U.S. Digital Response

Cost Recovery Program Manager

U.S. Digital Response

full-time

Posted on:

Location Type: Remote

Location: California • United States

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Salary

💰 $165,000 - $190,000 per year

About the role

  • This role is responsible for designing and executing strategic experiments to develop sustainable cost recovery models for USDR, working closely with program teams to discover which services governments value enough to pay for and what pricing models work within government constraints.
  • Research and design cost recovery experiments (35%)
  • Partner with COO and program directors to identify USDR services with highest potential for cost recovery
  • Work with program staff to design partner research protocols and interview guides that test hypotheses about willingness to pay, procurement constraints, and perceived value
  • Conduct discovery conversations with government partners about budget availability, procurement processes, value perception for different USDR services, leading pricing discussions while maintaining trust and honoring existing relationships
  • Synthesize insights from experiment conversations across multiple programs to identify patterns, refine approaches, and inform strategic direction
  • Collaborate with program teams to audit existing USDR services and categorize by cost recovery potential, government procurement feasibility, and mission alignment
  • Monitor government funding trends, procurement policy changes, and peer organization approaches to inform USDR's strategy
  • Design and manage cost recovery experiments, testing different services, pricing models, and target audiences within government contexts
  • Set prioritization and sequencing for cost recovery experimentation across program teams, balancing learning goals, cost recovery potential, and organizational capacity
  • Create and maintain a learning roadmap outlining key questions, hypotheses, and sequenced experiments needed to reach sustainable cost recovery models, iterating rapidly and embracing learning from failure
  • Collaborate with program teams in executing cost recovery experiments (30%)
  • Work with program teams who have deep partner context to identify which government partners are appropriate for specific cost recovery experiments and set prioritization criteria for experiment selection. Program teams bring knowledge of partner needs and constraints; you bring experimentation methodology, project management, and financial expertise
  • Design partner/program-specific experiment protocols, conversation guides, and research questions that will be deployed in partner conversations
  • Attend and/or lead cost recovery experiment conversations with government partners, with program staff facilitating introductions and providing relationship context
  • Analyze results and provide strategic recommendations (20%)
  • Analyze experiment results and develop strategic recommendations in support of USDR's long-range financial sustainability
  • Build financial models to project cost recovery potential, cost structures, and sustainability scenarios for different services
  • Track and report on cost recovery experiments, learnings, and financial impact
  • Partner with COO to set strategic direction for cost recovery based on experiment learnings and market insights
  • Develop go-to-market strategies and infrastructure (15%)
  • Develop infrastructure enabling programs to run cost recovery experiments, including pricing frameworks, success metrics, and decision criteria
  • Create clear frameworks and collateral that help government partners understand fee-based services and design pricing structures that work within government procurement thresholds and budget processes
  • Build repeatable processes for scoping, pricing, and contracting paid engagements, including lead qualification criteria and pipeline management
  • Partner with Marketing team to develop messaging that positions paid services appropriately.

Requirements

  • 5+ years experience with financial modeling, pricing strategy, or data analysis, including direct experience designing or managing earned revenue, cost recovery initiatives, and/or social enterprise models in nonprofit or public sector contexts
  • 3+ years of project/program management experience with ability to coordinate multiple workstreams simultaneously
  • Ability to analyze qualitative and quantitative data and synthesize findings into actionable recommendations
  • Experience building and implementing repeatable frameworks, processes, or experiments that can be scaled and/or adapted
  • 3+ years of experience working in or with highly complex, regulated institutional environments (e.g. government, healthcare, finance, education)
  • Understanding of procurement and budget processes across multiple levels of government (state, county, tribal, local)
  • Strong written and verbal communication skills with experience writing proposals or leading sales processes in government, nonprofit, or mission-driven contexts and ability to tailor messaging for diverse audiences
  • Strong relationship management skills, with comfort engaging senior decision makers and facilitating high-level discussions with confidence and poise.
  • Collaborative working style, with a track record of working effectively across functions and levels to deliver shared outcomes.
  • Interest in government service delivery and the ethical use of technology, along with a deep understanding of and belief in what USDR offers governments.
Benefits
  • Full health, dental and vision benefits (USDR pays 100% of the cost for our employees and 80% of the cost for their dependents on most plans).
  • 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.
Applicant Tracking System Keywords

Tip: use these terms in your resume and cover letter to boost ATS matches.

Hard Skills & Tools
financial modelingpricing strategydata analysiscost recovery initiativessocial enterprise modelsproject managementqualitative data analysisquantitative data analysisframework developmentexperiment design
Soft Skills
written communicationverbal communicationrelationship managementcollaborative working stylestrategic thinkinganalytical thinkingfacilitation skillsadaptabilityconfidencepoise