Sr. Director, Technology & Systems

Accountabilities

• Own the multi-year technology strategy and roadmap, translating organizational growth objectives into a scalable systems and infrastructure plan.

• Serve as the internal authority on technology investments, implementations, priorities, and trade-offs, providing clear recommendations to executive leadership.

• Evaluate the technology environment end-to-end and sequence investments to support sustainable growth rather than fragmented or reactive solutions.

• Manage the technology budget across vendors, licenses, staffing, infrastructure, and strategic projects with strong fiscal accountability.

• Establish organization-wide standards for technology evaluation, procurement, implementation, and governance.

• Report on technology performance, risks, priorities, and roadmap progress to senior leadership and the Board when appropriate.

• Advise Program and Development leaders on data governance, CRM strategy, cybersecurity, and technology solutions aligned with their operational needs.

• Establish consistent data standards and governance practices across Program, Development, Finance, and other core systems.

• Define cybersecurity policies and ensure internal teams and external vendors meet expectations for training, access management, security, and incident response.

• Manage relationships with retained IT providers, technology vendors, consultants, and other external partners, establishing KPIs and accountability for service quality, security, and value.

• Lead RFP, vendor selection, contract negotiation, and technology procurement processes.

• Oversee IT infrastructure and support, including cloud collaboration environments, hardware, access management, and business continuity.

• Continuously assess the appropriate balance between internal technology capabilities and external vendor support.

• Lead the responsible adoption of AI across the organization, identifying high-value use cases while establishing clear boundaries around appropriate usage.

• Develop AI training, change management, usage policies, and risk guardrails to support effective and responsible adoption.

• Lead organizational change initiatives for new systems and processes, ensuring solutions are embraced and effectively used across departments.

• Coach and develop direct reports while building broader internal technology capabilities and reducing reliance on individual knowledge.

• Translate complex technical decisions into practical business terms that non-technical leaders can understand, act on, and support.

Requirements:

• 8–10+ years of experience in technology or systems leadership, including 3–5+ years at a senior or director level owning technology strategy in a nonprofit, scaling organization, or comparable environment.

• Demonstrated project management experience leading complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives with competing priorities and timelines through successful completion.

• Strong vendor and contract management experience, including RFPs, technology procurement, consultant selection, and negotiations.

• Experience with CRM platforms such as Salesforce, Blackbaud, or equivalent systems, as well as cloud collaboration environments such as Microsoft 365.

• Hands-on experience evaluating and deploying AI tools in an organizational environment, including adoption, training, governance, and risk management.

• Proven ability to lead technology strategy across functions and translate technical decisions into actionable recommendations for non-technical leaders.

• Working knowledge of data governance, cybersecurity policies, standards, access management, and incident response practices.

• Strong cross-functional leadership skills, with the ability to manage upward, downward, and across complex organizations while coordinating internal employees and external partners.

• Intellectual curiosity and a commitment to staying current with emerging technology, AI capabilities, and modern systems practices.

• Strong executive presence and communication skills, including the ability to present recommendations and technology strategy to senior leadership and Board-level stakeholders.

• Highly organized, deadline-driven, and capable of managing multiple high-priority initiatives in a fast-paced environment.

• Sound judgment and discretion when handling sensitive organizational, constituent, and business data.

• Strong alignment with mission-driven work and enthusiasm for communicating organizational values, purpose, and priorities.

• Commitment to advancing equity, inclusion, trust, and belonging across technology strategy and organizational operations.

• Preferred experience with Claude or comparable AI platforms, enterprise-scale software deployments, and security or project management certifications such as CISSP or PMP.

• Strong ownership, adaptability, prioritization, collaboration, and relationship-building skills, with a focus on sustainable and scalable solutions.

Benefits:

• Annual salary of $165,000–$190,000.

• Eligibility for an annual performance-based bonus.

• Employer-paid health insurance premiums, with dependent coverage available at additional cost.

• 403(b) retirement plan with an employer match of up to 3%.

• Fully remote position based in the greater Los Angeles area, with occasional in-person meetings and events.

• Relocation assistance available for candidates relocating to the Los Angeles area.

• Opportunity to shape technology strategy and infrastructure across a growing, mission-driven organization.

• Significant executive visibility and direct influence over technology investments, systems, AI adoption, cybersecurity, and organizational change.

• Leadership responsibility spanning internal technology staff, vendors, consultants, and cross-functional stakeholders.

• Opportunity to build scalable systems, strengthen organizational capabilities, and introduce responsible AI solutions with measurable impact.

• Equal opportunity workplace with accommodations available throughout the hiring and employment process.