Opportunity Summary:
The Senior Program Manager will lead the execution and local management of The Contingent’s recruitment and retention activities for Every Child in Tennessee. This role will prioritize helping co-design a statewide retention strategy to ensure the foster parents recruited through Every Child Tennessee have a high retention rate. While current services and products exist for foster family recruitment, the Senior Program Manager will seek continuous improvement to leads are assigned and partners are certifying families in a timely manner. This role acts as a bridge between The Contingent and the local Every Child Tennessee effort, led by the backbone organization (GFBCI). This role includes conducting assessments of the current state of recruitment and retention activities, serving as the liaison with all members receiving leads, partnering with TC’s product team to improve products built for our partners in the state, communicating with executive-level leaders in child welfare, and coordinating between The Contingent’s products and services and the local partners’ activities.    

  

This work involves 50% project management and translation of on-the-ground needs into technical specifications for the Community Collider’s execution of the Air Game recruitment and retention activities, and 50% relational work on behalf of The Contingent as the organization seeks to serve current members and establish the retention priority for Every Child Tennessee. The Sr. Program Manager’s leadership will result in The Contingent’s ability to respond effectively, accurately, and in a timely manner to the needs on the ground, increasing collaboration and synchronicity between the multiple activities, and providing on-the-ground assistance to The Contingent’s Action Lab as the organization establishes the Every Child Tennessee retention priority over the next two years. The Sr. Program Manager will be instrumental in transforming the ecosystem in Tennessee to better serve the needs of kids and families impacted by foster care through the leadership of new community engagement opportunities.  

  

Personifying our core values (listening, innovation, accountability, radical hospitality, action), this role will think out-of-the-box to solve the needs of kids and families impacted by foster care through a collaborative approach.  This role will be reporting to the CEO and working closely with the Product Manager, Director of the Action Lab, and the Executive Director for Products and Innovation at The Contingent to deliver on Air Game needs, support, and co-designing Every Child Tennessee retention priority.   

  
As a new role, the Sr. Program Manager will be responding to the needs and requests of community partners while balancing those needs with The Contingent’s deliverables, timelines, and resources related to recruitment and retention.   

 

Duties & Responsibilities:

Program Management  

  • Utilize organizational pillars for collective impact to gather feedback, support, and follow up with community on The Contingent’s role in recruitment 
  • Lead program management towards Every Child model key metrics in Tennessee   
  • Build on-the-ground strategy around The Contingent’s Every Child goals  
  • Partner with Every Child Tennessee Director, led by Governor’s Faith-based and Community Initiative (GFBCI) and its implementing partners
  • Partner with the CEO and TC Product Manager to provide regular updates to Department of Child Services (DCS) leadership  
  • Translating feedback from network partner organizations and families with lived expertise into The Contingent’s products and programs

 

Product and Project Management  

  • Provide in-person support for partner organizations on TC Air Game products: website, CX, Partner Portal, and reporting  
  • Manage the project timelines and sprints for add-ons to products  
  • Communicate with the Product Manager of the Community Collider (The Contingent’s hub for marketing, CX, technology, and data and impact) about technical needs from the ground  
  • Follow FreshDesk tickets and offer support to partners
  • Manage budget, resources, and expectations to deliver on requests  
  • Listen for opportunities to innovate around the product, reflecting them to the Product Manager
  • Communicate with partners about product releases, build updates, observations, and opportunities for collaboration  
  • Create presentations for network partner meetings, working with Every Child Tennessee Director to communicate important updates and recommendations
  • Create structure for feedback loops around the product  
  • Manage expectations of partners around product deliverables  

Relationship-Building  

  • Build trust and relationship with Every Child Tennessee Network partners 
  • Provide regular strategic and tactical communication to GFBCI on all Every Child Tennessee activity that connect to or through The Contingent
  • Provide primary leadership on the ground in Tennessee to ensure all work on the retention priority is
    rooted in listening well to DCS and partners in Tennessee.
  • Proactively seek out feedback on Air Game products from network partners  
  • Lead proactive communication around product rollouts and product improvements with partners  
  • Gather feedback from Every Child Tennessee Network on new products and programs  
  • Establish rapport with The Department of Children’s Services (DCS) program leads  
  • Build and lead communications strategy to partner organizations  
  • Highlight pain points to Community Collider team, as needed  


Other responsibilities and duties as deemed appropriate by supervisor 

 

Success Metrics:

This is a new position and will be evaluated after a year by these metrics: 

  • Retention priority benchmarks hit, including Discovery process finished, Key stakeholders engaged, North star for retention priority identified, Concept paper finalized, Demonstration project prepared for launch
  • Partner satisfaction increases over time 
  • Number of new certified families through EC Tennessee meet targets through Air Game effectiveness 
  • Volunteers engaged with EC Tennessee increase year-over-year 
  • Key metrics for Every Child Model are implemented in Tennessee (i.e., % of leads assigned in gap counties)

 

Education and Experience:

  • Bachelor’s degree required  
  • 5 years of experience in project or program management, with proven experience in building consensus, launching new programs, and/or scaling initiatives  

 

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

  • Robust understanding or personal experience with child welfare system
  • Clear evidence of working in an entrepreneurial environment with quick program start-up experience  
  • The role is technical, relational, and entrepreneurial, and requires a candidate with initiative, energy for building innovative solutions, and who can translate programmatic needs into technical language   
  • Demonstrates strong relational skills and intuition with various stakeholders  
  • Experience in successfully working with a diverse group of constituents utilizing multi-cultural intelligence, intentional listening, appreciation, and respect   
  • Experience messaging to individuals with different purposes or orientations to a cause (and speaking to core motivations), including business leaders, faith leaders, and lived expertise.
  • Demonstrated ability to analyze multiple inputs and dynamics, then build solutions in response   
  • Experience in program coordination or management with tight timelines  
  • Excellent communicator with strong written, verbal, and public speaking skills who is experienced in engaging with diverse audiences  
  • Proficient in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook), experience with SharePoint and Microsoft Teams and SharePoint is preferred   
  • Proficient in Asana or other task and project management software is preferred   
  • Experience working with Microsoft Dynamics 365, or another CRM (Customer Relations Management) platform  

 

Personal Qualifications:

  • Commitment to the mission of The Contingent, including Every Child and The Script.  
  • A willingness to be “hands-on” and work in a lean, fast-paced organization with limited
    administrative support    
  • Possess cultural and emotional intelligence with an ability to work with a diverse group of leaders    
  • Demonstrates a passion for operational, technical, and customer experience excellence    
  • Ability to articulate a position on the importance of the faith community engaging vulnerable children, youth, and families   
  • Deep commitment to increasing the diversity of leadership in the communities we serve  
  • Deep commitment to serving under-represented kids, youth, and families and those in government who work with them   
  • Continual growth mindset to develop and improve existing processes to enhance program efficiencies    
  • Flexibility with receptivity to constructive feedback    
  • Self-motivated leader they take initiative  
  • Adaptable to changing situations and processes

 

Benefits:

  • Comprehensive benefits including premium medical, vision, and dental insurance
  • Covered 100% for employee and partially (80%) for spouse and/or dependents
  • 19 paid holidays, with additional vacation, sick, bereavement and parental leave
  • 401(k) with a 4% (annual salary) match

 

Employment Terms, Accountability, and Compensation:

  • Full Time (40hrs) exempt annual salary offered at a range of $70,000- $75,500 (estimated total compensation $80,000 - $85,000) doe
    • Starting placement will not exceed this starting pay range and will be based on qualifications, experience, and internal equity.
  • This a hybrid position in Nashville, Tennessee
  • This position is part of a matrix management team
  • The Contingent has a flexible work model that supports a blend of in-office, remote, virtual and on the go workers
  • This position will be expected to work within The Contingent’s hybrid work policy (2-3 days in the office, 2-3 days from home) Daily schedule and in office days will result from collaboration between the employee and their supervisor.
  • We have team members located in multiple time zones. To facilitate collaboration across teams, core hours for this position are 9-2 pm PST (11-4pm CST, 12-5pm EST)
  • Legally eligible to work in the United States

 

Anticipated Start Date: February 10, 2025

To Apply: please visit https://thecontingent.org/careers/ 

Screening of applicant materials will begin immediately, and applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

 

**"Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At The Contingent we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you are excited about this role but your experience does not align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles."  

 

All employment at The Contingent is “at will” and may be terminated by either the employee or the employer at any time for any reason, with or without cause, with or without prior notice or warning. Equal employment opportunity and having a diverse staff are fundamental principles of The Contingent. Upon hire, the employee agrees to undergo a 90-day probationary period, which provides additional structure, scheduled check in meetings and opportunities to receive and give feedback to and from the employer.  

 

Equal Opportunity Employer