Senior Program Manager of Food Assistance

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) is a nonpartisan research and policy institute that advances federal and state policies to help build a nation where everyone — regardless of income, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, ZIP code, immigration status, or disability status — has the resources they need to thrive and share in the nation’s prosperity.

CBPP combines rigorous research and analysis, strategic communications, and effective advocacy to shape debates, affect policy, and inform effective implementation both nationally and in states. It works closely with a broad set of national, state, and community organizations to design and advance policies that promote economic justice; improve health; broaden opportunity in areas like housing, health care, employment, and education; and lower structural barriers for people of color and others in communities that continue to face systemic barriers to opportunity. CBPP promotes policies that will build a more equitable nation and fair tax policies that can support these gains over the long term. CBPP also shows the harmful impacts of policies and proposals that would deepen poverty, widen disparities, and worsen health outcomes.

CBPP’s Food Assistance policy team focuses on reducing hunger and food insecurity (the lack of consistent access to nutritious food) by improving access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); the SUN Bucks (Summer Electronic Benefit) program; and the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. The team also promotes collaboration between these and other benefit programs supporting low-income people (such as Medicaid, rental assistance and other housing programs, and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program). The team provides data and technical assistance to an array of important stakeholders, including federal and state policymakers, program administrators, national partners, a growing network of state-level advocates, journalists, and the public. The team’s work includes promoting effective approaches at the federal, state, and local levels to provide food assistance to low- and moderate-income families and individuals; developing and analyzing proposed changes in government policies; conducting research on the need for food assistance and the implications of food assistance policy choices; and working with other nonprofits on these issues. The team also provides technical assistance to advocates in nearly every state, coordinating a network of these advocates and providing them with information about federal policy, ideas for how to improve program implementation, and help with state-level policy proposals. This includes emerging work to address eligibility and enrollment issues through policy, operations, and technological strategies and solutions. CBPP helps shape the debate on food assistance policies, and its analyses and experts are quoted frequently in the press and relied upon heavily by policymakers and colleagues in other organizations.

CBPP is seeking a Senior Program Manager to join its highly skilled Food Assistance policy team. The role will provide expertise and technical assistance to state-level stakeholders related to enrollment and eligibility processes in health and nutrition assistance programs. Working with other members of the food assistance and health teams, the role will help lead several ongoing regrant projects and other initiatives. These include projects that focus on improving access to public benefit programs such as SNAP, WIC, and Medicaid. The role provides operational and strategic guidance to program officers/managers and other colleagues to ensure projects are run effectively and efficiently, deliverables are met, and grantees and other state partners are supported. The role will also take the lead on developing and implementing cross-team systems and processes that help the project team communicate and run more effectively.

Responsibilities:

• Assess eligibility pathways in health and nutrition assistance programs to identify barriers to coverage and best practices for facilitating enrollment.
• Manage one or more projects that provide technical assistance and strategic guidance to state policymakers and advocacy organizations to identify obstacles to enrollment in federal health and nutrition assistance programs (Medicaid, SNAP, and WIC) and develop and advance recommendations to maximize enrollment of eligible people.
• Manage regranting and reporting processes, including requesting and collecting grantee proposals, documenting grantees’ progress on grant deliverables (for example, tracking written products, press coverage, and social media activity), and advising and guiding grant-related deliverables and updates for funders.
• Manage program development, logistics, and facilitation for webinars and conference calls to provide training and technical assistance to grantees.
• Guide content development and logistical planning for in-person convenings with grantees and funders.
• Ensure cross-project communication between CBPP’s Food Assistance and Health teams and coordination of technical assistance, training, and strategic guidance to grantee staff.
• Author and contribute to materials on policy and operational issues, including blogs, guidance documents, memos, and policy papers.
• Collect and share resources such as case studies, reports, and webinars with grantees to inform technical assistance, training, and strategic guidance.
• Develop metrics and tools for tracking progress of grantees and projects.
• Coordinate consultant contracts, invoices, and payments for eligibility and enrollment projects.
• Identify and propose new lines of work on eligibility and enrollment and new ways to create more effective and efficient processes related to operations and project management.
• Act as a thought partner to grantees in overall project management, curriculum design, agenda development, and work planning; support grantees in attending to key priorities and completing work in a timely and effective manner.
• Perform other job-related duties within the role’s scope as assigned to support the team’s goals.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of seven years of relevant full-time work experience in a program administration, policy/program analysis, advocacy, or project management role. A relevant graduate degree may substitute for two years of work experience.
• Highly organized, attentive to detail, and able to coordinate and manage multiple tasks for different projects/supervisors (often on a time-sensitive basis).
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Demonstrated ability to manage and improve processes that involve multiple stakeholders.
• Detailed knowledge of and proficiency in Microsoft Office productivity applications, including Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Experience working with Salesforce or similar databases a plus.
• Relevant experience in project management and technical assistance for philanthropic and/or public policy research and advocacy organizations.
• Knowledge of federal health or food assistance programs (Medicaid, SNAP, WIC, school meals) or other income support programs.
• A commitment to CBPP’s mission to improve the well-being of low- and moderate-income people, reduce poverty, and advance racial equity.
• Occasional travel (three to four trips annually) may be required to meet with grantees or present at conferences and other convenings.

This position is based in the Washington, D.C. office. CBPP is currently operating on a hybrid work schedule of two in-office days (Tuesday and Wednesday) per week as well as the first Thursday of each month in our Washington, D.C. office.

This position reports to the Director of Research on the Food Assistance team.

Terms of Employment: full-time; exempt; three-year term.

Bargaining Unit Status: This is a bargaining unit position.

Compensation: Salary for this position ranges from $83,000 to $115,000 per year. Pay is based on a number of factors including job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and internal pay equity. CBPP offers excellent benefits (including health insurance, vision and dental coverage, life and long-term disability insurance, retirement, MERP, and DCAP) and generous vacation, sick leave, and holiday schedules.

Please upload a cover letter and resume. In your cover letter, please include a discussion of what draws you to CBPP's mission.

To apply, please submit your resume and cover letter here.

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities is an Equal Opportunity Employer that values and welcomes diversity in the workplace and strongly encourages all qualified persons to apply regardless of race, color, age, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, credit information, pregnancy or parental status, family responsibilities, personal appearance, creed, military or veteran status, religion, ancestry or national origin, union activities, disability, or other status protected by applicable law.