About U.S. Digital Response

U.S. Digital Response (USDR) works alongside state, local, and tribal governments to modernize how they deliver digital services and better meet the public's needs.

We envision a future where communities trust governments to deliver. We operate with humility and deep respect for our partners and believe that modern and resilient technology applied in the public interest can deliver people-centered services at the speed of need.

Since March 2020, USDR’s projects have impacted tens of millions of people in nearly 50 U.S. states and territories. We’ve worked with more than 650 governments and organizations on over 700 projects.

Leveraging an internal team of ~30 staff along with a network of over 12,000 pro-bono technical experts, USDR addresses and uncovers solutions for common, systemic challenges that public servants are facing. We bring the innovation and agility of a tech startup that is tailored to serve the unique needs and challenges of government.

Learn more in our blog post reflecting on five years of USDR.

About the Role

USDR is seeking a Cost Recovery Program Manager to spearhead our evolution toward financial sustainability while maintaining our mission-driven approach and the deep trust we've built with government partners. This role is primarily focused on designing and executing strategic experiments to develop sustainable cost recovery models, requiring someone who can combine analytical rigor with creative problem-solving and a realistic understanding of government needs.

As USDR evolves from a primarily grant-funded model, this role will be instrumental in helping us experiment with diversified cost recovery models and discover which services governments value enough to pay for, what pricing models work within government constraints, and how we can expand our reach while ensuring long-term organizational sustainability. You'll work closely with our COO, program teams, and select government partners to design and conduct cost recovery experiments that could reshape how USDR operates.

This is a termed role for one year, salaried, with competitive pay and benefits outlined below.

Glossary

• Government partner / partner = what we call the governments we work with (may be any kind of department at federal, state, county, or city level, or a public entity)
• Volunteer = we are primarily a volunteer-based organization. We have a pool of 11,000+ professional-level volunteer technologists who are the primary contributors to projects.
• Programs = USDR's two program areas - or verticals - focus on improving service delivery where failure can meaningfully erode trust in government. These programs are Elections and Digital Delivery (which includes USDR’s work on Benefits). USDR program staff work alongside our government partners to help them modernize how agencies work and apply a product operating model to their work.
• Focus areas = Our five focus areas - or horizontals - seek to increase governments' digital capacity through building the foundational capacities needed to deliver human-centered digital services. These focus areas are Generative AI, Language Access, Procurement, Talent, and User Experience. In these focus areas, USDR staff bring government and tech experience to understand problems, scope out engagements for our expert volunteers to deliver, and manage their delivery.

Key Responsibilities

This role is responsible for designing and executing strategic experiments to develop sustainable cost recovery models for USDR, working closely with program teams to discover which services governments value enough to pay for and what pricing models work within government constraints.

Research and design cost recovery experiments (35%)

Research

• Partner with COO and program directors to identify USDR services with highest potential for cost recovery
• Work with program staff to design partner research protocols and interview guides that test hypotheses about willingness to pay, procurement constraints, and perceived value
• Conduct discovery conversations with government partners about budget availability, procurement processes, value perception for different USDR services, leading pricing discussions while maintaining trust and honoring existing relationships
• Synthesize insights from experiment conversations across multiple programs to identify patterns, refine approaches, and inform strategic direction
• Collaborate with program teams to audit existing USDR services and categorize by cost recovery potential, government procurement feasibility, and mission alignment
• Monitor government funding trends, procurement policy changes, and peer organization approaches to inform USDR's strategy

Design

• Design and manage cost recovery experiments, testing different services, pricing models, and target audiences within government contexts
• Set prioritization and sequencing for cost recovery experimentation across program teams, balancing learning goals, cost recovery potential, and organizational capacity
• Create and maintain a learning roadmap outlining key questions, hypotheses, and sequenced experiments needed to reach sustainable cost recovery models, iterating rapidly and embracing learning from failure

Collaborate with program teams in executing cost recovery experiments (30%)

• Work with program teams who have deep partner context to identify which government partners are appropriate for specific cost recovery experiments and set prioritization criteria for experiment selection. Program teams bring knowledge of partner needs and constraints; you bring experimentation methodology, project management, and financial expertise
• Design partner/program-specific experiment protocols, conversation guides, and research questions that will be deployed in partner conversations
• Attend and/or lead cost recovery experiment conversations with government partners, with program staff facilitating introductions and providing relationship context

Analyze results and provide strategic recommendations (20%)

• Analyze experiment results and develop strategic recommendations in support of USDR's long-range financial sustainability
• Build financial models to project cost recovery potential, cost structures, and sustainability scenarios for different services
• Track and report on cost recovery experiments, learnings, and financial impact
• Partner with COO to set strategic direction for cost recovery based on experiment learnings and market insights

Develop go-to-market strategies and infrastructure (15%)

• Develop infrastructure enabling programs to run cost recovery experiments, including pricing frameworks, success metrics, and decision criteria
• Create clear frameworks and collateral that help government partners understand fee-based services and design pricing structures that work within government procurement thresholds and budget processes
• Build repeatable processes for scoping, pricing, and contracting paid engagements, including lead qualification criteria and pipeline management
• Partner with Marketing team to develop messaging that positions paid services appropriately

As part of your onboarding, we will provide robust documentation, shadowing opportunities, and plenty of time for questions. Some indicators you might be a strong fit for this role:

We’re excited about you because you bring:

• 5+ years experience with financial modeling, pricing strategy, or data analysis, including direct experience designing or managing earned revenue, cost recovery initiatives, and/or social enterprise models in nonprofit or public sector contexts
• 3+ years of project/program management experience with ability to coordinate multiple workstreams simultaneously
• Ability to analyze qualitative and quantitative data and synthesize findings into actionable recommendations
• Experience building and implementing repeatable frameworks, processes, or experiments that can be scaled and/or adapted
• 3+ years of experience working in or with highly complex, regulated institutional environments (e.g. government, healthcare, finance, education)
• Understanding of procurement and budget processes across multiple levels of government (state, county, tribal, local)
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with experience writing proposals or leading sales processes in government, nonprofit, or mission-driven contexts and ability to tailor messaging for diverse audiences
• Strong relationship management skills, with comfort engaging senior decision makers and facilitating high-level discussions with confidence and poise.
• Track record of quickly building credibility and trust in new environments and contexts, particularly when introducing new ways of working or organizational shifts.
• Collaborative working style, with a track record of working effectively across functions and levels to deliver shared outcomes.
• Interest in government service delivery and the ethical use of technology, along with a deep understanding of and belief in what USDR offers governments.
• You effortlessly model the values in USDR’s Community Oath.

Skills and experience are important, but we hire on values alignment first, so if you feel you would be a good fit with us, still consider applying.

Important Tools

Here are some of the tools we use heavily at USDR. There is documentation for all of these tools, but much of it will also require self-learning.

• Slack: used heavily for communication with staff and volunteers
• Zoom: used for video conferencing
• Google Suite: used for email and note-taking
• Notion: used as a documentation source-of-truth for volunteers and staff
• HubSpot: used to track conversations with partners and develop relationships
• Airtable: used to document active project details, volunteer information and project feedback
• Financial/analytical tools: used for cost modeling, pricing experiments, and revenue tracking (experience with Excel/Google Sheets financial modeling is important)

What we offer you:

• A competitive salary, consistent with similar roles in other tech non-profits in major U.S. metropolitan cities. The annual salary range for this role is $165,000-190,000, depending on experience and expertise.
• Full health, dental and vision benefits (USDR pays 100% of the cost for our employees and 80% of the cost for their dependents on most plans).
• 401K with a matching contribution of $1 for each dollar you contribute up to 3% of your salary, and $.50 for each dollar you contribute on 3-5% of your salary.
• An equipment reimbursement for the purchase of a computer and peripheral devices of up to $2,000, along with a Work from Home allowance of $100 each month, to support employees as they navigate working from home.
• A discretionary budget of $400 per year per employee for work-related learning and development.
• A supportive community where everyone can thrive and find a balance between working hard to make a difference and taking care of themselves. This means that we are committed to a fully remote work environment (for US-based employees) along with flexible schedules and time off policies that work with your life.

About USDR Salary Practices

At USDR, we aspire to be an organization where our employees not only sustain, but thrive. We compensate every employee based on the belief that they are fully performing in their role – meaning they demonstrate our values, perform the responsibilities, and meet the expectations of their individual role.

Each job at USDR is leveled based on the business need for the role, and the salary band is determined based on market data for similar roles in the tech industry.

New hires who signal full proficiency toward the job requirements will likely be offered the mid-point of our salary range.

Work Authorization

All USDR staff members work remotely in support of flexibility, wellness, and work-life balance. At this time, USDR is only hiring candidates who reside in the United States, and who have and maintain active U.S. Work Authorization.

USDR uses E-Verify to confirm the employment eligibility of all new employees. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit www.DHS.gov/E-Verify.

Equal Employment Opportunity

U.S. Digital Response is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer fully dedicated to achieving a diverse staff. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity and expression, and sexual orientation), disability status, protected veteran status, political party affiliation, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Please note that the EEO questionnaire included in our job application is dictated by federal government regulations, and does not reflect USDR’s position on gender inclusivity.

We encourage and welcome all interested potential applicants, regardless of background or prior experience volunteering with U.S. Digital Response, to apply.