Program Consultant Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Description
Shape and implement solutions to the world's most pressing challenges with the Dalberg Strategy Activation team.
ABOUT DALBERG
Dalberg is a global group that partners with organizations to design and implement strategies that deliver measurable impact, advancing a more sustainable planet and inclusive societies where all people can thrive. We work side by side with governments, foundations, companies, and communities to move from insight to action-translating bold ideas into programs, policies, and systems that work in practice.
As a diverse, purpose-driven community of professionals, Dalberg combines strategy and management consulting with hands-on implementation, equity-centered community design, data and research, and strategic communications. This integrated approach allows us not only to help clients define what needs to change, but to support them in making change happen-from piloting solutions to scaling them across institutions and geographies.
We are from everywhere, at home anywhere-an African and American organization as much as an Asian, Latin American, Middle Eastern, and European one. Dalberg is a place where people bring their full selves to work, practicing transparency and openness while maintaining independence of thought. Our culture is grounded in respect, inclusion, and a shared commitment to learning and growth.
Today, Dalberg is a team of 400+ people from 55 countries, collectively speaking 90 languages, with 48%+ female representation in leadership. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are core to how we work-with our clients, partners, and the communities we serve.
Established in 2001 by experienced private sector consultants, Dalberg operates from 25+ locations worldwide, supporting strategy execution and systems change across sectors and regions.
Salary: The annual compensation for this role is $76,500 with annual tenure-based increases that are independent of performance. We are unable to negotiate on salary as everyone at the same level receives the same level of pay. Our salary structure is designed to be in line with that of non-profit and social impact organizations, reflecting our dedication to social impact work. This is distinct from management consultancies, which predominantly cater to commercial clients.
ABOUT OUR STRATEGY ACTIVATION WORK
Executing on a strategy or standing up a new initiative or program is when the 'real work' starts for most of our partners. Therefore, our Strategy Activation work is the practice of speeding up the initial stages of implementation using project management offices (PMOs) and other structures to deeply partner with clients over time to increase the chances of success for a new initiative, program, or learning agenda. It provides the foundational steps towards bringing a strategy to life, contextualizing it further and teasing out implications for business-as-usual, helping test critical assumptions, making strategic choices, adapting to emerging needs and laying the groundwork for implementation.
ABOUT YOU
You aspire to become a leader in development, especially place based in the United States and working with local municipalities to drive economic mobility. You drive the implementation of innovative and impactful programming for clients through experience design and facilitation. You excel at leading change and delivering complex plans using high levels of empathy and creative thinking, and you want to put your skills to work - transforming organizations that drive change in the United States and around the world.
Employment in all the Dalberg offices is conditional on the candidate having or obtaining the requisite authorization to live and work in that country.
WHAT YOU WILL DO AND HOW YOU WILL GROW
Program Consultants play a significant role in driving the delivery of innovative and results-oriented long-term projects for our clients. They lead research and analysis for our projects, framing the team's knowledge base around the topic at hand. This includes both quantitative rigor and gaining primary insights through interviews with stakeholders. When diving deep into the issues, they think critically and creatively about developing insights based on their findings from the research process. Not only do Program Consultants work closely with their managers, but they are also tasked with gaining trust and credibility by working directly with clients and changemakers creating direct impact. For a few examples:
• A Dalberg team is working to expand and deepen programs to transform the trajectories of children in Wilmington, Delaware from cradle to career while also providing housing opportunities to keep the neighborhood affordable for current and legacy residents.
• Dalberg supported the Los Angeles Department of Economic Opportunity to finalize the design of, and launch, a new Economic Mobility Initiative (EMI) aimed at supporting micro- and small businesses in the county by delivering services and programming in partnership with various community organizations.
• Dalberg supported USAID in launching a global Community of Practice (CoP) aimed at enhancing educational outcomes for underprivileged children and youth in the Global South through non-state education.
Dalberg is a platform for change. Our staff are empowered to start new programs, institute best practices, and develop traditions that will define the Dalberg experience for years to come. Innovation and entrepreneurship are not only valued at Dalberg; they are essential to our firm's success. We provide training, mentorship, and a professional development centric framework that treats your reflections, learning, and growth as central to the programs you support.
ABOUT OUR CLIENTS
Our clients come to us with some of the most difficult global problems, seeking solutions where the obvious ones have failed. We are entrepreneurs and innovators, designers and creative problem solvers, thinkers, and doers who supply new ideas, drawing from a deep base of knowledge that cuts across sectors and geographies and is growing every day. We partner with and serve communities, governments, and companies throughout the world. Some of our recent clients include foundations such as the Gates Foundation, corporations such as Pepsi and Vodafone, multilateral institutions such as the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank, UN Agencies such as UNICEF and the UNEP, and government agencies such as DFID and the Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Agency.
JOIN OUR TEAM
Our current opportunity is in Los Angeles, California.
Candidate applications will be considered on a rolling basis through July 15th, 2026 and should include a resume and cover letter, both written in English
Interview Process: Candidates selected will be invited for a virtual video interview, a written assessment, a case study interview, and a final call with the Associate Program Director and our Director of People to answer your questions and respect that we will both be making a decision as to the right fit for this position.
Benefits: Additionally, our comprehensive benefits package includes
- 20 days of paid vacation
- 10 sick days
- Healthcare: medical, dental, and vision coverage,
- Mental Health: we offer free weekly therapy sessions through MantraCare and 2 paid wellbeing days
- Parental Leave: 16 weeks of paid parental leave for primary caregiver and 8 weeks of leave for secondary caregivers.
- Retirement Savings: 50% of your 401K contributions are matched up to 6% of your base salary
- Tax advantaged Health Savings Accounts, Flexible Spending Accounts, and Commuter Benefits
- Student Loan Repayment Support: $150/month pre-tax contribution
- Disability and Life Insurance policies
This is a hybrid position that requires some travel to San Francisco for our fun and service days each year.
Employment in Dalberg's US offices is contingent on the candidate having the requisite authorization to live and work in the US.
Dalberg values its people and recognizes the importance of balancing professional and personal demands. Qualified and interested candidates irrespective of age, gender, race, religion, background, or ethnic affiliation are encouraged to apply for the vacancy.
We have also pledged to three commitments for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) across the firm:
1. COMMITMENT 1: We commit to publishing internal Dalberg DEI reports annually, to hold ourselves accountable, report on progress and share lessons from our regional DEI plans.
2. COMMITMENT 2: We commit to delivering regular training for all staff (including leadership) on how to engender inclusive workplaces and mitigate unconscious bias.
3. COMMITMENT 3: We commit to addressing imbalances in how power and privilege are formally distributed and informally exercised across the firm.
Owing to the large number of applications we receive, unfortunately, only successful candidates will be contacted.
Requirements
Experiences and Skills we are looking for:
• A clear commitment to domestic and/or international development, demonstrated through prior work on issues such as economic development, global health, education, climate, gender equity, justice, mobility, or financial inclusion
• 2-4 years of relevant professional experience in social impact consulting, international development, public sector delivery, philanthropy, or other mission-driven organizations, including experience supporting programs, projects, or workstreams
• Bachelor's degree in Public Administration, Business Administration, Public Policy, International Relations, Development Studies, Economics, Social Sciences, Education, Social Entrepreneurship, or a related field is a plus (or equivalent experience)
• Demonstrated ability to deliver high-quality work, learn quickly, and take on increasing responsibility in complex, evolving environments
• Experience supporting program and project management, including coordinating timelines, tracking deliverables, supporting partner or client engagement, and contributing to performance management processes
• Ability to build trust and work collaboratively with a range of stakeholders, including peers, partners, and client counterparts
• Strong quantitative and qualitative analytical skills, with experience using data, research, and stakeholder input to inform decisions and improve program delivery
• Proven ability to work effectively as part of a team in entrepreneurial, fast-paced, and mission-driven environments
• Exposure to working across different cultural and geographic contexts; time spent working in low- and middle-income countries is a plus but not required
• Professionalism and sensitivity to political, cultural, and institutional dynamics in complex environments
• Familiarity with project delivery approaches and tools (e.g., Agile, Scrum, PRINCE2, Lean Six Sigma, Jira, Asana, Smartsheet) is helpful; we value adaptability and a willingness to learn

• Fluency in English (spoken and written) required

In addition, if you have skills or abilities in the following areas, please share them in your application:

• Fluency in foreign languages
• Experience with Excel or PowerPoint
• Demonstrated ability to innovate new programs, ideas, or initiatives