5 years of service
Equal Employment Opportunity:
Code for America is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants will not be discriminated against because of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, religion, national origin, citizenship status, disability, ancestry, marital status, veteran status, medical condition or any protected category prohibited by local, state or federal laws.
Code for America Workers United:
This position is not covered by a Collective Bargaining Agreement between Code for America and Code for America Workers United, affiliated with OPEIU, Local 1010. The agreement was ratified on January 13, 2026, and is currently in effect.
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