Silicon Florist

Director of Technical Operations

The Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) is a growing non-profit organization committed to improving K-12 academic student learning throughout the nation. We offer software solutions that deliver research-based adaptive assessments, detailed reporting of student achievement and growth, and professional training. School teachers and administrators use this information to accurately determine individual student instructional needs, tailor lessons and design school improvement plans. We are searching for talented individuals who desire to make a difference in education by demonstrating a commitment to our mission: Partnering to help all kids learn.


The Director of Technical Operations reports to the Chief Technology Officer and is responsible for software development as well as sustainment. The Director of Technical Operations participates in strategic decisions around technology and definition and implementation of software products. The Director of Technical Operations plans, directs and coordinates all activities associated with creating software across multiple functional areas and products. Additionally this position establishes robust software design, development of databases and software development techniques for development through sustainment, working with product management, software development leaders and architects. Works with project management, product management, and QA to improve processes and reduce product defects. Ensure on schedule release of high quality product meeting end user satisfaction. The Director of Technical Operations is a member of the Leadership Team.

Detailed Description

Responsibilities

· Direct the technology infrastructure (network and data center) establishing an environment of solid reliability and continuous improvement

· Deliver the highest level of quality of service to our partners as well as staff by leading the delivery team to understand, identify, analyze and resolve issues with our products and services

· Prepare and create plans to achieve organizational strategic intent; determine systems improvement and implement change. Guide IS in methods and design techniques to ensure high quality production software

· Ensure the security of the organization’s systems and data. Protect all organizational intellectual property and other sensitive information transmitted or stored on or across the enterprise infrastructure

· Ensure our internal as well as external systems are reliable, robust, extensible and scalable to meet NWEA growth and expansion needs

· Develop or specify standards, methods, or procedures to determine release readiness

· Ensure the availability, continuity, and security of software development in the organization

· Maintain staff job results by coaching, counseling, and disciplining employees; planning, monitoring, and appraising job results. Complete software development by scheduling and assigning employees; following up on work results. Maintain awareness of industry standards, trends and best practices in order to strengthen organizational and technical knowledge

· Anticipate resource needs, recruit resources and develop succession plans

· Create an environment that promotes individual creativity and fosters professional growth and development

· Ensure timely responses to issues with the systems and data in all NWEA client services

· Direct design solutions that incorporate quality attributes, meet business requirements, and technology requirements

· Manage team knowledge development and training to ensure expertise for key skill sets for application design, development and production quality

· Collaborate with others to guide the technology infrastructure (network and data center) to establish an environment of solid reliability and continuous improvement

· Reduce Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) for NWEA as well as our partners and increase our agility to roll out and support new services

· Select and manage a team of vendors and professionals utilized by his/her group to implement NWEA’s strategy

· Provide leadership and mentoring of staff, while staying abreast of the details of all projects and initiatives. Ensure projects are delivered in accordance with agreed scope, time, financial, and quality measures

· Forecast and manage Technical Operations budget and find new cost savings opportunities


Skills and abilities

· Ability to share and communicate ideas both verbally and in writing to executive staff, business sponsors, managers, and technical resources in clear concise language that is appropriate to the target audience

· Demonstrated leadership capabilities with a service-oriented interpersonal style. Ability to develop and maintain business relationships at all levels with internal and external organizations

· Extensive experience in leading web delivery and operations teams, including several years at the Director level or higher, including budget authority

· Experience in implementing and managing IT operations using an integrated process framework, with a goal of continuous improvement via utilization of metrics (e.g., ITIL)

· Strong IT experience in Web platforms and e-commerce delivery models

· Experience in governing multiple web platform projects concurrently

· Experience assessing risk for determining appropriate levels of software development

· Strong collaboration, negotiation and influencing skills

· Demonstrated ability to follow through with all tasks, promises and commitments


Education and experience

· Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in Computer Science, Information Systems or related field

· Advanced degree in computer science and technology preferred

· Minimum 10 years experience leading IT functions. Demonstrated direct leadership experience in the web delivery and operations environments

· Demonstrated leadership experience with various project management methodologies, including Agile methodologies and supporting techniques (e.g. Test Driven Development and continuous integration processes), packaged system implementations, and traditional specification-driven approaches

· Experience building infrastructure for companies with large global presence is a plus and beneficial. Experience working with hosting services providers and technology vendors is a plus

Experience with establishing and managing online products running in Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure or similar services
· Demonstrated history of providing thought leadership

Benefits

NWEA’s generous benefits package includes: Additional monthly compensation in the form of flex pay, group retirement plan with employer contribution, 100% employer paid medical, dental and vision insurance for eligible employees, 4 weeks of PTO during the first year, 5 weeks of PTO after the first anniversary, and 6 weeks of PTO after the second anniversary and in subsequent years, company paid public transportation and parking.

To Apply

Please complete an online application via NWEA's Careers site: http://www.nwea.org/about-nwea/careers