Associate Director, Curriculum Design & Management, What Works Cities

Organization: Results for America

Role: Associate Director, Curriculum Design & Management, WWC 

Location: Flexible, within the United States

Organization Overview

Results for America (RFA) is the leading, national nonprofit organization helping policymakers at all levels of government harness the power of evidence and data to solve the world’s greatest challenges. Our mission is to make investing in what works the “new normal,” so that, one day, all government leaders use rigorous evidence and quality data to inform important policy and funding decisions. We believe that data-driven and evidence-based policy decisions should be used to increase the impact of the over $2 trillion that governments spend annually to open opportunities and advance economic mobility. 

Team Overview

At Results for America, one of our flagship local initiatives is What Works Cities (WWC), a Bloomberg Philanthropies-funded initiative that helps city governments across North, Central and South America improve residents’ lives by using data and evidence effectively to tackle pressing challenges. To accomplish this, we work directly with city leaders and staff through coaching and implementation support, a range of online and in-person learning opportunities, and a growing professional network. This support is guided by What Works Cities Certification, the first-ever international standard of excellence for data-driven, well-managed local government.

What Works Cities Certification assesses cities based on their data-driven decision-making practices, such as whether they are using data to set goals and track progress, allocate funding, evaluate the effectiveness of programs, and achieve desired outcomes from contracts with outside vendors. The program also measures whether cities are publicly and transparently communicating about their use of data and evidence. By aspiring toward Certification and implementing the best practices outlined in the program’s criteria, cities across the country are more effectively delivering results for residents. What Works Cities Certification also serves as an international recognition program, which celebrates and accelerates the use of data and evidence in local governments by rewarding achievements and providing a clear path to excellence. Since our launch in 2015, we have helped more than 300 cities make progress on their most pressing issues, from health and public safety to homelessness and blight.

With the upcoming 10 year anniversary of What Works Cities, the initiative is entering an exciting phase. The initiative will continue to scale throughout North, Central and South America, adding to the milestone 100 Certified city total, while exploring other regional markets. The initiative is designing new and innovative ways for cities to engage and build capacity within the WWC network from starting their path towards Certification to deeper engagement with Certified cities. The focus will be on how to ensure the What Works Cities Standard and its corresponding Criteria and best practices related to good, well-managed local government are elevated globally, embedded into key institutions as well as continues to refine its model based on consistent research and evaluation. 

Position Overview

This Associate Director role drives the design and quality assurance of the WWC curriculum, which underpins team technical assistance that helps cities advance in their adoption of evidence-based data policies and practices to deliver results for residents. This position entails both the development of content and topical technical assistance workshops, webinars, and other tools that tie directly to the WWC Standard of Excellence.  This role will also take a proactive approach to ensuring a high-quality experience for city leaders through consistent quality assurance checks, surveys, and leveraging data from the WWC network to design programming and content that meet existing needs. The individual in this role will be WWC’s “go-to” expert on adult learning in synchronous and asynchronous settings and for an international portfolio of cities and local government decision makers.

Travel up to 25% annually may be required.

This is a full time, exempt position, based in a home office anywhere within the U.S.

Position Reporting Relationship

This position will initially report to the Managing Director, WWC and ultimately to the head of the WWC City Experience team. This position will also work closely with colleagues within and across the WWC City Experience team and have at least one (1) direct report to support the various work streams. 

Position Responsibilities

Curriculum Design and Development  (60%)

• Design & develop online Content (30%)
• Lead WWC online Community of Practice platform content development (self-serve resources; webinars; etc)
• In close consultation and with direct assistance from the City Experience team: develop content for WWC’s Forum 
• Maintain a centralized online resource hub for WWC team, partners and city leaders 
• Lead the creation, vetting, translation, release, and maintenance of Self-Serve Resources available to the WWC network and directly work with City Experience team members on execution and implementation; liaising with the City Experience team and expert partners to source relevant content
• Leading the curation of a resource knowledge hub
• Ensuring high quality, timely deliverables that are inclusive of the WWC community; this includes leading an internal and external governance model with key stakeholders (WWC staff and external partners)
• Develop Scope  (30%)
• Lead the design of high-engagement technical assistance (TA) offerings for adult learners across an international portfolio of cities encompassing synchronous & asynchronous learning opportunities such as:
• City cohorts & peer learning groups (online forums; virtual learning environments)
• Stand-alone resources/tools
• Shape scope and sequencing of existing TA offerings based on current/emerging adult learning design principles, inclusive of an international portfolio of cities 
• Support City Experience leads with regularly reviewing data to identify new or recurring city learning needs (between WWC Standard and validated assessment data) for both cities seeking Certification and those pursuing recertification and/or leveling up  
• Serve as the lead with a team of expert partners who deliver technical assistance workshops on behalf of WWC; this includes evaluating and managing existing partnerships to ensure content offering meets the needs of the WWC Standard of Excellence and identifying future SME (subject matter experts).

Content and Curriculum Quality Assurance (Execution) (40%)

• External provider-partner management 
• Oversee and manage a portfolio of external provider partners to amplify City Experience team delivery model
• Identify and cultivate relationships with a targeted set of international organizations with a proven track record of supporting data and evidence-based practices  
• Conduct necessary research and due diligence on prospective external provider partners
• Oversee ongoing external partner management calls with an eye to ensuring strong QA execution against contracted SOW - deliverables. 
• Support the execution of a full lifecycle of external provider-partner contracts
• Set initial and update scopes of work in alignment with RFA’s contracting processes; 
• Manage contract negotiations where needed in alignment with WWC budgets 
• Lead Quality Assurance (QA) of WWC Curriculum content and Technical Assistance Offerings 
• Work closely with City Experience team to ensure all WWC curricular content (from self-serve online resources, to webinars, to peer share in-person visits) are high quality, inclusive, and relevant for city needs 
• Regularly survey and conduct quality checks of WWC curricular content, whether designed in-house or by external partners/consultants 
• Inform WWC’s coaching methodology based on adult learning principles,  trends, analysis and findings of cities across the full spectrum of the WWC network, cities seeking Certification, and Certified cities; coordinate with City Experience leads to provide and incorporate new resources into staff coaching practices.

Experience, Competencies, and Qualifications 

Experience and Qualifications

The ideal candidate will have the following qualifications, as well as an alignment with Results for America’s mission and organizational values:

• 10+ years of relevant work experience and Bachelors degree
• Strongly Preferred: 5-7 years work experience within city or local government
• Prior experience supervising multiple FTE (full time staff)
• Prior experience conducting user research and translating results into actionable insights
• Experience with virtual learning environments
• Significant prior experience developing online, asynchronous learning content, particularly for adult professionals
• Such as an EdD in adult learning or comparable work experience 
• Demonstrated experience applying inclusive design principles to curriculum and learning opportunities, particularly in international, multilingual contexts 
• Tech stack: Google Suite, Zoom, Qualtrics, Salesforce, Higher Logic 
• A commitment to Results for America’s mission and vision, and
• Respect for Results for America’s organizational values.

Competencies

• Outcomes oriented: exhibits a strong work ethic and solid organizational skills, including attention to detail, time management, and the ability to manage and coordinate simultaneous projects and successfully prioritize among multiple tasks
• Self-motivated with the ability to work independently and with minimal supervision
• Excellent writing ability, with a demonstrated track record of distilling large amounts of information into clear, organized, and accessible language
• Demonstrated ability to independently define and lead multiple projects concurrently and successfully, often across teams
• Prior experience setting and driving toward accomplishment of multiple team goals and deadlines  
• Facility delegating (tasks, responsibility, and authority) and managing others (often laterally) to shared outcomes 
• Clear communicator (oral; written) across diverse professional settings and purposes with a broadened set of stakeholders 
• Track record of making and influencing others to make critical decisions successfully
• Adaptive capability: adjusts plans and manages projects to outcomes in dynamic contexts  
• Experience successfully managing relationships with key stakeholders (internal and external - partners; funders) 

Salary and Benefits

Results for America offers a compensation package that includes:   

• A competitive base salary commensurate with relevant work experience; and
• A benefits package that includes choice in medical plans; dental/vision coverage; paid time off; a 403b retirement plan with employer contribution.  

The salary range for this position is $114,365- $147,041.

New hires are typically brought into the organization at a salary between the range minimum and the salary range midpoint depending on qualifications, internal equity, and the budgeted amount for the role.   

How to Apply

• To apply for this position, please complete and submit all information in the application/application link. 
• RFA is an equal opportunity employer that values/celebrates diversity and that follows a policy of making all employment decisions and personnel actions without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, partnership status, personal appearance, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, family responsibilities, matriculation, political affiliation, disability, status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual offenses or stalking, military status, veteran status or any other category protected under federal, state or local law.
• Applicants for employment with RFA must have valid work authorization that does not require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the U.S.