National Council for Mental Wellbeing Director, Learning Technology

Positively Partners • Washington, WA

9d • Remote

About The Position

The Director, Learning Technology will help the National Council expand and improve its learning offerings by translating learner needs and program priorities into effective technology solutions. The role leads the continued development of the organization’s learning technology ecosystem, particularly its custom-built platform, and guides decisions about its future capabilities. The Director will learn the platform’s architecture, integrations and workflows; translate needs into functional specifications; and work with developers and vendors to take improvements from design through testing and release.

The position partners with product, program, learning, curriculum, operations and Enterprise Technology colleagues to understand learner and organizational needs and develop practical, sustainable platform solutions. The platform supports varied audiences, programs and learning goals, including pathways shaped by assessments, recommendations, competencies, outcomes and prior activity. The Director will guide platform strategy and technical delivery while maintaining reliability, adaptability and sustainability, and will directly manage and develop a team of three.

The National Council is a remote-first, 501(c)(3) membership organization founded in 1969. It represents more than 3,100 mental health and substance use treatment organizations and operates across the United States. The role can be performed remotely from anywhere in the U.S., with employees primarily working Washington, D.C. business hours, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET.

Requirements

• Significant experience owning, implementing or evolving learning technology products or platforms, with an understanding of how technology supports learning journeys and program outcomes.
• Experience as a product owner, product manager, learning technology leader, systems lead or in a comparable role translating user and business needs into platform requirements and delivery priorities with business and program colleagues.
• Strong technical fluency with modern web applications and integrated platforms, including the ability to discuss application architecture, APIs, integrations, data flows, SSO/IAM, environments, testing, security and release decisions with technical teams.
• Working knowledge of learning technology concepts, standards and ecosystems, such as LMS/LXP platforms, SCORM and/or xAPI, learning content, assessments, catalogs, credentials, reporting and learning analytics.
• Experience guiding developers, implementation partners or technology vendors and evaluating proposed solutions against functional and technical requirements.
• Experience managing a technical roadmap, balancing competing technical needs, and leading enhancements or releases from discovery and requirements through testing, launch and measurement in alignment with business priorities.
• Ability to understand complex workflows, simplify ambiguity and communicate clearly with technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• People leadership experience, including coaching, setting expectations and building accountability.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with custom or highly configured learning platforms, particularly those supporting multiple audiences, programs or non-linear learning pathways.
• Experience with Ruby on Rails or another modern web application framework through development, technical product ownership or close partnership with engineering teams.
• Hands-on ability to configure platforms, prototype solutions, work with APIs or make targeted application changes.
• Comfort using AI-assisted development tools.
• Experience with AWS or another major cloud environment.
• Experience with LearnUpon or other commercial LMS/LXP platforms and integrating them with custom learning experiences.
• Experience in a nonprofit, association, education, public health or other mission-driven environment.
• Experience supporting learning programs shaped by grant, contractual, credentialing or reporting requirements.

Responsibilities

• Lead platform strategy, architecture and the technical roadmap for the learning delivery ecosystem, particularly the custom learning platform.
• Partner with product and program teams to connect business goals and user needs with opportunities to improve and extend the system.
• Understand how National Council programs deliver learning, including non-linear pathways shaped by assessments, recommendations, competencies, outcomes, audience needs and program or grant requirements.
• Shape functional specifications for new capabilities and enhancements with product and program colleagues.
• Translate business requirements and learner needs into platform requirements, workflows, user stories and acceptance criteria, and advise on feasibility, dependencies and tradeoffs.
• Make build, buy, configure and integrate decisions with product and Enterprise Technology colleagues.
• Use learner feedback, platform data and operational insight to identify improvement opportunities; develop measures to assess how enhancements support learning and business outcomes.
• Develop a thorough understanding of platform design, architecture, data flows, integrations and operating model, and lead continued development and day-to-day operation.
• Evolve platform capabilities and workflows while preserving coherence, reliability and maintainability.
• Partner with developers, vendors and internal technology colleagues on solution design, APIs and integrations, identity and access, data and analytics, security, accessibility, scalability, reliability and performance.
• Review technical approaches and guide developers and partners through design choices and tradeoffs.
• Maintain functional and technical documentation so platform knowledge is durable and shared.
• Lead enhancements and releases through testing, change management and operational readiness, maintaining continuity for active learners and programs.
• Explore needs and use cases with product, program, curriculum, operations and technology colleagues and shape a roadmap aligned with organizational goals.
• Develop intake and delivery planning practices; collaborate on priorities, feasibility and sequencing and keep stakeholders informed.
• Translate between technical and non-technical teams, making complex choices understandable and business needs actionable for developers.
• Manage external technology and development partners, setting expectations for scope, quality, timelines, documentation and support.
• Anticipate platform risks and dependencies and recommend practical ways to address them.
• Lead and develop a team of three, clarifying responsibilities, priorities and service expectations.
• Coach team members, establish goals and measures, align team work with Enterprise Technology and organizational priorities, and foster accountability, collaboration, learning and respectful challenge.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision, life and disability insurance.
• 403(b) retirement plan with employer contributions after one year of service.
• Paid time off, including vacation, sick, personal, floating holiday, bereavement and observed federal holidays.
• Parental support benefits, including adoption, fertility and surrogacy reimbursement and two weeks of paid parental leave.
• Free unlimited Relias professional development courses.
• Annual professional development and tuition reimbursement funds.
• Calm Premium access.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director