Program Coordinator

Ryan Mahoney

Ryan Mahoney

Director of Product, FirstWho

“This job sits in a brutal middle. You need enough polish to talk with foundation program officers without sounding like you're reading from a script, enough grit to handle a participant in crisis at 4pm on a Friday, and enough sense to know which one gets your full attention right then. You're looking for someone who can translate between worlds: turning a grant report into plain language for community members, then turning community feedback into something a funder will actually pay for. Most people have one or two of these gears. Finding someone who moves smoothly between getting things done, fixing relationships, and thinking about systems is rare. The best candidates often look messy on paper because their experience doesn't follow a clean vertical path.”

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Competency Questions

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Institutional Capacity & Strategic Infrastructure

Supports sustainable program operations through financial monitoring, compliance tracking, technology utilization, partnership development, and cross-functional coordination to ensure organizational stability and regulatory adherence.

Compliance & Regulatory Standards

Monitors program compliance with federal, state, and local regulations; conducts internal audits, corrects minor violations, and prepares regulatory reports.

Interview round: Operational Execution & Collaboration

Recall a situation where you had to interpret or apply a regulation or funder requirement that wasn't clear in your specific context.

Positive indicators

  • Sought authoritative guidance on ambiguity
  • Documented decision process defensively
  • Found compliant path to operational goal
  • Proactively informed affected parties of requirements

Negative indicators

  • Made uninformed interpretation alone
  • Chose convenient reading without verification
  • Implemented before confirming compliance
  • Surprised stakeholders with restrictions

Attitude Questions

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Active Listening

The disciplined practice of fully concentrating on, understanding, responding to, and remembering what others communicate—attending not only to explicit content but to emotional tone, unstated concerns, and contextual significance—while suspending judgment and premature problem-solving to ensure speakers feel genuinely heard and understood.

Interview round: Recruiter Screen

During a program debrief, a participant says the sessions 'weren't really for people like me.' What's your response in the moment?

Positive indicators

  • Asks what they experienced specifically
  • Acknowledges gap between intent and impact
  • Invites continued dialogue without pressure

Negative indicators

  • Immediately explains program design intentions
  • Asks participant to speak for entire demographic
  • Extracts information extractively without genuine engagement

Progression Framework

This table shows how competencies evolve across experience levels. Each cell shows competency at that level.

Institutional Capacity & Strategic Infrastructure

7 competencies

CompetencyJuniorMidSeniorPrincipal
Compliance & Regulatory Standards

Maintains compliance documentation and follows established protocols for confidentiality (e.g., HIPAA, FERPA); completes mandatory training and certifications to ensure legal and ethical adherence.

Monitors program compliance with federal, state, and local regulations; conducts internal audits, corrects minor violations, and prepares regulatory reports.

Develops compliance frameworks and risk mitigation strategies; manages relationships with regulatory bodies and oversees complex reporting requirements for high-stakes portfolios.

Establishes organizational compliance architecture and ethical standards; ensures enterprise risk management and navigates high-stakes regulatory environments and policy changes.

Equity & Systems Change

Participates in equity training and applies equity lenses to daily tasks; documents participant demographic data for equity analysis and supports inclusive programming to advance organizational justice goals.

Implements equity-centered program modifications and facilitates staff dialogue on cultural responsiveness; analyzes disaggregated data to identify and address disparities.

Leads equity initiatives and systems change strategies; develops organizational equity plans, advocates for policy changes with stakeholders, and embeds justice frameworks across program portfolios.

Drives institutional transformation toward racial justice; establishes sector partnerships for systems change and ensures equity integration across all organizational functions and strategies.

Financial Management & Fiscal Compliance

Processes expense reports and maintains financial documentation; tracks receipts against budget line items and assists with basic bookkeeping tasks to ensure fiscal transparency and compliance.

Monitors program budgets and prepares variance reports; ensures compliance with grant financial requirements, internal controls, and expense reimbursement policies.

Develops program budgets and forecasts revenue needs; manages audit preparations, complex funder reporting, and fiscal risk assessment for high-stakes portfolios.

Directs organizational financial strategy and diversification of revenue streams; ensures enterprise-wide fiscal compliance, sustainability planning, and fiduciary oversight.

Governance & Leadership Support

Prepares meeting materials and maintains governance documentation; takes minutes, tracks board action items, and manages scheduling logistics to ensure effective organizational governance.

Coordinates committee meetings and facilitates board communications; supports policy development, implementation tracking, and board orientation.

Serves as primary liaison to board committees; oversees governance calendar, ensures compliance with bylaws, and manages complex board projects supporting fiduciary oversight.

Shapes governance structures and board development strategies; advises executive leadership on fiduciary duties, organizational transformation, and strategic direction.

Resource Mobilization & Partnership Development

Assists with grant research and donor database management; supports event logistics for fundraising activities and maintains donor records to sustain organizational revenue streams.

Writes grant proposals and manages funder relationships; negotiates service agreements with community partners and coordinates stewardship activities.

Leads comprehensive fundraising campaigns and major donor stewardship; designs partnership frameworks that advance organizational strategy and revenue goals.

Sets organizational resource mobilization strategy and diversifies funding portfolios; establishes high-level institutional partnerships and innovative revenue models.

Strategic Planning & Organizational Development

Collects data for strategic planning processes and documents meeting outcomes; supports implementation of specific tactical objectives and operational plans to advance organizational mission.

Coordinates departmental planning efforts and tracks strategic goal progress; facilitates cross-functional teams to address operational challenges and process improvements.

Leads strategic plan development and organizational assessments; designs change management processes and capacity building interventions across departments to align operations with mission.

Architects organizational strategy and theory of change; leads sector-wide field building and establishes the organization as an anchor institution for systems-level impact.

Technology Systems & Digital Infrastructure

Navigates designated software platforms for data entry and retrieval; follows established digital security protocols and basic troubleshooting procedures to maintain data integrity and operational continuity.

Configures system workflows and generates complex reports; trains staff on technology platforms, manages user permissions, and troubleshoots common technical issues.

Administers enterprise databases and oversees system integrations; ensures data governance standards, cybersecurity compliance, and API connections between platforms to support operational efficiency.

Architects organizational technology roadmap and cloud infrastructure; drives digital transformation strategies, evaluates emerging technologies, and ensures scalable enterprise systems.

Program Delivery & Service Operations

4 competencies

CompetencyJuniorMidSeniorPrincipal
Participant Intake & Case Coordination

Processes intake forms and verifies basic eligibility under direct supervision; maintains accurate participant records in designated systems and follows standard operating procedures to ensure seamless participant flow and data integrity.

Manages complex intake cases independently; troubleshoots engagement barriers, coordinates referrals with service providers, and ensures seamless participant flow across programs.

Designs intake protocols and equity-centered screening criteria; trains staff on trauma-informed practices and establishes quality assurance standards for case management across program portfolios.

Architects system-wide intake infrastructure across multiple sites; establishes industry standards for accessible, culturally responsive participant engagement and data integration.

Program Evaluation & Continuous Quality Improvement

Collects participant feedback and enters data accurately into evaluation systems; assists in preparing routine reports and maintaining evaluation documentation to support evidence-based program improvements.

Analyzes program metrics to identify trends and quality gaps; facilitates feedback loops with staff to implement service adjustments and improve participant outcomes.

Designs evaluation frameworks and logic models; leads continuous quality improvement initiatives across program sites and ensures data integrity standards for strategic decision-making.

Establishes organizational learning systems and impact measurement strategies; contributes to sector-wide best practices in program evaluation and outcome measurement.

Safety Protocols & Risk Management

Conducts safety checklist inspections and reports hazards immediately; participates in emergency drills and follows evacuation protocols as directed to maintain secure program environments.

Leads safety training for program participants and volunteers; investigates minor incidents, documents root causes, and recommends corrective actions to supervisors.

Develops site-specific safety protocols and risk assessment frameworks; ensures compliance with evolving health and safety regulations and trains staff on emergency preparedness for high-stakes program environments.

Establishes organizational risk management policies and enterprise safety systems; advises leadership on liability reduction and crisis preparedness across all sites.

Stakeholder Communication & Relationship Management

Conducts routine follow-up communications and documents interactions; responds to inquiries using established protocols and refers complex issues to supervisors to maintain positive participant and partner relationships.

Mediates participant concerns and facilitates community meetings; adapts communication strategies for diverse cultural contexts and builds relationships with partner organizations.

Develops comprehensive communication plans and crisis response protocols; builds strategic partnerships with community organizations and represents the program externally to advance organizational goals.

Shapes organizational communication philosophy and external relations strategy; represents the organization in high-stakes community and sector-wide forums to advance systems change.