Job Description

Position: Pilot Manager & Designer

Location: Remote, but Boston, MA; San Jose, CA; or New York, NY preferred

Type: Part-time, contracted

About New America: We are a distinctive community of more than 150 thinkers, writers, researchers, technologists, and community activists who believe deeply in the possibility of American renewal. We are dedicated to realizing the promise of America in an era of rapid technological and social change.  At New America, our research and policy recommendations focus on five key thematic areas: education from birth to workforce; family economic security and wellbeing; people- and planet-centered global politics; political reform and civic engagement; and technology and democracy. In each area of our work, we put equity at the center; elevate stories of people closest to the public problems we seek to solve; invest in the next generation of leaders; and intentionally engage with local perspectives. Taken together, these efforts advance toward our vision of a more equitable America that lives up to its values.

About RethinkAI: RethinkAI is a cross-sector assembly of institutions, scholars, and practitioners focused on civic tech that are working together to leverage AI to completely reimagine local governance and community development in the U.S. Together, the collective aims to build the field of Civic AI–AI designed, developed, and deployed in the public interest: 

We work in three areas: 

• Research + Policy: We report on the current landscape and trends in AI policy, technical infrastructure, institutional and community capacity, and use cases to inform Civic AI policy and practice.
• Ambitious Pilots: We support 2-4 local institutions per year to co-design and implement AI pilots that address public problems and share best practices in responsible tech development.
• Communities of Practice: We convene leading voices in government, community, academia, industry, and philanthropy to break down silos, make sense of learnings, and implement best practices.  

Primary Function: We are seeking a manager and designer to support our Pilots lead. The Pilot Manager and Designer will manage 3-4 co-design teams in cities across the U.S. and guide them to develop community-driven AI pilots. This part-time, contracted position requires a unique blend of community advocacy experience, project management expertise, and user experience (UX) skills. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in community advocacy and collaborative design, as well as the ability to manage teams with diverse stakeholders and power dynamics in complex, collaborative environments.

Key Responsibilities:

• Project Management:
  • Lead and manage multiple co-design teams across various cities, ensuring effective communication and cooperation among all parties.
  • Utilize project management tools to track progress, manage tasks, coordinate with team members, and report learnings and progress to various stakeholders.
• Community Advocacy: 
  • Drive a collaborative, community-driven pilot design and implementation process, coordinating and actively steering teams toward more inclusive, community-oriented outcomes.
  • Work closely with community advocates, ensuring that community voices are heard and integrated into the design process.
• Stakeholder Management:
  • Facilitate collaborative design processes involving multiple and diverse stakeholders to advance projects and remove roadblocks
  • Report regularly on teams progress and challenges to diverse stakeholders, including funders, local government leaders, community groups, and others.

• Communication:
  • Synthesize teams’ progress and learnings through written briefs, presentations, etc. and share with all stakeholders.
  • Implement and oversee knowledge management practices to ensure that insights and information from all co-design teams are captured and utilized effectively. 

Qualifications:

• Experience as a Project Manager, with a proven track record of managing complex teams
• Background in community advocacy and/or working with political entities, particularly facilitating partnerships between local governments and community groups
• Familiarity with a variety of project management tools (e.g., Trello, Asana, Jira)
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills

Preferred, but not required:

• Fluent Spanish speaker
• Familiarity with product development, sprint management, and/or UX and service design 
• Knowledge of technology policy, cybersecurity, and related fields, with the ability to understand and incorporate tech considerations into the design process 

Contract Details:

• Position Type: Part-time, Contract
• Location: Remote, with some travel required to the cities where co-design teams are based.
• Duration: 12 months
• Compensation: $100,000.

Application Process:

Submit a resume and a cover letter. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, so early submissions (but no later than September 30th) are recommended.

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