New Urban Mechanics Program Manager Position
Our two-year Program Manager position gives those interested in civic entrepreneurship and civic design deep insight into working creatively in City government. You’ll have the opportunity to work closely with City leaders to design prototypes in a deeply collaborative environment and across research methods to address the needs of residents.
Interested in working with us? Drop us a line—we’d love to connect! newurbanmechanics@boston.gov
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Have questions? Contact us:
New Urban Mechanics
About the Program Manager position
What you'll do
The Program Manager position is a two-year appointment. During your tenure with the team, you will design and deliver new initiatives to make Boston better for residents. You'll work on MONUM's "Tiger Team" to collaboratively tackle complex, city-wide challenges aligned with Mayoral priorities.
Our Program Managers work with the Mayor's senior staff and are supported by the entire New Urban Mechanics team. You also take part in a variety of professional development sessions to get a broad view of careers in City government.
Candidates tend to be recent graduates of master's degree programs (or folks with equivalent work experience) who have a strong interest in civic innovation. The best candidates are those who are creative, curious, and entrepreneurial.
IDEAL CANDIDATE
Below are the qualities we are looking for in an ideal candidate.
We are looking for someone:
- Experienced in human-centered service design
We look for experience in human centered design, service design, workshop facilitation, co-design, behavioral research, systems change, prototyping, and experimentation.
- Skilled in synthesizing and communicating complexity
We frequently use our skills in distilling complex concepts into frameworks to communicate to a diverse audience, building rapport with a diverse array of stakeholders, building momentum for change and serving as the change agent, and advocating for systems change and broad transformation.
- Who thrives in a constantly changing environment
Our team thrives when it is informed by diverse perspectives and experiences. We welcome applicants with career histories that include pivots, creative exploration, and continued learning. Our work naturally invites us to learn about subject matter we may not have experience in and jump in quickly to lead new workstreams. Our ideal candidate is a proud generalist who is open to changing their work based on the needs of the project and priorities of the Mayor and eager to bring in new learnings to inform our work.
Common questions
Common questionsSuccessful Program Managers have come from a wide variety of backgrounds, drawing on diverse and creative skillsets. We’ve worked with urban planners and architects, public health students and public policy masters candidates, former teachers, and community organizers, economics undergrads, and sociology PhDs.
If you have an interest in making Boston a place where people can change the world and do good things with their neighbors, this might be the right position for you.
When you join as a Program Manager, you are immediately treated as an integral part of the team. That means you may be:
- invited to senior-level Cabinet meetings to provide crisp updates on your project portfolio
- asked to fill in for our Director or senior staff at a speaking event, or
- sit in with the Press team on an interview with a reporter about a project you're getting up to speed on.
We will make connections for you across the organization. We encourage you to get to know staff in departments that are interesting to you.
There is some funding for professional development experiences. MONUM leadership will work with you when you arrive to make a list of professional development to set you up for success.
You are also welcome to join any of the City’s Employee Resource Groups (ERGs).
This is a two-year appointment, running from November to the end of November two years later. We have several of these positions, and some will change every other year. That is, during your two years, the preexisting Program Manager(s) will roll off their appointment, creating space for a new Program Manager(s) to join the team.
Anyone can apply to work for the City, but you must be a resident of Boston by your first day of work. Please note that adjacent municipalities (such as Cambridge, Somerville, and Brookline) do not meet the City of Boston residency requirement. To learn more about the City of Boston’s residency requirement or review the full ordinance: https://www.boston.gov/departments/human-resources/residency-requirements-city-employees
The salary range for this position is $75,000 to $109,000 (MM2 Grade 7). A candidate's starting step within this range is based on relevant experience, and salary increases occur annually on the anniversary of the hire date. Learn more about City of Boston compensation structure and salary plans: https://www.boston.gov/departments/human-resources/salary-information-city-boston-jobs
It is somewhat negotiable. Generally, the position starts in the fall.
Currently, we are planning for just one in this cycle! However, if the opportunity arises to add an additional position, we may select two candidates from the same pool.
- Generally, you’ll be expected at work from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. You may sometimes need to attend morning, evening, or weekend meetings or events for your project work or MONUM team engagements.
- The City currently allows Hybrid Work. Our team has two remote days a week, but we require flexibility to attend important in-person meetings as needed, even on your typical remote days.
- We also encourage all team members to attend at least one community meeting or public event per month.
Yes! We will aim to have you present to the Mayor at least once during your time with us. It’s also likely that you will get to talk to her informally as a result of having meetings near her office or attending public events. Say hello!
Who's Involved:
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Have questions? Contact us:
New Urban Mechanics
