Senior Director, Technical Solutions

Position Summary

The Senior Director, Technical Solutions, will work with the assigned project advocates and leads on the overall delivery of education software. This position will report to the Vice President of Education Delivery and Technology Solutions. The primary focus of the position is to understand all education technology needs, manage/balance requests and requirements across these platforms, and ensure updates and delivery are within scope, schedule, and budget. They will work across the education team, JA USA departments, and JA Areas to ensure that the creation and maintenance of solutions are the best solution for the user and address the challenges of a changing market. The position will work closely with vendors and JA stakeholders to ensure effective delivery of these solutions, updates, enhancements, and issues. They will be responsible for communicating status across the organization as well as to donors and management. They will use expertise in software delivery to work with the various teams to test and deploy the solutions. A strong background in software development, especially web technologies, is highly advantageous for this role. The ability to analyze technical issues across web properties, interpret error logs, and propose innovative solutions is essential.

Essential Functions

• Oversee coordination and scheduling across all projects in development and associated technology implementation through a proven production methodology and implementation.
• Actively work with JA education departments, especially Field Program services and User Experience on development and engagement of JA Areas, co-creation with users, and testing to inform program releases and ensure successful outcomes.
• Collaborate with technology vendors to architect and implement solutions that align with organizational needs, leveraging deep technical expertise to evaluate options and troubleshoot issues.
• Serve as a technical liaison between vendors and JA staff, translating complex technical concepts into accessible language for non-technical stakeholders.
• Work closely with internal IT infrastructure teams to prepare, maintain, and optimize environments for education technology platforms.
• Develop and document processes and requirements as needed across all technology projects, including ensuring internal and user feedback, good decision-making, efficiency, and continual improvement.
• Direct key solutions associated with the development and implementation of the systems, to include but not limited to, 1) collaborate with field program services, design, development, and technology teams on project plans, and 2) identify and manage key vendors and contractors.
• Lead troubleshooting efforts for setup and operational issues, driving innovation and continuous improvement in technology solutions.
• Coordinate key meetings and decisions with Education department leadership.
• Actively participate in meetings as required for Education group committees, projects, JA USA, JA Areas, or donor relations.
• Manage and update backend configurations and systems as needed, including system administration of JA's learning management system (LMS) and other systems as directed.
• Works with vendors on business solutions while coordinating with IT on education solutions and integrations.
• Builds or manages required communication, instructional, and training materials associated with learning technology solutions.
• Performs quality assurance and testing on releases as needed.
• Manages associated budget(s) and provide reporting as required.
• Performs other job-related duties as assigned or requested.
• Maintains clear processes for communication amongst project managers around projects' status, issues, risks, and decisions.
• Collaborates across JA USA departments to meet program milestones and goals.

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years of relevant work experience in education product development and/or systems development and delivery, including direct experience managing software development teams and IT operations.
• Solid understanding of current education and/or technology trends.
• A deep experience in various project management and business analysis processes (scheduling, requirements gathering, etc.)
• Extensive experience in using collaborative project team tools.
• Attention to quality in managing and delivering products and systems.
• Demonstrated expertise in web technologies, including diagnosing and resolving issues in web-based platforms.
• Proven ability to communicate technical solutions effectively to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Experience bridging communication gaps between technology vendors and internal stakeholders.

Desired Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in technology, education, or related field or equivalent education/experience.
• Demonstrated success in managing education products and working with learning technologies system projects throughout their life cycle.
• Experience with Agile project management.
• Experience using collaborative project management tools (i.e., MS Project, DevOps, JIRA, Asana, ClickUp, Monday, Workfront, or other).
• Attention to quality in managing and implementing products and systems.
• Experience using Learning Management Systems and hands-on system administration.
• Hands-on experience with web infrastructure, cloud environments, and modern web application frameworks.
• Ability to read and interpret code and understand software logic, regardless of programming language, to support troubleshooting, vendor collaboration, and solution design.
• Track record of driving innovation in technology solutions within a collaborative, multi-team environment.