Waterford.org · 2 months ago
Chief Technology Officer
Waterford.org is a non-profit organization that has been a leader in using technology to educate young children for nearly 50 years. They are seeking a Chief Technology Officer (CTO) to oversee all technology-related aspects of the business, focusing on accelerating organizational growth and impact.
E-LearningEducationNon Profit
Responsibilities
Makes product quality, user experience and positive learning impact the first and highest priority for Waterford’s technology teams
Establishes and emphasizes a culture of goal-setting, measurement and accountability - continuously improving project estimation accuracy and execution (achievement of planned deliverables according to projected time and budget) while increasing development velocity and capacity utilization without compromising quality
Establishes and executes an overall technology plan for the organization and its products in accordance with Waterford’s mission, strategic plan and product roadmap
Ensures effective, ongoing collaboration between technology team members, product management and the executive team within an Agile development environment
Clearly articulates technology's role in achieving organizational goals to board members, executives, and the broader team
Build and continuously improve technology teams via networking with and recruiting top talent, and via mentoring, developing and motivating staff to succeed in current and future roles
Defines or approves all technology safeguards, policies, and processes to minimize the risk of security breaches and protect sensitive data and company IP
Consistently evaluates effectiveness and efficiency of technology, processes and team members and makes changes and improvements as necessary
Owns the evaluation, approval and purchase process for technology that supports both internal processes and external objectives while ensuring the needs of department leaders are understood and met
Effectively communicates technology-related decisions and direction to those who have technical backgrounds as well as those who are non-technical
Qualification
Required
Deep knowledge of technical ecosystem alternatives and trade-offs to achieve the right blend of reliability, performance and scalability for cloud-based, multimedia rich offerings
Well-versed in product technology lifecycle management and well-aware of current and emerging technology solutions; has a proven history of success technology challenges and opportunities that evolve over time
In-depth knowledge of critical IT areas including security & privacy, data governance, disaster recovery, system performance, and high availability
Experience in building strong and diverse teams of high performing individuals while managing multiple projects to success
C-Level presence and subject matter expertise worthy of an industry thought leader and public speaker
Ability to strike a balance between what's innovative and best practice from a technical perspective and what's strategic and pragmatic for our business at any given time; strong advocate for functional areas of responsibility within the context of what is most beneficial to the organization and its mission overall
Motivator and mentor who strives to advance the careers and expertise of team members by providing opportunities for technically challenging work, on-going education, new responsibilities and advancement
Analytical approach to development, infrastructure and purchasing decisions, including: Build versus Buy, ROI, Technical debt, GAP Analysis
Cost-conscious mindset, but creative problem solver within budget, time and resource constraints
Strong contract negotiation skill
Excellent interpersonal, written / oral communication and presentation Skills
15+ years of experience in the Information Technology or related arena
10+ years of experience in management and strategic planning
8+ years in the Education Technology industry
Experience or awareness of other industries in order to apply solutions in other industries to the education domain
A strong and current background of demonstrated technical engineering experience in a diverse set of disciplines including Software Architecture, Programming, IT infrastructure and Design
Understanding and experience of Agile methodologies
Practical implementation of Sprints, Scrums, Kanban, etc
Experience effectively using and working with off-shore teams
Passion for education
Basic understanding and experience with Java, AWS, Ruby on Rails, HTML5
Experience in running IT and development groups within a startup and/or nonprofit environment with demonstrated knowledge of how to balance investment in tools/people to maximize return in support of organizational goals
BS degree in Computer Science or related field
Current and on-going knowledge acquisition of technical tools and trends with sufficient depth to make purposeful decisions
On-going acquisition of education industry knowledge
Preferred
MBA or double major in CS and business
Benefits
Fully paid primary premiums for health insurance
Dental insurance
Basic life insurance
Disability insurance
One-time HSA contribution
Retirement contributions are matched up to 5% by the organization
Generous vacation, sick, and holiday offering
Company
Waterford.org
Education nonprofit with a mission to achieve universal literacy for children through equity, access, and family empowerment.