Organization Description: 

The Contingent is a 501(c)(3) venture non-profit focused on sparking and holding initiatives to empower leaders and mobilize community for the common good. Since our inception, we have leveraged the perspectives, skills and needs of people of color and low-income community members to challenge the status quo and positively transform our communities. We ask hard questions. We take risks. And we link arms with our neighbors, including business partners, faith communities*, and government agencies. 

The Every Child initiative mobilizes community to uplift kids and families impacted by foster care through an innovative “Air Game” combined with facilitating and supporting collaboration among a robust group of organizations, government agencies, and civic groups committed to local support of kids and families in their community (i.e., the “Ground Game”).  

From mentoring, to mobilizing volunteers, to restructuring systems designed to work for some at the expense of others, we prioritize empowering and mobilizing leaders to transform their communities. For more information about the initiatives of The Contingent, please visit www.thecontingent.org. 

*If interested candidates would like to learn more about The Contingent’s work with faith communities and how this external work is reflected in our internal rhythms, we would value the opportunity to share more! Please contact The Contingent’s Executive Director of People and Culture, Kelly Bartz k.bartz@thecontingent.org for additional information. 

Opportunity Summary:  
The Senior Product Manager will manage and improve the Every Child product, focusing on the needs of our community partners and members. This role is essential for developing our core product infrastructure as we expand to more states. The work is highly cross-functional, requiring management of relationships and feature builds across teams including marketing, customer experience, design, engineering, and programmatic work. A successful Product Manager will enjoy solving complex puzzles and fitting pieces together. 

This entrepreneurial and innovative role involves crafting user stories, partnering with engineering for successful sprints, and managing timelines, expectations, and risk with stakeholders. The leadership of this individual will enhance The Contingent’s ability to serve our community by understanding their needs and building solutions. 

Personifying our core values (listening, innovation, accountability, radical hospitality, action), this role will creatively address the needs of kids and families impacted by foster care through collaboration with partners in new jurisdictions. 

Duties & Responsibilities: 

Product Strategy: Develop and communicate the product vision and strategy, aligning it with the missional outcomes of the Every Child program – support community members in saying a deeper yes to supporting families and children involved in the child welfare system. 

User Research and Discovery: Conduct discovery sessions to understand the needs of community members, state government partners and community partners. Also understand and evaluate partnership opportunities.  

Feature Prioritization: Evaluate and prioritize product features based on customer feedback, missional impact, and technical feasibility. 

Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with teams such as engineering, design, marketing, and customer service to ensure successful product development and launch including partner training and documentation. 

Product Lifecycle Management: Oversee the product from ideation to launch and beyond, ensuring continuous improvement and adaptation. 

Stakeholder Communication: Present product updates and insights to internal and external stakeholders to help drive understanding of how our work impacts our outcomes. 

Product Backlog Management: Maintain and prioritize the product backlog including writing and grooming user stories and overseeing the testing and launch of new features. 

Performance Monitoring: Track and analyze product performance using metrics and customer feedback to drive continuous improvement. 

Problem Solving: Address challenges and obstacles that arise during product development and implementation including supporting programmatic teams in their relationships with state and community partners. 

This role may include variability in responsibilities and duties as deemed by their supervisor. The Contingent employees should be prepared for a dynamic work environment. 

Education and Experience: 

  • Bachelor’s degree required  

  • 3-5 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:  

  • Our work is highly entrepreneurial, and we are building and scaling a new product and solution with a small team, experience in an entrepreneurial environment is preferred. 

  • Experience working on customer engagement platforms will be beneficial as our solution brings together marketing, customer service and technology. 

  • Experience in successfully working with a diverse group of constituents utilizing multi-cultural intelligence, intentional listening, appreciation, and respect is essential. 

  • 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.

  • Excellent communicator with strong written, verbal, and public speaking skills who is experienced in engaging with diverse audiences.  

  • Experience supporting teams of entry-level professionals and coaching rising leaders in their development.

Personal Qualifications:  

  • 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

  • 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 that takes initiative

  • Adaptable to changing situations and processes

Benefits: 

  • Comprehensive benefits including premium medical, vision, and dental insurance 

  • Covered 100% for employees 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 $100,000 – 110,000 (estimated total compensation 110,000 - $120,000) doe 

    • Starting placement will not exceed this starting pay range and is based on qualifications, experience, and internal equity. 

  • This is a hybrid position in Portland, Oregon 

  • The Contingent has a flexible work model that supports a blend of in-office, remote, virtual, and on-the-go workers  

  • We have team members in multiple time zones. To facilitate collaboration, core hours for this position are 9-2 pm PST (11-4pm CST, 12-5pm EST) 

  • 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) 

  • Legally eligible to work in the United States 

Anticipated Start Date:  

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 opportunities 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