Director of the Future of Government Talent Program

Position Summary:

Are you a future-focused leader eager to reimagine the talent structures of the federal government? If so, Democracy Forward Foundation (“Democracy Forward”) is hiring a Director of the Future of Government Talent Program to join our team.

The next era of effective government depends on the teams behind it—how they’re structured, how they work, and who’s on them.

Democracy Forward is launching a bold, multi-year initiative to reinvent how the federal government organizes and deploys its talent—and we’re seeking a visionary and operationally grounded Director of the Future of Government Talent Program to lead this work.

This is a chance to lead a systems transformation effort that will design the teams, skills, and staffing models our federal government needs to deliver—now and in the decades ahead. By building modern talent and team structures across government functions, this initiative will help ensure the government is ready with the people and capacity to deliver results when it is ready to build and hire. 

This position is full-time. Democracy Forward’s office is located in Washington, DC. While this position offers flexibility to work remotely, it requires regular in-office presence eight (8) times per month (averaging 2 times per week) to effectively support the nature of the role. Remote candidates within the United States will also be considered. If a candidate is outside of the DC area, travel to DC is expected 1-2 times per quarter.

The Director of the Future of Government Talent Program will report to the Director of Democracy Works 250 and work closely with staff and fellows on the Civil Service Strong team.

Our North Star:

Democracy Works 250 is designing the teams—and finding the people—that will power a modern federal government.

This initiative will create the talent models and actually find the people needed to equip government with agile and interdisciplinary teams that can deliver on the policies and programs Americans expect. By transforming how government organizes its people, we aim to transform how government shows up for the people it serves.

Key Responsibilities:

Below are the key areas of responsibility for this role. The specifics of each responsibility may vary based on the needs of the organization and department.

Design Interdisciplinary, Future-Ready Government Teams:

• Lead a team of fellows to redesign process across key federal functions (e.g. HR, procurement, regulation, customer experience, technology, AI, public engagement).
• Build and manage a small internal team of HR and technical experts supporting cross-functional design and research.
• Support organizational leadership in cultivating a culture of accountability, inclusivity, and excellence, including through providing real-time support and skills-development for your team.
• Convene and collaborate with external domain experts (AI, regulatory, HR, tech, etc.) to co-design staffing models that reflect how modern delivery actually works.
• Ensure new team models are agile, tech-enabled, interdisciplinary, and built to solve real problems, not replicate outdated org charts.

Build a National Strategy to Source and Prepare Talent:

• Develop and implement a strategy to identify and recruit mission-ready talent from federal alumni and state/local leaders to private-sector innovators and community-rooted practitioners.
• Define the skills, values, and lived experience needed for 21st-century public service and shape the strategies that bring those people in.

Oversee Development of a Civic Talent Platform & Training Curriculum:

• Lead the development or procurement of a digital platform to match individuals with redesigned teams and government missions.
• Lead partnership development with organizations to provide training on key, cross-cutting skills for future talent.

Co-Design with Communities and Institutions:

• Build and manage partnerships with academic institutions, public interest orgs, workforce programs, and civic tech networks.
• Lead co-design sessions with partners across the ecosystem—bringing in the lived expertise of those who know what functional teams must look like (e.g., regulators, procurement specialists, technologists).

Bridge Strategy Across Projects:

• Align the talent initiative with the other projects in Democracy Works 250: federal oral history project, personnel policy, and agency redesigning efforts.
• Collaborate with legal, research, and communications partners to test, refine, and package talent transformation and recruitment efforts.
• Contribute to and collaborate across other DW250 projects.

Who You Are:

A Builder with Bold Imagination:

• You design what doesn’t yet exist and know how to lead a team and partnerships to get there.

Fluent in Talent—from Government and Beyond:

• You understand the complexity of public sector hiring and the dynamism of modern private-sector team structures and you can translate across both worlds.

A Strategic Recruiter and Workforce Planner:

• You know how to define the teams a mission requires, find the people to staff them, and remove the barriers that keep good people out of government.

Collaborative and Equity-Driven:

• You bring humility, inclusion, and shared ownership to every partnership. You believe better government starts with better people—and better systems to support them.

Qualifications:

We recognize that strong candidates may not meet 100% of the qualifications listed. If you believe you can contribute meaningfully to our team, we encourage you to apply.

• 10+ years of experience in workforce development, organizational design, talent strategy, or public sector innovation.
• Experience managing small, high-capacity teams in cross-functional and collaborative environments.
• Deep understanding of both federal hiring systems and modern, mission-aligned talent models.
• Demonstrated ability to build distributed strategies and work across technical, policy, and community-based teams.
• Excellent project management, facilitation, and stakeholder coordination skills.
• Well-developed collaborative and interpersonal skills including demonstrated self-awareness, commitment to diversity and inclusivity, and ability to work with colleagues and stakeholders across diverse cultures and backgrounds.

Work Environment & Physical Demands:

• This role will require occasional travel for team retreats, conferences, and partner convenings.
• This role may involve sitting for extended periods and working on a computer. Reasonable accommodations will be provided as needed.

The salary range for this position is $150,000 - $170,000 plus excellent benefits. Compensation is commensurate with experience.

Democracy Forward Foundation is an equal opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. We encourage applications from all qualified individuals. We strongly encourage people of color; LGBTQIA+ people; women; people with disabilities; and veterans to apply. Please note that all lawyer positions require a law degree and active membership in the bar of a state or the District of Columbia. 

Not sure you meet all of our qualifications? Research shows that men apply for jobs when they meet an average of 60% of the criteria. Yet women and other people who are systematically marginalized tend to only apply if they meet every requirement.  If you believe that you could excel in this role, we encourage you to apply. We are dedicated to considering a broad array of candidates, including those with diverse workplace experiences and backgrounds. Whether you are new to mission-based legal and policy work, returning to work after a gap in employment, or simply looking to transition or take the next step in your career path, we welcome the opportunity to have you on our radar.  Please include in your cover letter the nature of your interest in legal and policy work promoting democracy and progress and what you hope to bring to our team and the role for which you are applying. 

Democracy Forward is committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all, including those with disabilities. If you require a reasonable accommodation to complete this application, interview, or otherwise participate in the hiring process, please direct your inquiries to recruiting@democracyforward.org or 833-391-4732.