Director of Technology Operations & Digital Transformation

• In 2020, CDP was a featured nonprofit for the 14th Annual CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute. 

• CDP has earned Charity Navigator’s Four-Star Charity rating and Candid’s Platinum Transparency seal. 

As an organization grounded in racial and intersectional equity, our team members are deeply committed to strengthening communities that are most vulnerable to disasters due to systemic inequities. We are guided by our values of integrity, boldness and innovation, humility, and empathy in all we do in pursuit of our mission.  

Bottom line: We aspire to walk the talk of anti-racism and to treat each other and our partners in ways that inspire trust, creativity, learning and care. 

Be a part of our fast-growing team that offers countless ways to help communities thrive. Join us!   

Responsibilities & Duties 

Reporting to the chief operating officer (COO), the director of technology operations serves as CDP's senior technology leader and strategic advisor. This role is responsible for advancing the organization's technology strategy, enterprise systems, digital transformation and operational technology capabilities. 

The director partners closely with the executive team to ensure technology investments support CDP's strategic priorities, strengthen organizational resilience, improve operational effectiveness and enhance the employee experience across a fully remote workforce. This role provides enterprise leadership through influence, collaboration, innovation and sound governance while ensuring technology remains a strategic enabler of CDP's mission. 

In partnership with the COO, the director leads and implements the organization's technology roadmap, enterprise applications, collaboration platforms, business intelligence initiatives, cybersecurity program, AI governance, technology operations and managed technology service providers while fostering a culture of continuous improvement, responsible innovation and operational excellence. 

 As a fully remote workforce, CDP prioritizes employee engagement and relationship building in service of a collaborative culture rooted in equity.  To this end, in-person team retreats are scheduled throughout the year in different regions of the U.S.  This role will be expected to attend 2-3 retreats per year, which average 3-5 days of travel.  

The successful candidate will display the following traits:  

• You are a strategic and innovative technology leader who can translate organizational priorities into a clear technology vision.  

• You are an enterprise thinker who understands how technology, people, processes and data intersect to improve organizational effectiveness.   

• You excel at building trust and influence across diverse stakeholders. 

• You are a transformational change leader who successfully guides organizations through technology modernization by balancing strategic vision with thoughtful implementation, effective communication, stakeholder engagement and user adoption.  

• You foster a culture of innovation, continuous improvement and learning while embracing new ways of working.  

• You demonstrate a deep commitment to racial and intersectional equity, ensuring that technology decisions, organizational practices, and workplace experiences advance accessibility, equity and inclusion for staff, partners and the communities CDP serves.  

The successful candidate will accomplish the following within the first 12 months: 

• Establish a technology governance framework. 

• Advance implementation of CDP's Digital Transformation Roadmap.  

• Improve Microsoft 365 adoption and collaboration.  

• Strengthen cybersecurity maturity.  

• Implement enterprise technology performance metrics.  

• Launch responsible AI governance and productivity initiatives.  

• Improve staff satisfaction with technology services.  

• Strengthen Managed Service Provider (MSP) MSP performance and vendor accountability. 

Primary responsibilities include: 

Enterprise Technology Strategy & Governance 

• In partnership with the COO, develop and maintain CDP’s enterprise technology strategy and annual technology operating plan and budget. 

• Develop technology governance, policies, standards, architecture principles and operational procedures. 

• Evaluate emerging technologies and recommend strategic investments that improve organizational effectiveness and mission delivery.  

• Develop technology performance indicators and regularly report progress to the executive team.  

• Ensure technology investments align with enterprise risk management, financial stewardship and organizational priorities. 

• Support organizational budgeting and strategic planning processes related to technology. 

Digital Transformation Leadership  

• Lead organization-wide digital transformation initiatives.  

• Oversee implementation, optimization and sustainment of enterprise collaboration technologies.  

• Lead enterprise technology adoption strategies and change management plans.  

• Identify opportunities to redesign business processes through technology.  

• Promote continuous improvement by leveraging automation, workflow optimization and modern digital workplace solutions.  

• Partner with department leaders to identify technology solutions that improve operational efficiency and collaboration.  

• Ensure successful adoption of new technology platforms through communication, training and organizational readiness activities. 

Technology Operations and Managed Service Provider Oversight 

• Serve as the primary relationship manager for CDP's MSP.  

• Establish service-level expectations and monitor vendor performance.  

• Conduct quarterly business reviews and vendor performance evaluations.  

• Oversee enterprise software licensing, procurement and technology contracts.  

• Manage technology asset lifecycle planning and inventory.  

• Manage technology support services across the organization.  

• Ensure technology operations support organizational growth and scalability. 

Cybersecurity & Organizational Resilience 

• Oversee cybersecurity governance in partnership with the MSP and external security consultants.  

• Coordinate business continuity and disaster recovery planning.  

• Monitor cybersecurity metrics, vulnerabilities and remediation activities.  

• Oversee security awareness and end-user training programs (e.g. KnowBe4).  

• Support enterprise risk management activities related to technology.  

• Coordinate cyber insurance requirements and third-party technology risk assessments. 

Microsoft 365 & Digital Workplace 

• Implement and update the strategic direction for Microsoft 365 and enterprise collaboration technologies.  

• Oversee Microsoft Teams, SharePoint Online, OneDrive, Planner, Forms and Power Platform adoption.  

• Establish governance for document management, collaboration and information architecture.  

• Improve knowledge management and enterprise content organization. 

• Promote consistent technology standards across departments.  

• Ensure collaboration tools effectively support CDP's fully remote workforce. 

Business Intelligence & Data Strategy 

• In partnership with the COO and other organizational leaders, develop an organizational business intelligence strategy.  

• Implement and oversee business intelligence strategy, executive dashboards, KPI development and data governance initiatives. 

• Promote data governance, quality and reporting standards.  

• Partner with all functional areas to improve organizational analytics.  

• Design and support enterprise reporting and data visualization initiatives using Power BI and related technologies. 

AI Governance & Automation 

• In partnership with the COO, design and implement CDP's AI governance framework and responsible AI policies.  

• Evaluate the operational, legal, cybersecurity and ethical implications of emerging AI technologies and establish governance practices that promote responsible organizational use.  

• Lead implementation of Microsoft Copilot and other AI-enabled productivity tools.  

• Identify opportunities to automate repetitive business processes using Microsoft Power Platform and related technologies.  

• Monitor established governance, security and ethical standards for organizational AI usage.  

• Collaborate with departments to improve operational efficiency through intelligent automation.  

• Monitor emerging AI trends, risks and regulatory developments. 

Other duties as assigned  

• Serve on committees, panels and task forces at CDP as appropriate and as available.  

• Represent CDP positively and professionally in meetings and other external engagements.  

• Perform other duties and job-related tasks that may be assigned.   

This position reports to the chief operating officer but works in service of the whole organization.  

Required qualifications and skills: 

• Degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Business Administration or related discipline. 

• ≥ 10 years of relevant progressive professional experience leading enterprise technology operations, digital transformation, information systems or technology strategy. 

• Demonstrated success leading digital transformation and enterprise technology modernization initiatives.  

• Proven experience overseeing Managed Service Provider (MSP), strategic technology vendors and enterprise software ecosystems.  

• Expert knowledge of Microsoft 365, SharePoint Online, Teams, cloud collaboration technologies, cybersecurity governance, enterprise applications and business intelligence platforms.  

• Experience developing technology governance, policies, standards and organizational technology roadmaps.  

• Strong executive communication, facilitation, presentation, and relationship-building skills.  

• Demonstrated ability to think strategically while effectively managing multiple priorities in a dynamic environment.  

• Commitment to advancing racial and intersectional equity and fostering inclusive workplace practices. 

• Demonstrated ability to effectively communicate recommended strategies and actions to a variety of audiences 

Preferred qualifications and skills: 

• Familiarity with, although not necessarily a professional background in, the philanthropic or disaster fields. 

• Supervisory management experience and ability to lead cross-functional teams, foster innovation and mentor others to support talent development. 

• Microsoft certifications (Microsoft 365 Administrator, Azure, Power Platform etc).  

• Project Management Professional (PMP), Agile, Scrum or ITIL certification.  

• Cybersecurity certifications such as CISSP, CISM or Security+.  

• Experience leading technology strategy within nonprofit, philanthropic, humanitarian or mission-driven organizations.  

• Experience supporting fully remote or geographically dispersed workforces.  

• Experience implementing AI-enabled productivity tools, workflow automation and Microsoft Copilot.  

• Experience with Power BI, Power Platform, Asana (or comparable project management platforms) and CRM systems such as Blackbaud Raiser’s Edge NXT.  

 Personal characteristics:  

• Commitment to the values intrinsic to CDP’s mission and strategy. 

• Strategic and systems-oriented thinker. 

• Adaptable and comfortable leading through ambiguity. 

• Collaborative leader who builds trust and influence. 

• Curious and committed to continuous learning.  

• Sense of humor.  

We welcome and encourage applicants with non-traditional career paths. If you don’t meet the qualifications outlined here, please apply and tell us how your experiences would equip you for the job. 

CDP provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. 

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training. 

To Apply 

Qualified candidates should submit their resume and a cover letter via this link.  Applications must highlight competencies against requirements. 

All applicants must be able to provide documentation that they are legally eligible to work in the United States for an extended period.