Government Gen AI Product & Delivery Technologist in Residence at U.S. Digital Response

About U.S. Digital Response

U.S. Digital Response (USDR) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to helping governments and civic institutions respond quickly and efficiently to support the critical needs of the public.

We envision a government that keeps up with the needs of its people, now and for the future. 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 over 50 U.S. states and territories. We’ve worked with more than 550 governments and organizations on nearly 600 projects.

Leveraging an internal team of ~30 staff along with a network of over 10,000 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 about our last year in our 2024 annual impact report.

About the Digital Delivery Program

Government services are not keeping up with the public’s needs, particularly as services have moved from in-person to digital delivery, where the digital presentation of the service is as critical as the service itself. Poorly designed, slow, out of date, and inequitable government services mean that residents—often the most vulnerable—are not getting the critical services they need to thrive.

Government lacks the capacity needed to deliver services digitally. While this shows up most obviously in crisis moments, these gaps exist throughout the ecosystem of government delivery. USDR’s Digital Delivery program takes a two-pronged approach to address this capacity gap:

• Be the capacity: In instances where services can be immediately unblocked by a surge of tech talent, USDR volunteers build direct solutions with governments.
• Build the capacity: Digital Delivery helps governments build digital capacity for the long term by helping teams become fluent in digital best practices, policies, and tools and helping governments leverage each other’s good work.

About Our Gen AI Work

For a year, USDR has been working with governments to understand their needs related to generative AI (gen AI). Our gen AI work has explored use cases in areas such as benefits access and delivery, language translation, permitting, and data analysis. We have found that governments are at different levels of maturity, from those taking their first steps with using common tools to those experimenting with prototypes.

USDR is now poised to scale its gen AI efforts and serve more governments with a clear offer. From light-touch 'rapid response' interventions, to prototype builds, to platforms and open source resources that can be shared across government, we stand ready to accelerate public sector adoption of gen AI - but need the right leader with both government experience and tech proficiency to guide our partners and our organization in utilizing gen AI in a responsible and sustainable way.

About The Role

USDR is seeking a Gen AI Product & Delivery Technologist in Residence (TiR) to lead our gen AI focus area. The Gen AI Product & Delivery TiR will lead USDR's gen AI portfolio, collaborating with USDR programs to explore how gen AI can be helpful to governments as well as the org itself. This role is about strategic execution to help make the most of this moment and determine USDR's gen AI unique positioning in the ecosystem.

This role is a Knight Foundation Federal Alumni Fellowship for individuals exiting federal service, and is termed for 1 year.

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 10,000+ professional-level volunteer technologists who are the primary contributors to gen AI projects.
• Focus area = the Digital Delivery program uses focus areas to help determine what work we say yes and no to. Gen AI is one of our current focus areas, alongside user research, procurement, budgeting, and oversight, language access, and talent.

What to expect from a typical gen AI project at USDR (70%)

1. A government partner will submit a request for USDR support. These requests can range from extremely prescriptive to very open-ended. Currently we get 5-10 new gen AI requests per month and hope to grow this number.
2. You will field the initial conversation with the government partner. Our partners come from all levels of government and all seniority levels. During this conversation, you will determine whether the project is a good fit for USDR and how gen AI may or may not meet their needs.
3. You will use a template to write a scope of work that is realistic for a team of volunteers to achieve, typically in an 8-12 week span. This might require several additional conversations with the government partner.
4. You will identify the specific roles and skills needed for the project, and will work with our internal Volunteers Team to ensure we have a volunteer pool with the right skills to meet governments' gen AI needs.
5. You will manage a successful project kickoff by giving volunteers project context, light administrative set up, and introducing volunteers to the government partner.
6. You will ensure the project stays on track by checking in with the volunteer team, proactively identifying major risks, and being the escalation point for the volunteer team.
7. At the end of the project, you will ensure deliverables have been saved and conduct a retrospective with volunteers. You'll also identify patterns and develop hypotheses of the most impactful use cases for government use of gen AI.

You’ll shape and represent USDR’s gen AI strategy and point of view (20%)

• Contribute to fundraising through the development of grant proposals, concept notes, participation in fundraising calls, etc.
• Shape USDR’s strategy for how to best support governments on their journey to leverage gen AI with USDR’s assets
• Shape USDR’s point of view on gen AI and share at conferences and ecosystem events as our AI evangelist
• Update or develop gen AI-related templates and onboarding materials for volunteers.
• Partner with the Program Manager and Program Director on gen AI roadmapping and strategy, including planning around gen AI offerings, revenue generation, and business development.

You’ll ensure we practice what we preach (10%)

• Partner with other colleagues within USDR to identify opportunities across focus areas.
• Collaborate with USDR’s internal teams to build our org capacity to leverage gen AI in service of supporting government partners.
• Advise on opportunities to build our org capacity with respect to gen AI.

Signs of Success

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:

• You have 7+ years experience working in or with government agencies and are able to manage stakeholders at all levels, including C-suite. You feel comfortable leading conversations with partners solo after 1 month in the role. Our partners come from all levels of government (federal, state, county, city) and all seniority levels.
• You have recent experience (the last 4 months) in a Federal government role.
• You have strong and demonstrable experience with AI and/or gen AI, and a belief that government should adopt this technology where appropriate.
• You have 5+ years experience with technology projects and/or products and knowledge of different project management methodologies.
• You have 3+ years of strategic leadership experience, which may involve: growing a specific portfolio of work, contributing to business development or revenue generation initiatives, or bringing new services or products to market.
• You are a proactive, action-oriented leader who can make sense of confusing information or unclear requests, and can guide a partner toward clarity.
• You have experience managing and coaching individuals with diverse personal and professional backgrounds and are able to apply those skills in managing our volunteers and ensuring a positive volunteer experience. (This role does not have any direct reports.)
• You effortlessly model the values in our Community Oath.

Desirable additional experience:

• Direct experience of design approaches in government, including user research, user experience, and interaction design.
• Direct experience of leading a technical team.

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 Workspace: 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 track ongoing and shipped projects with partners
• Gen AI: Claude, ChatGPT, Zapier (additional tools TBD) to support project work and prototyping

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 $185,000 - $205,000 depending on experience.
• Full health, dental and vision benefits (USDR pays 100% of the cost for our employees and 80% of the cost for their dependents).
• 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.

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.