Code for America believes government can work for the people, by the people, in the new digital age, and that government at all levels can and should work well for all people. For more than a decade, we’ve worked to show that with the mindful use of technology, we can break down barriers, meet community needs, and find real solutions.

Our employees build and transform government and community tools and services, making them so good they inspire change. We merge the best parts of technology, nonprofit, and government to help support the people who need it most.

With a focus on transparency and fairness, and deep empathy for partners in government and community organizations and the people that our partners serve, we’re building a movement of motivated change agents driven by meaningful results and lasting impact.

At Code for America, you contribute to exciting work while learning and developing in a supportive and flexible environment. Our compensation and benefits are holistic and thoughtfully curated to represent our employees and our mission. Help us drive real generational change that lasts.

Code for America is looking for a talented Director of AI Partnerships who will ensure CfA defines and leads the field of responsible government AI adoption. Through partnerships, influence, and opportunity development, this leader will:

• Strengthen CfA’s credibility as a trusted partner to CIOs, AI leaders, and policymakers driving digital transformation in the public sector
• Drive a vision for CfA’s AI technology, deployment opportunities, and funding in line with CfA’s social impact mission
• Shape CfA’s AI partnership strategy by identifying new high-impact opportunities for pilots, collaborations, and field leadership.
• Build CfA’s network of government and industry partners to expand the responsible use of AI in public service delivery.
• Translate emerging technologies into actionable pathways for government adoption, balancing innovation with responsibility
• Create feedback loops between the external ecosystem and CfA’s internal AI, product, and engineering teams to ensure strategic alignment between opportunity and execution.

About the Role:

The Director of AI Partnerships will lead Code for America’s development of alliances for AI and social impact, identifying impactful relationships and product opportunities, building relationships with government leaders, technology partners, and key stakeholders, and ultimately advancing the responsible adoption of AI and improving public service delivery. This leader will act as an AI evangelist, representing and advancing product and partnership strategies, and serve as an opportunity spotter, driving brand awareness and influence among state CIOs and AI companies. Working in close partnership with technology and revenue leadership, this role will identify and shape opportunities for CfA to influence how governments and civic tech use AI—helping drive pilots, partnerships, and ethical usage conversations that align with our mission to make government work well for everyone.

This role will report to the VP of Growth and Partnerships and is expected to travel no more than 35% of the time.

Code for America is based in California and can employ those who reside full-time within the United States. This is a remote position.

In this Position You Will:

• AI Partnership Strategy, Opportunity-Spotting, and Cross-Functional Alignment
  • Develop, continuously refine, and drive alignment on CfA’s AI partnerships and AI technology, including aligning strategy, milestones, and KPIs across CxO, VPs, and technology leadership.
  • Proactively shape, surface, and build high-impact partnership opportunities in the AI space, assessing technical feasibility and alignment with CfA’s mission, technology roadmap, and funding availability.
  • Generate visionary proposals, concept notes, and partnership pitch materials in coordination with the Philanthropy, Government Revenue, Programs and Product teams, ensuring alignment on feasibility and impact
  • Monitor trends in public sector AI policy, procurement, and technology, translating those insights into strategic opportunities for CfA.
  • Provide ongoing reports to leadership on progress, blockers, risks, challenges, and opportunities in the AI space
  Government and Industry Partnership Development
  • Cultivate and manage relationships with government CIOs, CTOs, digital service leaders, and public sector technology decision-makers (state, local, and federal).
  • Define, build, and maintain strategic partnerships with major AI companies, AI startups, research institutions, and mission-aligned nonprofits.
  • Develop and continuously improve AI partnership frameworks, standards, and appropriate infrastructure and support mechanisms (e.g., staffing approaches, MOUs, etc.) to support successful social impact collaborations.
  • Manage a disciplined partnership pipeline, ensuring well-organized data contributions to our CRM systems (Hubspot/Salesforce).
  Thought Leadership & Field-Building
  • Position CfA as a thought leader and credible, trusted voice in responsible AI for government, thoughtfully and strategically representing the organization at coalitions, conferences, briefings, and convenings.
  • Drive a comprehensive AI communications and alliances strategy in alignment with MarComms, developing and executing conference presentations, thought leadership pieces, and industry briefings.
  • Maintain, update, and drive improvements to the Code for America AI Landscape assessment.
  Other duties as assigned

About You:

This position is a perfect fit for an entrepreneurial, creative, social-impact minded technology leader who is excited to bridge the worlds of fast-moving AI innovation, social impact, and the realities of public-sector implementation.

• 10 - 15+ years of professional experience in technology partnerships, government innovation, or related strategic relationship roles with increasing responsibility.
• Professional background in, and experience with, artificial intelligence
• Deep familiarity with AI technologies, trends, and their implications for public sector service delivery
• Strong network and credibility among public sector technology leaders (CIOs, CTOs, digital service teams) and/or senior leaders at private sector technology organizations.
• Proven track record of identifying growth opportunities and translating external interest into measurable outcomes (funding, pilots, service delivery improvements, product adoption).
• Exceptional public speaking and executive presence with demonstrable skill in representing a mission-driven organization at high-profile conferences, media appearances, and executive convenings.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate between technical, policy, and operational audiences and develop high-quality proposals, briefings, legal agreements, and partnership agreements
• Demonstrated ability to navigate complex, multi-stakeholder environments across the public and private sector
• Strategic thinker who can spot and shape opportunities that align with Code for America's mission, capacity, and potential impact.
• Skilled collaborator who thrives in interdisciplinary environments and works effectively with senior executives and peers across multiple disciplines.
• Comfortable navigating ambiguity and fast-moving technological change with judgment and composure.
• Deep commitment to Code for America’s mission and values

It’s a Bonus if You Have:

• Background in public sector technology policy
• Has held a high-profile and/or high-visibility AI-related role
• Prior experience in a civic technology, govtech, or government digital service organization.
• Experience working with a social impact-focused product team, agile product development and/or working in iterative planning cycles
• Experience in a private-sector technology alliances or B2G (Business-to-Government) role.
• Professional or lived experience with housing, climate disaster response, safety net benefits (SNAP, Medicaid, WIC, EITC), workforce development programs, the criminal justice system, and tax credits (EITC).
• A track record of government revenue generation and/or philanthropic fundraising

What You’ll Get

Salary:

Code for America’s salary bands are transparent as a part of our commitment to transparency and fairness. As part of our hiring practices, we aim to target the midpoint of the 2nd quartile of the range for all new hires.

Offer targets vary based on market / geographic location. The offer targets for this role range from $149,717 to $176,138, annually.

Benefits and Perks:

• Values:
• Leadership and teammates who share a strong work ethic and values, and who respect and care for one another
• A collaborative, cross-functional, hardworking, and joyful environment
• Employee Enablement Support:
• Laptop provided
• $700 remote environment setup; $200 stipend and up to $500 reimbursement, in accordance with our equipment policy
• Cell phone and/or internet reimbursement of $50 per month
• Professional Development:
• $1000 annual (per calendar year) stipend towards professional development; prorated at time of hire
• Up to $1000 of professional development funds can be rolled over each year, up to a maximum of $2000
• Retirement & 401k Plans:
• Employees under 3 years are eligible for a 100% employer match of up to 3% of employee contribution
• Employees with 3+ years are eligible for an additional 50% employer contribution over 3%, to a maximum of 5%
• Medical:
• Full benefits package with options up to 100% coverage toward select medical, dental, and vision plans
• Employer contributes up to 80% of the cost towards dependent and family coverage
• Remote Work:
• Code for America employees may work remotely across the US
• Code for America employees main residence must be within the US
• Full-time employees work 40 hours per week, Monday - Friday
• Collaborative working hours: we aim to hold all internal meetings between 10 AM - 3 PM PT. We expect all Code for America staff to be available during these set working hours
• Time Off:
• Open personal time off, a minimum of 16 paid holidays, and an org-wide closure from Christmas Day through New Year's Day
• Paid sick time; up to 96 hours annually
• Competitive paid parental and family leave
• 4 weeks of paid sabbatical after 4 years of service, with an option of up to 4 additional weeks of unpaid time away

Equal Employment Opportunity:

Code for America is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants will not be discriminated against because of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, religion, national origin, citizenship status, disability, ancestry, marital status, veteran status, medical condition or any protected category prohibited by local, state or federal laws.

Code for America Workers United:

This position is not covered by a Collective Bargaining Agreement between Code for America and Code for America Workers United, affiliated with OPEIU, Local 1010. The agreement was ratified on October 27, 2023, and is currently in effect.

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