Democracy at Work Institute (DAWI) seeks an energetic, self\-directed, and collaborative person to join our dynamic national nonprofit organization. Our core work is expanding worker ownership for communities locked out of good jobs and business ownership. DAWI has a high\-functioning, close\-knit staff driven by our values, and we want to work with a skilled, driven, and reliable colleague.
About the role
The Worker Ownership Cities Program Manager will play a pivotal role in the development, coordination, and execution of our work to make employee ownership widely and effectively supported by local governments nationwide. The Worker Ownership Cities Program works with local governments through a national community of learning and practice and select technical assistance cohorts.
In this role, you will facilitate a national community of practice of municipal governments to accelerate learning and adoption of best practices, helping to identify, recruit, and onboard local governments into our network. You will conduct research and form case studies on successful employee ownership initiatives.
As WOC Program Manager, you will also support our select technical assistance cohorts, ensuring our local government participants are effectively institutionalizing support for employee ownership through identifying and deploying resources, partnerships, and incentives. Our first technical assistance cohort of Raleigh, Durham, and Cincinnati focuses on launching legacy business preservation campaigns to retain and grow long\-standing businesses, saving the jobs they support, and giving workers opportunities to build wealth through transitions to employee ownership. You will assist their efforts to establish long\-term support for employee ownership and legacy business preservation.
Future technical assistance cohorts will focus on developing supportive policy and ecosystem partnerships to develop and strengthen cooperatives for workers who face employment barriers. You will help identify best practices and support their implementation.
As WOC Program Manager, you will work closely with DAWI’s Senior Director of Employee Ownership Cities and Policy and collaborate with diverse teams of employee ownership experts, community advocates, technical assistance providers, and policymakers to build and strengthen worker ownership ecosystems by unlocking and directing government resources, policies, and relationships. You will contribute to our research on local, state, and federal policies and initiatives. Additionally, you will support program communications, tools development, and help train and equip diverse partners around the country to unlock economic and workforce development support for worker ownership.
Our ideal candidate has a strong vision for expanding worker ownership through government support and policy, policy research and advocacy experience, flawless communication skills and diplomacy, experience working within local governments or economic and workforce development systems to advance job quality, shared equity, and/or employee ownership, and the ability to work collaboratively with diverse stakeholders. This is a remote position with regular travel to conferences and program\-related site visits.
The major duties and responsibilities of the position are as follows:
Worker Ownership Cities Program Management \- 70%
* Worker Ownership Cities Network (50%)
+ Oversee development, facilitation, and execution of the Worker Ownership Cities Network.
+ Manage project timelines and deadlines for network activities across the organization, including recruitment, onboarding, and ongoing communication with participants and guest presenters.
+ Manage and facilitate Network gatherings.
+ Maintain accurate event, TA, and engagement records in Salesforce.
+ Maintain WOC webpage with content updates, case studies, and tool uploads.
+ Manage participant evaluations and feedback collection.
Meet regularly with the Senior Director of Employee Ownership Cities and Policy to communicate project deadlines and shape program strategy, tools, and workshops.
+
* Worker Ownership Cities Technical Assistance Cohorts (20%)
+ Work with city partners to identify and develop ongoing subsidies and incentives for employee ownership.
+ Contribute content expertise through presentations, policy research, and advising.
+ Work collaboratively with a team of DAWI staff and external partners to support cohort project goals.
Policy Research, Dissemination, and Support \- 20%
- Conduct policy research and shape and disseminate tools and briefs that equip our field and government partners to increase local, state, and federal support for growing and strengthening worker ownership.
- Represent DAWI in key advocacy coalitions and networks.
- Provide policy and strategic guidance to key partners that improve their advocacy efforts.
- Maintain a policy database.
- Identify and track relevant policy research needs and explore academic partnerships for conducting research.
- Attend staff meetings, maintain records, and attend opportunities for professional growth.
- Process receipts, enter data, and maintain programmatic and personnel records
- Monitor and ensure compliance with monthly and quarterly grant reporting deadlines.
- + Experienced with developing, executing projects, and managing others successfully; self\-starter and accountable to yourself and others; comfortable taking initiative, holding others accountable.
- + Excellent writing, storytelling, editing, and verbal communication skills are required, including presentation skills.
Admin \& Professional Development 10%
Desired Qualities:
* Vision and execution: imagines ambitious possibilities, seeks input, takes action, iterates, and refines approach to achieve north star goals.
* Government and policy expertise: experience working within local or state governments, economic development, workforce development systems, and/or policy advocacy to improve social and economic equity.
* Initiative and thoroughness: able to take initiative in project design, care deeply about getting results, and do what it takes to accomplish goals.
* Relationship\-oriented: able to reach out and build rapport and trust with those that we rely on to do our work.
* Diplomacy and discretion: flawless diplomatic skills and judgment are required in this position.
* Equity lens and cultural competency: must be able to communicate with a broad range of people and institutions confidently and effectively, with a critical analysis of power, race, class, and gender.
* Self\-management: DAWI staff are highly autonomous. You should be a self\-starter, highly organized, comfortable taking initiative, scoping projects, managing priorities and time, and holding yourself accountable to realistic goals, with the support of co\-workers committed to your success.
* Quick learner: Able to learn difficult and complex concepts quickly, and be able to communicate those concepts clearly to a range of audiences.
Skills:
* Project Management:
* Communication:
+ Excellent phone/virtual meeting skills and ability to build relationships remotely are key to success in this position.
* Comfort with Technology
+ Able to learn and interface with new platforms and forms of technology
+ Can utilize technology\-based solutions to meet organizational objectives
About DAWI
The Democracy at Work Institute is a 501(c)(3\) nonprofit think\-and\-do tank that expands worker
cooperatives and other employee\-owned forms to communities locked out of good jobs and business ownership opportunities. We do research and advocacy; training, consulting, and education; field\-building and convening; tool and model development; and impact measurement. We build fieldwide capacity to ensure that further growth in the worker cooperative movement reaches low\-income people, people of color, and recent immigrants. In all our work, as well as internal operations, we strive to embody our organizational values of Integrity, Equity, Innovation, Collaboration, and Human\-Centeredness. We are affiliated with our sister organization, the US Federation of Worker Cooperatives. All programs integrate USFWC member input. All staffers are expected to help build organizational capacity and processes. In turn, DAWI commits to building all staff members’ professional development and leadership skills. We love our work, and we work hard, but we also strive for work\-life balance. Full\-time staff are eligible for membership in the organization after 1 year of employment. Members are eligible to serve on the board of directors and participate in the strategic guidance of the organization.
Schedule and Location
This is a full\-time exempt position. We are a 4\-day workweek workplace, open Monday to Thursday. We are a remote organization with a physical office in New York, which allows us to have staff all over the country, and to create flexible working hours. Candidates working from the Pacific time zone are preferred (PST/UTC\-8\).
Compensation and Benefits
The salary range for this position is $76,500\-$86,500, depending on experience. We also offer a comprehensive benefits package, including 100% employer paid medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees, participation in a 403(b) plan, a Flexible Spending Account, generous paid time\-off, 1 week paid time off in the summer and in the winter, and a flexible work environment with opportunities for professional development. Long\-term employees are eligible for paid sabbatical leave.
Supervision: This position reports to the Senior Director of Employee Ownership Cities and Policy.
Note: We are reviewing applications on a rolling basis, and the final deadline is March 1, 2026\. Early submission is highly recommended.
Notice of Nondiscrimination
Democracy at Work Institute (DAWI) is committed to a multi\-racial and class\-diverse staff that reflects the future of worker cooperatives. We are an anti\-racist organization that centers racial equity in our values, programs, and vision. Women, people of color, and others who may be underrepresented at senior levels of the nonprofit workforce are strongly encouraged to apply. DAWI is committed to equal opportunity for all persons without regard to sex, age, race, color, religion, creed, national origin, marital status, disability, or sexual orientation, and any other class of individuals protected from discrimination under state or federal law. It is the policy of DAWI to comply with all federal, state, and local laws and regulations regarding equal opportunity. In keeping with that policy, DAWI is committed to maintaining a work environment that is free of unlawful discrimination and harassment. Accordingly, DAWI will not tolerate unlawful discrimination against or harassment of any of our employees or others present at our facilities by anyone, including any supervisor, co\-worker, vendor, client, or customer of DAWI.