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Program Director

This is a full time, paid position.

The Internet Education Foundation is hiring a Director to work on its Congressional App Challenge project. This is a paid position.

About the Congressional App Challenge

The Congressional App Challenge’s mission is to inspire, include, and innovate efforts around stem, coding, and computer science education. The CAC is an initiative of the U.S. House of Representatives, where Members of Congress host contests in their districts for middle school and high school students, encouraging them to learn to code and inspiring them to pursue careers in computer science. The  House  of  Representatives  created  the  Congressional  App  Challenge  (CAC)  through  the  passage  of   H. Res  77  in  2013. The non-profit Internet Education Foundation provides the CAC with supplemental staffing and support. In the first four years of the Congressional App Challenge, the program has yielded 830 App Challenges across 47 states and territories. More than 4,100 functional apps have been created by over 14,000 students, and participant demographics surpass all Silicon Valley industry diversity metrics.

About the position 

We’re hiring a program director of the Congressional App Challenge to succeed current director Rachel Decoste. In less than two years, under Rachel’s leadership, the Congressional App Challenge has reached over 10,000 students in 47 states and territories. The impact has been enormous in just a short period of time. The Director established data management protocols to be maintained and improved.We’re looking for someone to join the team and take it to the next level.

Other IEF projects include: The Congressional Internet Caucus AC, The Internet Law & Policy Foundry, and the State of the Net Conference Series.  

Timeline

This position opens immediately (January 2019). The Challenge itself runs from summer to late fall.  Then the #HouseOfCode DC Reception happens in the Spring (April/May).

Responsibilities and Qualifications

The Program Director position will be responsible for overseeing execution of the Congressional App Challenge, including:

Program Management: The Program Director is responsible for determining, implementing and overseeing CAC processes. These include, but are not limited to: congressional registration and participation, student registration and project submission, partnership management, localized outreach strategies, diversity-promoting strategies, etc. 

Fundraising: The Program Director is an integral part of the organization’s fundraising efforts. The Program Director must be able to articulate the project’s goals and value to prospective funders, communicate with existing funders, and determine a strategy to attract additional funders. A background in grant applications and foundation fundraising is a bonus.

Communications/Marketing: The Director must use communications tools and strategies to recruit student participation and stakeholder support in pockets across America. This role will require raising awareness of the project through social media, email marketing campaigns, personalized communications, and frequent public speaking under a variety of conditions.

Manage A Growing Team: Currently, the primary CAC consists of a full-time Director, several part-time consultants, and several interns and volunteers. As the program grows, the Program Director will need to establish hiring criteria and processes, manage onboarding, and oversee a growing team.

As the Program Director you will:

  • Oversee all efforts involved in execution of the Congressional App Challenge.
  • Develop and maintain sponsor relationships.
  • Build partnerships with community organizations, both nationwide and local, to advance outreach efforts in participating districts.
  • Develop and maintain improved contact/data management systems.
  • Work with the Congressional Affairs Director and oversee other team members.
  • Organize #HouseOfCode, the culminating celebration in the Spring.
  • Develop new models for growth in the areas of educational support and regional events such as hackathons and demo days.

SKILLS & QUALIFICATIONS

The most important quality a program manager must bring to the table, is a passion for addressing the tech talent gap, and promoting equity and equality in the tech community.

Required Skills & Qualifications:

  • Several years experience managing complex projects.
  • An entrepreneurial spirit and startup mentality.
  • Relentless attention to detail and effective time-management skills.
  • A commitment to social equity and diversity efforts.
  • A data-driven, metrics-oriented mindset.
  • Fundraising experience.
  • Media experience; pitching press releases, op-eds, and more.
  • Clear and concise communications skills, oral and written.
  • Some familiarity with Computer Science (coding skills a plus).

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Experience with WordPress, HTML, and CSS.
  • Experience with CRMs and email marketing programs. (We use Salesforce and Mailchimp.)
  • Experience with database development and management.
  • Non-profit or Capitol Hill experience.
  • Experience hosting hackathons, demo days, or coding competitions.
  • Experience with computer science education strongly preferred.
  • A Graduate Degree in public policy, business administration, computer science, or related fields.

To apply,  send resume and cover letter  to Human Resources at [email protected] with the subject line “Job Application: Director – Dec 2018”.