Chief Technology Officer (Remote)

Chief Technology Officer (CTO)

Position summary

The Chief Technology Officer (CTO), as an Executive-level position, will establish and champion the technology vision for the organization, including not only very near-term platform technologies that enable scalable, high-performance, inter-operable and secure SaaS delivery, but also exploration and future incorporation of emerging and innovative computing and analytical technologies and methods.
The CTO will serve in a visible external capacity promoting NWEA, our forward-leaning technology platform, and as a voice for the continued development and use of technology in education to support our mission - Partnering to help all kids learn. This is a remote position and candidates may reside anywhere in the United States.

Responsibilities

• Champions and assertively communicates a compelling technology vision and strategy for the organization internally and externally and maps the aggressive steps that will clearly articulate how we transform ourselves to build and use our technology to accelerate the organization toward its strategic goals
• Creates a vision, not just for technology, but for how we transform ourselves to build and use it
• Integrates technology efforts and infrastructure with a focus on creating a culture of excellence in the process
• Ensures that NWEA's architectural strategy, roadmap, and products align and remain at the forefront of SaaS evolution in education.
• Promotes a highly valued and whole partner experience and the cross-functional practices and disciplines necessary to its achievement.
• Represents NWEA, our products, services and bold point of view, in conferences and traditional media, on social media, and amongst industry-peer constituents.
• Drives continued innovation in technology, scientific research and related areas.
• Participates actively in the development and execution of NWEA's strategic plan; ensures their leaders and staff are aligned and understand our priorities.

NWEA’s Technology Landscape

Currently there are three internal development teams enhancing and supporting our four core platforms:

• 
  Legacy web-based platform delivers - 75M computer-adaptive test events annually for over 13M kids.
• Recently acquired two cloud-hosted, modern assessment platforms that serve ~3.3M kids
• Platform consolidation and cloud migration for legacy product is expected to be championed and led by the CTO.

Many modern techniques are in various stages of maturity across the 240 engineering staff including SAFe Agile, User-centered Design, CI/CD and DevSecOps practices.

Skills and abilities

• Has an exceptional command of technology, in a multi-product and shared-services technology environment
• Understanding of interoperability and what it takes to support partnerships and build things that are saleable and accessible
• Understanding of the nuance between products and services, in pursuit of getting the most out of a common investment
• Ability to bridge the gap between operational and developmental technology
• Strong and strategic business insight and ability to converge multiple platforms and teams into common investments
• Excellent leadership and interpersonal skills with the ability to build trust and confidence at all levels of the organization and boost morale in a virtual environment
• Proven advocate of change who is results-oriented, displays high ethics and leads through example
• Ability to translate and communicate complex topics in a variety of forums, tailoring communications to effectively fit and influence the targeted audience; strong executive presence, presentation and communication skills
• Ability to lead and expand the vision of stakeholders beyond traditional boundaries and facilitate the value of the mission

Core Competencies

• Visionary Leadership: This role needs to have a strong vision for what we can accomplish and the impact it will make on our partners. Someone who will challenge assumptions, ask great questions, and bring the right people together to create more synergy across teams and a stronger focus for the work we undertake.
• Strong Communicator/Negotiator: Our CTO is ultimately responsible for the software we create. This position requires someone who can create open dialogue with their team, their colleagues, and with me. Communication is a two-way street, and listening is critical. Negotiating is part of every business and every leadership role – our CTO will push us forward and be realistic about what’s possible.
• Command of Technology: We are seeking a CTO who understands the business, and who can champion best practices and ensure teams have the resources they need for success. They need extensive multi-product and shared-services experience in a technology environment. Someone who has successfully lead software development at a complex organization.
• Culture of Excellence: Track record of creating a culture of trust, have the right staff (diversity as an important factor), hold high quality standards, and address long-standing issues, while setting a strong path for moving ahead in the near- and long-term future. The role also requires someone who is an accomplished people manager and motivator.

Education and experience

• Master’s degree in related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience
• At least 15 years of progressive technical leadership in evolving successful, complex technology organizations
• Has an exceptional command of technology, in a multi-product and shared-services technology environment
• Excellent leadership and interpersonal skills with the ability to build trust and confidence at all levels of the organization and boost morale in a virtual environment
• Proven advocate of change who is results-oriented, displays high ethics and leads through example
• Ability to translate and communicate complex topics in a variety of forums, tailoring communications to effectively fit and influence the targeted audience; strong executive presence, presentation and communication skills
• Ability to lead and expand the vision of stakeholders beyond traditional boundaries and facilitate the value of the mission
• Build effective teams - build strong-identity teams that apply diverse skills and perspectives to achieve common goals
• Instill trust - gain the confidence and trust of others through honesty, integrity, and authenticity

About U s NWEA® is a research-based, not-for-profit organization that supports students and educators worldwide by creating assessment solutions that precisely measure growth and proficiency—and provide timely data to help tailor instruction. For more than 40 years, NWEA has developed innovative pre-K–12 assessments, including our flagship interim assessment, MAP® Growth™; and our reading fluency and comprehension assessment, MAP® Reading Fluency™. Educators trust our professional learning offerings to accelerate student learning and our research to support assessment validity and data interpretation. More than 11 million students in 146 countries use our solutions to support their learning and growth each year.

What we can offer you
At NWEA we not only offer a competitive base salary, we offer a 15% contribution of eligible employees’ base salary to a defined contribution 403(b) retirement savings plan; career development opportunities; an awesome work culture and environment; we also offer industry leading benefits and perks that are focused on supporting our employees’ holistic wellbeing. To learn more about what we can offer more, click here.

NWEA strives to make diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) practices the center of our work. Our organization’s mission, Partnering to Help All Kids Learn, is the foundation for our DEIA commitment as we work to reflect, value, and support the educators, students, colleagues, and communities we serve. We seek to empower and engage all stakeholders in the research, services, solutions, and products we provide, our organizational culture, and the partnerships we establish with schools, districts, states, and countries.

NWEA endeavors to make www.nwea.org accessible to all users. If you would like to contact us regarding the accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the application process, please call us at (503) 624-1951 or e-mail us at onlineaccommodations@nwea.org and let us know the nature of your request, your location and your contact information. This is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.

NWEA is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. For our EEO Policy Statement, please visit our website. If you’d like more information on your EEO rights under the law, please visit the EEOC website.