Chief Information Officer

Seattle Social Housing Developer•Seattle, WA

30d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Chief Information Officer (CIO) is a foundational leadership role responsible for building the systems, data, and information-governance foundation for the Seattle Social Housing Developer (SSHD). As SSHD grows, the CIO's decisions on enterprise systems and information governance will be critical for manageable expansion. The CIO will own SSHD's technology strategy, enterprise architecture, information governance, system selection, implementation roadmap, vendor management, and staff adoption across various departments including accounting, property management, asset management, real estate development, and procurement. This role also includes managing SharePoint architecture, document management, records retention, an employee intranet, a secure Board information environment, cybersecurity, access management, business continuity, and AI governance. SSHD operates a hybrid model for technology delivery, with the CIO focusing on strategy and oversight while a managed service provider handles operational support. The CIO will also lead key engagements related to Knowledge Management, Digital Workplace, AI Governance, and Enterprise Systems Strategy. A key long-term goal is to build the infrastructure that allows SSHD to scale its portfolio and eventually bring property management in-house, ensuring data integrity, security, and operational consistency. The CIO must ensure compliance with public-sector obligations, including the Washington Public Records Act and state-approved records retention schedules, and support IT general controls for audits.

Requirements

Demonstrated experience leading enterprise system implementations, integrations, and architecture decisions, ideally within a small-to-mid-size or fast-growing organization.
Substantive experience establishing document management, records retention, naming conventions, and information-governance frameworks.
Deep familiarity with Microsoft 365 administration, SharePoint architecture, intranet development, and permissions/security configuration.
Proven ability to manage managed service providers and specialized consultants against service-level agreements and defined project deliverables.
Working knowledge of cybersecurity governance, access management, business continuity planning, and emerging AI-governance considerations.
Familiarity with accounting, budgeting, asset management, capital planning, and procurement/contract systems.
Familiarity with the Public Records Act, Open Public Meetings Act, records retention schedules, and State Auditor's Office (SAO) requirements applicable to Washington public agencies or Public Development Authorities.
Experience supporting financial-statement or compliance audits, including access controls, segregation of duties, change management, and review of vendor SOC 1/SOC 2 reports.
Familiarity with HRIS, payroll, time and attendance, and DRS/PERS reporting systems.
Familiarity with access control, submetering, energy management, EV charging, IoT, and low-voltage technology standards as applied to real estate development.
Demonstrated ability to lead technology adoption and organizational change among non-technical staff and stakeholders.
Ability to develop multi-year roadmaps and total-cost-of-ownership models for enterprise technology investments.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to translate complex technical concepts for non-technical staff, leadership, and the Board.
Demonstrated ability to handle sensitive, confidential, and security-related information with sound judgment.
Understanding of, or ability to quickly learn, the ethical standards required of public-agency employees, including conflict-of-interest disclosure and gift/vendor-hospitality rules.
Bachelor's degree in information systems, computer science, business administration, or a related field; or an equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience.
Minimum of seven (7) to ten (10) years of progressively responsible experience in enterprise systems, IT leadership, or information-technology management, including experience directing outsourced IT or managed service providers.
Demonstrated experience leading Microsoft 365 and SharePoint implementations, including information architecture, governance, and permissions design.
Experience managing specialized technology consultants and vendors on defined implementation projects.
Experience developing multi-year technology roadmaps and budget/total-cost models.
Experience with cybersecurity governance, access management, or business continuity planning.
Must pass a background check.
Ability to adapt to shifting priorities and take on additional responsibilities as the role and organization evolve.
Ability to work occasional evenings to support Board information-environment needs or time-sensitive system implementations.
Must reside in King County.

Nice To Haves

Experience in housing, real estate development, property management, or asset management systems.
Experience preparing an organization to bring an outsourced function (e.g., property management) in-house.
Experience supporting a Board of Directors' information and governance needs.
Experience supporting Washington State Auditor's Office (SAO) accountability audits or other public-agency financial/compliance audits.
Experience with DRS/PERS reporting or other Washington public-sector HRIS and payroll compliance requirements.
Familiarity with AI governance frameworks and emerging AI tools in an enterprise setting.
Relevant certifications (e.g., PMP, Microsoft 365 Certified, CISSP, or similar).
Experience working in a small or growing nonprofit, public agency, or Public Development Authority.

Responsibilities

Own SSHD's technology strategy, enterprise architecture, information governance, system selection, and implementation roadmap.
Create a three-year enterprise systems roadmap and total-cost model covering accounting, budgeting, property management, asset management, capital planning, real estate development, procurement, contracts, vendor management, and core people-operations systems.
Define requirements and evaluate systems for accounting, property management, asset management, capital planning, and real estate development; partner with HR and Finance for HRIS, payroll, time and attendance, and DRS/PERS reporting.
Establish common property, project, contract, vendor, and financial coding structures across systems.
Establish low-voltage and building-technology standards for new development, including access control, submetering, energy management, EV charging infrastructure, IoT, and network/security infrastructure.
Partner with Real Estate Development and Property Management to write technology standards into project specifications.
Lead the Enterprise Knowledge Management, Digital Workplace, AI Governance, and Enterprise Systems Strategy engagement.
Establish organization-wide document naming conventions, filing standards, retention schedules, and access/permission structures.
Monitor ongoing compliance with information-governance requirements, including the Public Records Act, the Open Public Meetings Act, and state-approved records retention schedules.
Support timely, accurate responses to public records requests.
Design priority workflows and create a secure Board information environment with appropriate permissions, version control, retention, and offboarding procedures.
Manage the managed service provider (e.g., Compass) against clear service-level and performance requirements.
Lead formal review of provider performance and contract terms before renewal.
Engage and oversee specialized consultants for SharePoint development, system configuration, integration, data migration, cybersecurity testing, and other defined implementation projects.
Coordinate an independent cybersecurity and Microsoft 365 configuration assessment.
Oversee cybersecurity governance, access management, business continuity planning, and AI governance across the organization.
Oversee secure data exchange between SSHD, Thrive, and future third-party property managers.
Own SSHD's IT general controls (ITGCs) supporting financial and compliance audits.
Coordinate review of vendor SOC 1/SOC 2 reports for systems supporting financial reporting and sensitive data.
Partner with the Chief Financial Officer to prepare for and support Washington State Auditor's Office (SAO) accountability and financial-statement audits.
Respond to audit requests related to enterprise systems and access controls.
Inventory SSHD's systems, licenses, data sources, vendors, access groups, and recurring reports as a baseline for future planning.
Develop the technology transition plan necessary to support bringing property management in-house.
Ensure systems and information-governance decisions made today remain manageable as SSHD scales.
Report to the Chief Executive Officer on enterprise systems performance, information-governance compliance, and technology-roadmap progress.
Partner with Accounting, Property Management, Asset Management, Real Estate Development, and other departments to ensure enterprise systems meet their operational needs.