Partner, IT & Business Enablement

Transcend

9d•$157,500 - $235,000•Remote

About The Position

Technology at Transcend serves two deeply connected purposes: a) enabling our internal operations, and b) strengthening the systems, tools, and infrastructure that support our programmatic work and impact with school communities. The Partner, IT & Business Enablement serves as Transcend’s lead technology and information operations leader. This role is responsible for ensuring that our organization has the systems, data architecture, security practices, and technology operations needed to work effectively, securely, and sustainably as we grow. This role also partners closely with our product and engineering functions to ensure that the infrastructure, governance, and information architecture beneath our programmatic tools are scalable, secure, and well-designed. This is not a product management or software engineering role. Rather, this leader acts as a strategic partner and enabler to those and other functions while owning enterprise technology implementation strategy, information operations, security, governance, and infrastructure across the organization.

Requirements

Meaningful ownership of an organization's technology and information operations – whether as a Director of IT, Director of Technology, or the most senior technologist in a smaller organization – and ready to step into broader strategic responsibility.
Contributed substantially to shaping an organization's technology strategy, including decisions about enterprise software, data architecture, information security, and AI/emerging tools; and ready to own that strategy at Transcend.
Managed IT and/or information security functions – whether in-house staff, contractors, or a mix – and know how to build reliable, right-sized operations.
Owned data architecture and infrastructure decisions in a context where product and engineering teams depended on that foundation to build effectively.
Led data privacy and/or security functions, ideally involving sensitive data (student data, health data, or similar), and know how to partner effectively with legal counsel and other relevant experts on these questions.
Contributed meaningfully to an organization's AI adoption – helping set norms, evaluate tools, build staff capacity, and navigate the tradeoffs that come with rapid capability change.
Made sound build-vs-buy-vs-partner decisions and managed vendor relationships with appropriate rigor and trust.
Worked in education either in the education nonprofit or edtech space and are familiar with the landscape and needs.
Strong technical fluency across enterprise systems, data architecture, cloud infrastructure, and AI/ML tooling – enough to make credible decisions, ask the right questions, and earn the trust of both technical and non-technical colleagues.
Excellent technology strategy skills: you can assess a complex landscape, identify what matters most, and craft a clear, actionable direction.
Strong people leadership: you know how to manage and develop a small team, hold a high bar for delivery, and build a collaborative, mission-aligned culture.
Clear, accessible communication: you can translate technical complexity for non-technical audiences and make the case for technology investments in terms that resonate with mission-driven leaders.
Strong cross-functional collaboration: you work well with product, program, operations, legal, and finance, and you know how to build shared understanding across very different domains.
A practical, grounded orientation toward AI: you know how to separate signal from hype, evaluate tools rigorously, and help an organization adopt new capabilities responsibly.
Strong organizational instincts: you notice gaps, dependencies, risks, and opportunities early, and you act on them without waiting to be asked.
Deep familiarity with the enterprise software landscape and how to evaluate, implement, and manage tools like CRMs, project management platforms, HR systems, and AI platforms (including tools like Google Workspace, Salesforce, Notion, Slack, Greenhouse, Claude Enterprise, and ChatGPT Business).
Strong grounding in data architecture and information systems design, including how data flows, where it lives, and how it should be protected across both operational and product contexts.
Solid grounding in data privacy law and best practices, especially as they apply to nonprofits and/or organizations working with student data (e.g., FERPA, COPPA, state-level privacy frameworks).
Familiarity with modern software engineering practices — including AI-enabled development workflows — at a level that allows you to be a credible infrastructure and architecture partner to product and engineering teams.
Familiarity with the AI tools and capabilities most relevant to knowledge-work organizations, including LLM-based tools, agent-based workflows, and AI-enabled automation.
Knowledge of K–12 education, school system change, or community-based design – enough to appreciate the context in which Transcend's programmatic tools are used and the communities they ultimately serve.
Deep alignment with Transcend's mission and genuine excitement about how technology can help more young people thrive.
A strong service orientation: you're energized by enabling others (your teammates, your partners, and ultimately the communities we work alongside), not by owning the spotlight.
Curiosity, sound judgment, and comfort navigating ambiguity — especially in a landscape (AI, EdTech, nonprofit tech) that's changing fast and rarely offers clean answers.
Energized by AI and the opportunity to re-design traditional tech workflows and processes to align with how this new technology is being leveraged in practice
A bias toward clarity, simplicity, and follow-through: you don't over-engineer, and you don't let important things slip.
A collaborative, low-ego working style: you build trust quickly, communicate openly, and make the people around you better.
Excitement about helping a mission-driven organization become genuinely AI-forward — not because it's expected, but because you believe it matters.

Responsibilities

Assess and map Transcend’s current technology landscape, identifying strengths, gaps, risks, and opportunities across systems, data, workflows, and tools
Develop and evolve a forward-looking enterprise technology strategy and roadmap aligned to organizational priorities, operational effectiveness, and long-term scalability
Lead implementation and change management efforts for high-impact technology improvements that reduce friction, strengthen operations, and improve teammate experience across the organization
Lead the day-to-day administration, reliability, and continuous improvement of Transcend’s core technology ecosystem, including platforms such as Google Workspace, Slack, Zoom, core operational systems, and AI-enabled tools
Oversee core IT operations and support for a fully remote organization, including enterprise systems administration, help desk operations, device management, onboarding and offboarding workflows, access provisioning, and technology asset management
Establish and maintain operational standards, documentation, and technology policies that improve consistency, continuity, and organizational resilience
Evaluate emerging technologies, vendors, and operational approaches to ensure Transcend’s technology ecosystem remains secure, scalable, effective, and streamlined
Support (and often manage) small sets of internal staff, contractors, and external partner resources across IT and information security functions
Lead Transcend’s approach to information security, data privacy, and technology governance across both internal and programmatic systems, in close collaboration with Transcend’s Chief Operating and Chief Program Officers
Ensure strong safeguards, policies, and practices are in place to protect sensitive organizational, partner, and student data and uphold Transcend’s privacy commitments
Evolve Transcend’s approach to data privacy and governance, including how data is collected, stored, accessed, shared, retained, and used across the organization
Oversee core security and access management practices, including permissions, MFA, endpoint protection, device management, monitoring, and incident response coordination
Lead technical incident response efforts and security investigations in partnership with internal stakeholders and external experts
Partner closely with General Counsel, leadership, and external partners on compliance efforts, security reviews, vendor governance, audits, and organizational risk management
Establish practices around data access, system administration, and technology decision-making across the organization
Contribute to organization-wide learning and capacity-building efforts that strengthen staff understanding of responsible technology, privacy, and security practices
Help shape and advance Transcend’s organization-wide AI strategy, identifying practical opportunities for AI to strengthen organizational effectiveness, teammate experience, and programmatic impact
Evaluate emerging AI tools, platforms, and workflows and guide decisions about adoption, experimentation, and investment
Partner across teams to support effective and responsible use of AI-enabled tools and workflows
Support the implementation of staff-facing AI tools, workflows, and automations that improve efficiency and reduce manual work
Contribute to organizational guidance, learning, and support that help staff use AI confidently, responsibly, and effectively
Help ensure AI systems and workflows align with organizational expectations around privacy, security, ethics, and responsible data use
Perform the responsibilities above for other non-AI tech tools supporting Transcend’s org functioning as well (Salesforce, Asana, Google Workspace, etc.)
Own the infrastructure, systems, and data architecture that support Transcend’s growing suite of programmatic and AI-enabled tools
Partner closely with product and engineering leadership to ensure programmatic technology is secure, scalable, reliable, and grounded in strong operational practices
Contribute technical judgment to decisions about systems design, integrations, infrastructure, data architecture, governance, and infrastructure priorities
Advise on external technical vendors, helping ensure relationships are effective, well-governed, and aligned to organizational needs
Build strong understanding of Transcend’s programmatic work and partner experience so that technology decisions are grounded in real-world use and needs