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 over 600 projects.
Leveraging an internal team of ~30 staff along with a network of over 12,000 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
When government delivers services digitally, people can apply for student loan forgiveness in just a few minutes or request COVID tests by submitting a minimal amount of information. Unfortunately, government services frequently do not keep up with the public’s needs, particularly as services have moved from in-person to digital delivery, where the digital presence of the service is as critical as the service itself. Government services that are poorly designed, slow, out of date, or inequitable mean that residents—often the most vulnerable—are not getting the critical services they need to thrive.
Government often 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 The Role
USDR’s Digital Delivery Program is seeking a Procurement Specialist to join our Procurement, Budgeting, and Oversight team in strengthening governments’ ability to procure and implement technology services that span federal, state, tribal, and local governments.
Working under the strategic direction of our Procurement Lead, you will be responsible for the execution of procurement engagements that help ensure that every taxpayer dollar redirected to agile procurement approaches will stand a far better chance of benefiting residents in need. We are looking for someone who is excited about how lightweight interventions can advance flexible technology procurement approaches and help multiple governments simultaneously.
You will be USDR’s subject matter expert in the law, policies, and regulations that govern procurement, applying that knowledge to directly manage delivery of pro bono consulting services and lead volunteer teams in support of agencies across the United States. You will work alongside agencies’ procurement staff to help them align their procurement processes with best practices for Agile software development.
This role is highly collaborative, and will work closely with other Digital Delivery team members to effectively scope engagements, the Volunteers Team to source volunteers for engagements, other USDR staff whose work may benefit from this role’s perspective, and with governments and ecosystem partners that are all working on the shared goal of expanding governments’ digital capacity.
This role might be a good fit if you have experience working as a procurement official or contracting officer in the acquisition of Agile software development services, as well as a passion for public service.
You are excited about this opportunity because you will...
Manage delivery of procurement engagements (75%)
- Build credible and trusted relationships with government partners, leveraging subject matter expertise in technology procurement policy, regulation, and law.
- Work with partners to understand their needs and prepare a scope of work that defines how we will support them.
- Manage teams of volunteers to support delivery of procurement engagements; support volunteers on appropriately scoped procurement engagements.
- Guide partners’ procurement leaders in understanding and applying an Agile procurement approach.
- Contribute to the development and ongoing refinement of USDR’s theory of change around procurement, in collaboration with a team of USDR colleagues, to improve the quality of the software that powers government.
- Effortlessly model the values in our USDR Community Oath.
Represent USDR’s procurement work externally (25%)
- Develop and deliver presentations and workshops on procurement best practices at conferences and partner events, both virtual and in-person (with expected travel, approximately one overnight trip each month).
- Build and maintain relationships with ecosystem partners.
- Write public-facing guidance on best practices and lessons learned from partner engagements.
We're excited about you because you have/are...
- At least five years’ experience as a government employee in a procurement position—ideally as a contracting officer—writing solicitations, executing procurement processes, applying strategies to expand vendor pools, and managing contracts. Experience in multiple jurisdictions is preferred.
- Concern regarding how standard acquisition strategies have served government in the procurement of custom software or, better, experience implementing alternative acquisition strategies for such projects.
- Experience executing procurements for complex and/or large-scale software projects.
- Exceptional writing, editing, and verbal communication skills, with ability to clearly explain complex ideas and present publicly.
- Eager to learn more about modern software development practices—including Agile methodologies, user research, product ownership, and DevOps—through hands-on experience and formal training opportunities.
- Background in consulting or externally-facing advisory roles preferred.
- You effortlessly model the values in USDR’s Community Oath.
- Or any combination of education, experience, and measurable performance that demonstrates the capability to perform the duties of the position.
Skills and experience are necessary, but we hire on values alignment first, so if you feel you would be a good fit with us, still consider applying.
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 $145,000–$165,000 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.
Equal 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.