Description

The Senior Manager, Certified Welcoming manages the day to day operations of  Welcoming America’s flagship program, Certified Welcoming. This position also serves as the primary point of contact for Certified Welcoming participants from intake to recertification. As part of its strategic plan, Welcoming America aims to certify 50 places by the end of 2026. This position will support the organization in meeting this ambitious milestone through closely working with localities seeking certification and ensuring they are supported throughout the certification process and able to successfully obtain Certified Welcoming status. 

Primary Responsibilities

Certified Welcoming Participant Support and Programming - The Senior Manager serves as the primary point of contact for Certified Welcoming participants and manages the development and execution of participant-focused technical assistance programs – the Foundation Cohort and the Leadership Cohort. The purpose of these programs is to support and coach participants through the certification process with the goal of places becoming certified at the end of the program. This position will work with participants from intake to certification announcement to recertification as a thought partner, coach, and cheerleader. Responsibilities include:

• Managing the certified@welcomingamerica.org inbox and hosting Certified Welcoming office hours in order to answer participant and applicant questions. 

• Overseeing the applications process for the Foundation and Leadership Cohorts, from announcement to acceptance of participants, including reviewing application materials, analyzing eligibility, and evaluating and updating application materials and process. 

• Working closely with the Operations Team to intake accepted participants including collecting certification fees and contracts. Setting participants up in Certified Welcoming’s CMS.

• Managing the two Certified Welcoming-focused technical assistance programs including agenda and content development and delivering training and technical assistance. 

• Supporting Foundation and Leadership cohort participants in planning for and scheduling their certification audits.

• Developing strategies for continuous improvement of the Certified Welcoming program, including soliciting participant feedback, collecting and analyzing participant data, and program evaluation data. 

• Building and maintaining strong relationships with participating local governments and partners, and creating spaces for Certified Welcoming participants to develop connections with others in the process. 

• Participating in webinars and other events to inform localities and stakeholders about the Certified Welcoming technical assistance programs. 

• Working closely with the communications department to ensure marketing materials are up to date and to support Certified Welcoming places with announcements of certification and recertification.  

Certified Welcoming Operations and Data Management 

Certified Welcoming generates a wealth of data on the state of welcoming in the U.S. This position plays a critical role in the collection, management and analysis of this data through the oversight and management of Certified Welcoming’s CMS and other data collection processes. . Responsibilities include: 

• Work closely with other departments to build out and improve processes to collect and maintain accurate data

• Overseeing the continued buildout and implementation of the Certified Welcoming CMS, including proactively identifying improvements and troubleshooting difficulties. Utilizing WordPress to update content on the Certified Welcoming CMS. 

• Managing processes to collect and maintain program-related data. Work closely with the Senior Director, Certified Welcoming to analyze this data and share with other teams.

• Collecting and monitoring news sources about localities that are Certified Welcoming or certification in progress to ensure highlights of work are lifted up and concerns are addressed or monitored. 

• Gathering success stories and promising practices from Certified Welcoming participants. 

Conduct Certified Welcoming Audits and Write Reports

All members of the Certified Welcoming team maintain a portfolio of audits. This helps us to continue to monitor and evaluate the program, and also ensures that all members of the team have a strong understanding of what is happening in the field. Specific responsibilities include:

• Reviewing all information provided by the local government prior to the audit including the desktop review and analysis, related links and materials, and self assessment. In partnership with the Certified Welcoming coordinator identify key questions that need to be explored during audit interviews and priority stakeholders that need to participate in the audit. 

• Leading virtual and in-person interviews during the audit, including taking in depth notes. During the audit interviews continually assess where enough evidence has been provided for Welcoming Standard criteria to be considered met, and where additional information is needed, in order to focus questions throughout the audit. 

• Conducting a final analysis of the locality’s compliance with the Welcoming Standard, and sharing this analysis with the local government both through a detailed written certification report and through one or more conversations with the local government. 

Other Duties As Needed - The Senior Manager will also provide thought leadership and support other programmatic, operational, communications, and development projects, as needed. Welcoming America is a collaborative environment where we all work together to support each other and the organization on special projects and day-to-day activities.

Qualifications and Attributes

• Strong understanding of the challenges faced by local governments, particularly within complex political environments, and the ability to navigate and collaborate effectively in these spaces

• Flexible and adaptive mindset, with the ability to adjust to changing priorities, work in dynamic environments, and embrace new challenges and opportunities.

• Strong sense of ownership over tasks, including taking initiative to start projects and seeing them through to completion.

• Experience managing and executing day-to-day operations of complex programs.

• Strong organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects and priorities simultaneously.

• Exceptional attention to detail to ensure accuracy, clarity, and compliance with program standards.

• Ability to conduct research, analyze data, and develop monitoring systems to drive continuous improvement in programs.

• Excited to build relationships with program participants and see their success as the ultimate win. 

• 5-7 years experience of program management in non-profit or local government.

Candidates need to be able to thoughtfully navigate issues related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging and bring a deep commitment to advancing these values. Because of the diversity of our membership and program participants, candidates will also need to be able to thoughtfully navigate different work and communications styles and be comfortable with working with people with different political views. 

This position requires 25% travel.