Executive Director, City Experience Team, WWC

Organization: Results for America

Role: Executive Director, City Experience, What Works Cities (WWC) 

Location: Flexible within the United States (Eastern time zone preferred)

Travel: Up to 40% across the US, Canada, and Central and South America

Organization Overview

Results for America (RFA) is the leading national nonprofit helping government decision-makers harness data and evidence to improve outcomes for residents. Our mission is to make investing in what works the “new normal,” ensuring that public leaders use rigorous evidence to inform policy and funding decisions. We believe data-driven governance can dramatically increase the impact of the $2 trillion that governments spend each year to expand opportunity and advance economic mobility.

What Works Cities (WWC)

What Works Cities, a flagship initiative of RFA funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies, helps local governments across North, Central, and South America use data and evidence to tackle their most pressing challenges. Through coaching, implementation support, in-person and virtual learning, and a growing professional network, WWC helps cities adopt best practices and meet the international What Works Cities Certification Standard—the first global benchmark of excellence for data-driven, well-managed local government.

Over the last decade, WWC has supported more than 300 cities in improving outcomes related to public safety, health, homelessness, economic mobility, and more. As we mark the program’s 10-year anniversary, WWC is entering a new phase of growth—expanding its footprint across the Americas, exploring new regional markets, and deepening services for both new and Certified cities. The initiative is focused on elevating the WWC Standard globally, embedding it within institutions, and continuously refining the model through research, evaluation, and practitioner feedback.

Position Overview

The Executive Director, City Experience, will help lead the next era of What Works Cities programming by ensuring a high-quality experience for all cities across the network—whether they are just beginning their data journey or sustaining excellence as Certified cities.

This leader will design and oversee the relationship management model that guides a city’s full lifecycle experience within WWC—from initial assessment and capacity-building to Certification, re-Certification, and long-term sustainability. The Executive Director will also ensure excellence and fidelity in the design, delivery, and evaluation of WWC curriculum, content, assessments, technical assistance, and research efforts.

This is a highly strategic, visionary role requiring a collaborative, relationship-oriented leader who thrives in complex environments and can work across teams and partners to drive impact at scale.

This is a full time, exempt position, based in a home office anywhere within the United States.  

International travel up to 40% annually may be required. 

The role reports to the Managing Director, What Works Cities, and supervises multiple team members across the City Experience portfolio.

Key Responsibilities

1.Leadership & Strategy (40%)

• Provide strategic direction for the City Experience team, fostering a culture of growth, collaboration, innovation, and accountability.
• Set team goals, priorities, and milestones in alignment with WWC’s strategy; develop and track KPIs to measure progress and effectively manage the team towards outcomes.
• Ensure team capacity is effectively aligned with core WWC program offerings; leading  ongoing training and professional development to create an environment of continuous learning. 
• Collaborate closely with the Managing Director and cross-functional WWC leadership to refine and advance the initiative’s overall strategy.
• Lead, mentor, and develop a diverse team, modeling strong people-management skills and an inclusive, collaborative culture.
• Promote cohesion and shared accountability across the City Experience team to ensure a unified strategy and user experience.
• Serve as a leader who champions RFA and WWC’s values, culture, and commitment to excellence.

2. Program Design & Oversight (40%)

• Ensure fidelity and excellence in the design, delivery, and continuous improvement of WWC Standard, curriculum, platform-based content, resource library, and technical assistance offerings.
• Assess and assure the quality of WWC assessments and city action plans to ensure they align with the WWC Standard and will drive meaningful progress.
• Oversee the development of a co