Sr. Program Specialist – Water & Wastewater

Rural Community Assistance Partnership; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 77,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Vacation Leave

Sick Leave

Health Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

403b Retirement Plan

Life Insurance

Disability Insurance

FSA Plans

Job summary

Rural Community Assistance Partnership seeks a Senior Program Specialist to manage the Treatment Works Program, a nationwide EPA grant portfolio supporting rural and Tribal wastewater systems.

The role oversees start-to-close grant activities, partner coordination, and reporting, with remote work flexibility and occasional travel (about six trips per year).

Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience managing programs with multiple deliverables and coordinating diverse partner organizations or stakeholders.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with experience preparing funder reports and presenting to audiences.
• Ability to work effectively independently and in a remote team environment.
• Proven relationship-building, negotiation, and partnership skills.
• Proficiency with MS Office suite (Outlook, Teams, SharePoint) is preferred.
• Minimum of seven years of relevant professional experience; Bachelor’s degree preferred or substituted with experience.

Responsibilities

• Manage federal grant-funded programs, including reporting, subagreements, deliverables, and spending oversight.
• Maintain communication with Treatment Works partners on project activities.
• Lead/Support Treatment Works Working Group activities.
• Develop program deliverables and drive completion.
• Travel to conferences and program events; represent RCAP in various forums.
• Foster collaboration with water industry groups, funders, and related entities.

Skills

Program management

Grant management

Communication

Remote teamwork

Stakeholder relations

Project reporting

Education

Bachelor’s degree preferred

Tools

MS Office

Job description

Sr. Program Specialist – Water & Wastewater

Reports to: Environmental Programs Manager

Employment Type/FLSA: Exempt, Full-Time

Annual Starting Salary Range: $77,380.19 – $90,355.46

Location: Remote – Anywhere in the Continental U.S.

Posting Date: August 25, 2026

Application Deadline: September 15, 2026

Anticipated Start Date: November 1, 2026

Organization Description: The Rural Community Assistance Partnership Incorporated (RCAP) is a national network of nonprofit partners that works to ensure that rural and Tribal communities across the US have access to safe drinking water, wastewater treatment, solid waste disposal, and economic prosperity through technical assistance, training, and financial assistance in the smallest communities across the country, many of which are low income. RCAP builds capacity at the local level, while raising the voice of rural and Tribal communities through advocacy, storytelling, research, and strategic partnerships. Annually, RCAP serves approximately 2,000 rural and Tribal communities with an average size of less than 1,600.

RCAPis a Non-Discriminatory Employer: We welcome and encourage applications from all qualified candidates, regardless of identity or background.

Position Summary: RCAP is seeking a Senior Program Specialist to manage its Treatment Works Program, a nationwide Clean Water technical assistance and training initiative for rural, small, and Tribal municipalities and wastewater treatment systems. This role oversees a federal grant portfolio of EPA funding agreements that support communities working to return to compliance, secure Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) financing and funding, protect water quality, and address long-standing wastewater infrastructure challenges.

The Senior Program Specialist manages the program from start-up through close-out, including developing scopes of work, monitoring spending and deliverables, and participating in site visits, workshops, and regional management meetings. The position also provides guidance to regional partners, field staff, and consultants who implement program deliverables. In addition, the Specialist may coordinate with professional and nonprofit organizations and take part in or lead topic-specific working groups.

Work Location: Anywhere in the Continental U.S. This is a remote employment position that requires occasional travel (estimated 6 times per year).

Roles/Responsibilities:

• Manage/co-manage federal grant-funded programs including the development and submittal of required funder reports, the development of subagreements for internal and external partners, oversight of deliverables and spending tracking. Including the procurement and management of contractors.
• Maintain communication with all Treatment Works partners on project-related activities.
• Support and lead Treatment Works Working Group.
• Assist with development of program deliverables and/or drive their completion.
• Travel to participate in/present at conferences, workshops, programmatic events, RCAP program management meetings and other activities representing small, rural and Tribal communities.
• Maintain and further develop collaborative relationships with other water industry groups, potential funders and other entities that complement RCAP’s work.
• Generate or contribute to funding proposals.
• Serve as a reliable point of contact for regional staff and external partners on program matters.
• Participate in meetings/calls with RCAP network staff to advise on contract & compliance functions.
• Review and approve program-related invoices for accuracy, allowability, budget alignment, and compliance with grant, contract, and organizational requirements.
• Procure and manage contractors that provide specialized services including engineering, financial audits, legal support, environmental review and permitting.
• Assist in designing and conducting training for RCAP network staff on relevant topics.
• Collaborate across RCAP teams on program deliverables
• Other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

• Demonstrated experience managing programs with multiple deliverables and coordinating diverse partner organizations. Federal grant management experience preferred, including oversight of funder relationships, reporting, budgeting, and sub-agreement processes.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with demonstrated project management abilities, including preparation of funder reports and delivery of public presentations.
• Ability to work effectively both independently and collaboratively within a remote team environment.
• Strong relationship-building and trust-building capabilities, with proven skills in prioritization, negotiation, and partnership with various internal and external stakeholders.
• Familiarity with the MS Office Suite, including Outlook, Teams, and SharePoint, is preferred.
• Minimum of seven years’ relevant professional experience required
• Bachelor’s degree is preferred but may be substituted with additional experience.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Knowledge of and experience with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) drinking water and clean water regulations
• Wastewater technicalassistance and/or training experience
• Experience working with and a passion forassistingrural,Tribaland underserved communities

Benefits: RCAP offers an outstanding benefits package which includes:

• 15 days of Vacation Leave (accrued on a prorated per payroll basis).
• 15 days of Sick Leave (accrued on a prorated per payroll basis).
• 9 scheduled federal holidays (New Years’ Day, MLK Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, 4th of July, Labor Day, Indigenous People’s Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day) and 3 floating holidays (which can be used anytime during the fiscal year) with one day of scheduled administrative leave the week between Christmas and New Years. (Presidents’ Day, Veterans’ Day and the Day after Thanksgiving are NOT scheduled holidays).
• Platinum level Health Insurance with 100% of premium paid for the employee and 70% for dependents (currently provided through CareFirst Blue Cross/Blue Shield).
• Dental and Vision Insurance with 100% of the premium paid for both employee and dependents (currently provided through Delta Dental and VSP).
• 403b Retirement Plan with automatic employer contribution of 7% after 6 months of employment.
• Employer paid Life, Long and Short-Term Disability Insurance.
• FSA Medical and Dependent Care Plans.
• Optional Insurance plans available at 100% employee cost for Accident, Critical Illness and Supplemental Hospital.

The Selection Process: Below is a tentative timeline of key events:

• First round of Interviews: Week of September 28th
• Second Round of Interviews: Week of October 5th
• Job Offer (contingent upon reference & background check): Target October 12th
• Preferred Start Date: Target November 1, 2026

While we will proactively communicate these dates and any changes to you throughout the process, please consider placing tentative holds on your calendars for the initial screening and full interviews. Dates subject to change.