Data & Technology Director

DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISTS OF AMERICA INC

6h

About The Position

Democratic Socialists of America is the largest socialist organization in the United States, with over 100,000 members and chapters in all 50 states. We believe that working people should run both the economy and society democratically to meet human needs, not to make profits for a few. We are a political and activist organization, not a party. Through community and campus-based chapters, DSA members use a variety of tactics, from legislative to direct action, to fight for reforms that empower working people. DSA is a big tent, multi-tendency organization that welcomes everyone committed to democratic socialism.

Requirements

• At least 3 to 5 years in a high level position in data/tech, preferably with a left organization or union and preferably on a national or other large-scale
• Demonstrated knowledge, experience and self-motivation leading data/tech work with an organization
• Ability to work effectively with member leaders from varying political viewpoints underneath DSA’s big tent
• Experience managing a team of two or more people
• Ability to thrive in a dynamic, fast-paced environment with a non-traditional leadership structure, adapting to changing political conditions and organizational needs
• High level of accountability, responsibility, and dependability
• Ability to travel on occasion
• Commitment to democratic socialist, feminist, anti-racist, anti-ableist, anti-heterosexist and pro-worker action, and identify as a socialist and be grounded in democratic socialist politics; general agreement with the positions and perspectives of DSA
• Experience with managing and querying relational databases (SQL/mySQL)
• Experience developing data pipelines, automations, and/or user-facing applications using Python or other programming languages
• Familiarity with a version control system such as Git
• Familiarity with cloud services (GCP, AWS)
• Advanced knowledge of Google Sheets or similar
• Experience in technical leadership providing technical guidance and making high-level decisions
• Experience with modern software development best practices
• 3+ years technical expertise or background in data analytics or software engineering
• Experience in supervising the development and maintenance of complex data and/or software projects

Nice To Haves

• Experience working in a membership-led organization and/or with member leaders that direct the work

Responsibilities

• Manage and improve DSA’s tech stack and national data infrastructure to carry out organizational priorities
• Manage DSA’s Data & Tech staff, including handling directives from the National Political Committee (NPC) and requests from NPC, YDSA, staff, chapters, and committees
• Provide regular reportbacks on the Data and Tech department’s work to the NPC
• Serve as business-facing admin of the DSA’s CRM, mass communication, and voter file platforms, including but not limited to: ActionKit, VAN, Action Network, Scale to Win Text and Dialer, BigQuery, and others
• Oversee the organization’s relationship with partner organizations and tech vendors
• Manage staff coordination and work with the National Tech Committee (NTC) and attend NTC meetings and act as primary liaison
• Lead initiatives to increase the technical competency of staff and membership to ensure effective and efficient use of data, tools, services, and technology
• Strengthen internal and external data policies and ensure they are followed
• Recommend and implement digital security protocols and systems across the organization
• Manage DSA’s data warehouse and data syncs and manage DSA’s SQL databases in ActionKit and BigQuery
• Alert NPC and Directors to emerging trends and best practices in organizing technology, data security, and cloud infrastructure
• Supervise the Organizing Tools program and execute a plan to increase chapter overall strategic usage of tools and overall competency, financial tracking, and development of tools and training
• Work with the Compliance Officer to provide technological solutions to compliance issues related to tech tools
• Ensure staff coordination and support for tech administered at DSA convention and other national events
• Ensure proper maintenance and inventory tracking of hardware and software and advise on new technology purchases for staff and organization
• Maintain documentation for identified technological risks and mitigation strategies and proactively gather and update risk status and documentation as needed
• Assist with other duties as needed

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager
• Education Level: No Education Listed