Program Officer - American Connection Corps

The American Connection Corps (ACC) is the flagship AmeriCorps program of Lead For America (LFA), a national nonprofit that is building a new generation of public service leaders nationwide. ACC is LFA’s boots-on-the-ground service corps, aimed at supporting local leaders in digitally disconnected communities nationally. Through a year of service, ACC Members become leaders who can tackle critical challenges, advance economic prosperity, and spark needed change in the places they’re most connected to. Every corner of America deserves the leadership of great public servants, and ACC brings that vision to life. 

The next service year will begin on September 9, 2024, and all ACC Members will support the national core campaign of Bridging the Digital Divide with an emphasis on the following ACC focus areas:

• Community & Economic Development
• Health & Social Capital
• Agriculture & Natural Resources

About the Position

Together as a team, ACC Program Officers work collaboratively to directly support, mentor, coach, retain, and supervise the annual cohort of 100+ American Connection Corps (ACC) AmeriCorps members, with a caseload of approximately 20-25 Members per Program Officer. Program Officers are also responsible for supporting ACC’s host site organizations and local site supervisors on the ground to ensure that all ACC AmeriCorps Members have a world-class service experience and are able to successfully meet both program-wide and local site goals for community impact. Program Officers are expected to ensure a 90% AmeriCorps Member retention rate each program year and to support their ACC Members and host sites while ensuring program fidelity and AmeriCorps compliance. Program Officers are also empowered to propose and lead special projects aligned with their interest areas, skills, and professional development goals, in service of ACC’s mission and growth.

Requirements

Duties & Responsibilities

Member Support (50%)

• Provide direct support and oversight of 20-25 ACC AmeriCorps Members serving at host sites across the nation; serve as their primary Point of Contact at LFA for questions, needs, and concerns.
• Review and approve ACC Member timesheets bi-weekly for timeliness, accuracy, and compliance.
• Review and compile ACC Members’ Monthly Impact Survey reports to ensure robust and accurate collection and aggregation of Member impact data, great stories, and highlights.
• Lead monthly 1:1 check-in calls with assigned ACC Members to ensure a positive and productive service experience, provide mentorship and coaching, and ensure compliance with AmeriCorps, LFA, and host site expectations and requirements.
• Connect Members and hosts to key resources, training materials, events and opportunities to support their work. 
• Maintain frequent communication with ACC Members through ACC Slack channel, email, phone, LinkedIn, and other platforms.
• Identify and escalate Member concerns and issues to the ACC Director of Programs promptly and appropriately; work to resolve conflicts as needed; strive for 90%+ Member retention and completion rate annually.
• Support the annual recruitment, selection, and onboarding of incoming ACC AmeriCorps Member cohorts as needed.

Host Site Support (25%)

• Host Envisioning Calls with all Host Site Supervisors and ACC Members to set norms and expectations for the year ahead; ensure Members and Hosts have mutual agreement on key projects, deliverables, and working agreements to create a strong foundation for long-term success and impact.
• Facilitate quarterly check-ins with ACC Members and their host site supervisors to gather feedback, lessons learned, make adjustments to Member-Host scope of work and expectations as needed, and ensure a positive experience for all ACC Members and hosts. 
• Ensure 100% of ACC Members receive mid-term and final performance evaluations.
• Build strong channels of reporting and communication between LFA and hosting communities to ensure grant compliance and strong grant reporting. 
• Work with Community Partnerships Manager to design and implement rigorous virtual host training and orientation, supervisor roundtables, support systems, special event invitations, and connect hosts with key resources.
• Support the development and training of ACC host site organizations in collaboration with ACC staff. 

ACC Project Management (25%)

• Support the ACC Director of Programs and Senior Program Officer with day-to-day program operations, event planning, and ACC-related tasks and projects.
• Develop and deliver presentations and trainings throughout the year for Member orientation and ongoing development; attend and participate in quarterly in-person ACC training events (anticipated travel in September, January, May, and August) in Kansas, Minnesota, Washington DC, and other locations.
• Assist with planning, facilitating, and hosting weekly Pods and other topical presentations via Zoom.
• Coordinate with Senior Program Officer and other LFA staff to review and approve Members’ applications for the Discovery Fund and Emergency Relief Fund.
• Manage and update member files and records in America Learns database.
• Utilize project management tools in collaboration with Senior Program Officer to meet specified deadlines and requested deliverables.
• Coordinate ACC Members’ interaction with ACC training materials and technical support including 1) online/virtual learning modules, 2) weekly Pods 3) monthly plenaries, and 4) quarterly in-person events and trainings.
• Work with the ACC Director of Programs to help design and innovate rigorous program management systems and maintain the smooth and rigorous operation of the ACC program calendar.
• Ensure rigorous accountability to compliance systems for all grants, including AmeriCorps grants. 
• Ensure Member compliance with evaluation needs + programmatic requirements (listening tour, evaluations, etc). Monitor and report on results, to iterate on program design and ensure tight feedback loops between Members and LFA.
• Liaise as needed with ACC partners and ACC AmeriCorps Team Leaders.
• Manage the ACC’s virtual community platform (Slack or similar) to coordinate Member and Host communications, assignments, learnings, additional opportunities amongst Member cohort while ensuring alignment with LFA’s values.
• Assist with LFA’s Alumni-Building initiatives to keep members engaged post-service.
• Assist with other duties as assigned in support of ACC’s programmatic growth and expansion.

Preference for individuals residing in Mountain/Pacific Time Zone and proficient Spanish speakers.

EMPLOYER OF NATIONAL SERVICE: AmeriCorps and Peace Corps Alumni preferred. 

Benefits

• Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)
• Retirement Plan (401k, IRA)
• Laptop provided
• Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)
• Paid Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays)
• Short Term & Long Term Disability
• Training & Development
• Work From Home

Salary Range: $55k-60k

This position includes access to health insurance, vision and dental insurance, company-provided laptop, a 401(k) retirement plan, 15 days PTO (with increasing PTO over time) plus paid holidays, 12 weeks of parental leave (including the first 4 weeks paid), and a $750 annual professional development allowance.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: JUNE 24, 2024.

Equal Opportunity Employer. Lead For America operates in accordance with federal and AmeriCorps civil rights and non-discrimination requirements. This program is available to all, without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, disability, gender identity or expression, political affiliation, marital or parental status, genetic information and military service. All program documents, including compliance history information, may be made available in languages other than English. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication to obtain program information (e.g. Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language), should contact us at [email protected]