Program Manager - Human Rights And Social Impact

This role leads the coordination and completion of complex projects and programs within a human rights and social impact-focused business group. The Program Manager oversees all aspects of assigned initiatives, from planning and execution to monitoring and reporting, ensuring alignment with policy, partnership, and external communications objectives. The position requires strong AI fluency, solid product management capabilities, and robust technical skills, combined with an understanding of human rights and experience in retail-related contexts. The role involves leading cross-functional teams, exercising sound judgment, and using creativity and latitude to achieve ambitious goals.Responsibilities

• Coordinate and manage end-to-end delivery of projects and programs, ensuring they meet scope, schedule, and quality expectations.
• Set clear project deadlines, define milestones, and develop detailed project plans that align with team and organizational priorities.
• Assign responsibilities to team members and cross-functional partners, ensuring clarity of ownership and accountability.
• Monitor project and program progress, identify risks and issues, and implement mitigation strategies to keep initiatives on track.
• Summarize and communicate project status, risks, and outcomes through clear and timely reports for upper management and key stakeholders.
• Lead and direct the work of others, providing guidance, feedback, and coordination across multiple teams and disciplines.
• Leverage strong AI fluency to inform project decisions, product direction, and policy-related work in the human rights and social impact space.
• Apply solid product management skills to define requirements, prioritize features, and drive delivery of solutions that meet user and stakeholder needs.
• Use strong technical skills to understand complex systems, collaborate effectively with technical teams, and ensure feasible and scalable solutions.
• Collaborate closely with stakeholders in policy, partnership, and external communications to align project objectives with broader human rights and social impact goals.
• Engage with retail sector stakeholders and contexts, drawing on retail experience to shape project approaches and outcomes.
• Rely on extensive experience and professional judgment to plan, recommend, and implement strategies that accomplish project and program goals.
• Perform a variety of tasks across project planning, execution, communication, and evaluation, adapting to changing priorities and needs.
• Exercise a wide degree of creativity and latitude to solve complex problems and innovate within the human rights and social impact domain.
• Report to a manager or head of unit/department while providing leadership and direction to project teams and contributors.

Essential Skills

• Strong AI fluency, with the ability to understand, discuss, and apply AI concepts in project, product, and policy contexts.
• Strong AI fluency combined with human rights knowledge, enabling informed decision-making in a human rights and social impact environment.
• Solid product management skills, including requirements definition, prioritization, roadmap planning, and delivery oversight.
• Strong technical skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with technical teams and understand complex systems and solutions.
• Bachelors degree or post-graduate degree in a relevant field.
• Human rights knowledge, particularly in contexts related to policy, social impact, and responsible technology.
• Project management skills, including experience managing multiple initiatives and priorities simultaneously.
• Stakeholder management experience, especially in environments involving policy, partnerships, and external communications.
• Experience working within a human rights and social impact team or similar mission-driven environment.

Work EnvironmentThe role supports a human rights and social impact team focused on policy, partnership, and external communications initiatives. The standard work schedule is approximately 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The position can be based in a major office environment, with a preference for locations such as Arlington, VA (DC area), but also openness to offices in Seattle, WA and New York, NY. The work involves collaboration with cross-functional teams, including technical, product, policy, and communications stakeholders, and requires regular use of project management and productivity tools. The environment emphasizes professional communication, structured project delivery, and engagement with complex topics at the intersection of AI, human rights, and retail. Job Type & LocationThis is a Contract position based out of Arlington, VA. Pay and BenefitsThe pay range for this position is $50.00 - $54.00/hr. Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits

available for this temporary role may include the following:

Medical, dental & vision Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital 401(k) Retirement Plan Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) Short and long-term disability Health Spending Account (HSA) Transportation benefits Employee Assistance Program Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave) Job Type & LocationThis is a Contract position based out of Arlington, VA. Application DeadlineThis position is anticipated to close on Nov 13, 2026. Workplace TypeThis is a fully onsite position in Arlington,VA.

About Aston Carter

Aston Carter provides world-class corporate talent solutions to thousands of clients across the globe. Specialized in accounting, finance, human resources, talent acquisition, procurement, supply chain and select administrative professions, we extend the capabilities of industry-leading companies. We draw on our deep recruiting expertise and expansive network to meet the evolving needs of our clients and talent community with agility and excellence. With offices across the U.S., Canada, Asia Pacific and Europe, Aston Carter serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® Platinum Award winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email astoncarteraccommodation@astoncarter.com for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.