Manager of Technology

Job Title: Manager of Technology
Unit: Technology
Reports To: Chief Information Officer
Post Date: October 13, 2023
Location: Our offices are located in Alexandria, VA. All of our positions are currently remote. We will continue to assess our operations as the pandemic continues to evolve into an endemic.
FLSA Status: Exempt

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THE OPPORTUNITY

The opportunity to succeed in school and in life, regardless of circumstances at birth, is a core American value, and for the past fifty-eight years, the Head Start community has embraced the challenge of delivering on that value and changing life trajectories for the nation’s most vulnerable children and families. A strong and sustainable future for Head Start will mean the success of generations of children who may otherwise struggle throughout their lives. Their future success rests on the knowledge, commitment, and collaboration of families, programs, researchers, and policymakers. 

NHSA is a unique organization looking to grow intentionally and to find the right person for the right opportunity on our team. If you are looking to be part of an organization that is static, where things are predictable, and challenges are hard to come by, you should not work with us. If you are a person who is looking to only work on tasks on a job description (such as this) and you have the proclivity to say “that is not my job,” we respect that, but you should not work with us. If you are interested in being a responsible contributor while flexing your curiosities and creativity, keep reading.   

We look for flexibility, good judgment, and people capable of evolving. Your growth and contributions to the team are important to us because we know that a better you makes a better us. We pride ourselves on not being bureaucratic. Do you believe that every child, regardless of circumstances at birth, has the ability to succeed in life? Do you believe in providing America’s most vulnerable children, families, and communities with the opportunities they need in order to succeed? Then think about joining us! The Manager of Technology will have the opportunity to make us a better organization.  

NHSA is seeking an energetic, creative, and engaging self-starter to fill our Manager of Technology position. The Manager will administer our various applications, lead our internal technology development, work closely with other units in support of their missions, and support our internal and external stakeholders in our various software platforms. The ideal candidate will have an excellent understanding of database  administration, MS Azure development, security, integration, and reporting. Strong familiarity of Google Work Space, E-commerce, data management, and event software is a plus. You will work closely with all teams to ensure our overall success.

Essential strengths include attention to detail, ability to thrive in a fast-paced, multi-tasking environment, sound judgment, strong communication skills, and superb organization. In this time of unprecedented uncertainty, a strong sense of curiosity and an eagerness to learn is essential. NHSA prides itself on being a learning organization, and additional duties will be added based on the individual’s interests and strengths. Strong commitment of NHSA’s mission and a can-do attitude will make them successful.

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

The Manager of Technology is expected to:

• Manage our membership, web, events, and other platforms
• Work closely with our outside vendors to ensure great outcomes.
• Support the NHSA team with training and onboarding of technology.
• Support our conference team ensuring success with multiple conferences and events.
• Seek and apply innovative and cost effective solutions to our technology backbone.
• Respond  to helpdesk communications as Tier 1 support. 
• Provide excellent and delightful customer service to internal and external customers. 
• Other relevant duties as assigned.

REQUIREMENTS

Minimum qualifications and skills

• A minimum of 3 years of relevant professional experience in Information technology. 
• Relevant experience in cloud platforms ( AWS and Azure )
• Relevant experience in CPanel, WordPress, and Acronis backup and security
• Demonstrated understanding of Google Workspace Suite. 
• The ability to develop and integrate systems that simplify user experience and expectations. 
• Organizational skills, including the ability to take a set of deliverables and develop processes, a timeline, and leverage partnerships that lead to high-quality, on-time results. 
• Strong written and verbal communication abilities. 
• Demonstrated ability to work within a dynamic team structure.

These are preferred and not required

• Association Management System software experience.
• Training experience with a wide variety of users.
• API Integration with Salesforce and discrete systems.
• Understanding of accounting principles and reporting.
• Support helpdesk communications.

 

ABOUT THE NATIONAL HEAD START ASSOCIATION

NHSA is a nonprofit organization committed to the belief that every child, regardless of circumstances at birth, has the ability to succeed in life. NHSA is the voice for more than 1 million children, 275,000 staff, and over 1,600 Head Start grant recipients in the United States. Since 1974, NHSA has worked diligently for policy changes that ensure all at-risk children have access to the Head Start model of support for the whole child, the family, and the community.

OUR MISSION AND VISION

NHSA’s vision is for Head Start to lead—to be the untiring voice that will not be quiet until every vulnerable child is served with the Head Start model of support for the whole child, the family, and the community—and to advocate—to work diligently for policy and institutional changes that ensure all vulnerable children and families have what they need to succeed. NHSA’s mission is to coalesce, inspire, and support the Head Start field as a leader in early childhood development and education.

OUR CORE VALUES

• We are determined to play a valued and visible national leadership role in this country’s efforts to educate and serve its most vulnerable children and families. 
• We recognize change is constant and are building a flexible, nimble organization that values innovation and can respond effectively to change. 
• We are actively committed to being a high-impact organization that evaluates effort and measures outcomes; our commitment extends to helping Head Start value and use measurements effectively. 
• We value partnerships and collaboration and at our core, we are relationship-based. 
• We celebrate Head Start alumni, both graduates and parents, and the lasting impact that are having in this country. 
• We are accountable to our members and funders, seeking high standards of governance, carefully stewarding resources, operating transparently, and living up to the highest standards of quality.

OUR CULTURE

NHSA is proud of our inclusive, collaborative, and professional culture. We value and reward teamwork, initiative, creativity, and intellectual and professional growth. We seek those qualities when considering people to join our team.

• Collaboration: NHSA works in teams—we share ideas, brainstorm endlessly, and constantly seek innovative ideas that advance NHSA’s and Head Start’s missions.

• Vision: NHSA values colleagues who see and seize opportunities, take risks, learn from failure, and bring a relentless passion for our mission.

• Creativity: NHSA team members use data to form original insights. We find ways to incorporate innovative ideas and approaches that exist in the rich and vital Head Start community.

• Mindfulness: NHSA has an organization-wide commitment to strive for excellence; we set clear objectives, achieve ambitious goals, ensure accountability for results, and focus on our impact.

• Curiosity: NHSA values those who are curious and hungry for knowledge. Reflecting Head Start’s 55 years of commitment to continuous improvement, our staff is committed to personal and professional growth, understanding, and commitment to our mission.

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THE PROCESS

To be considered as a candidate for this position please submit your candidate package which includes a cover letter, résumé, professional references with at least two from a current or previous supervisor, and certificates of relevant training in one PDF document to jobs@nhsa.org with Manager of Technology in the subject line. We thank you for your interest in NHSA and Head Start, and know that we will only consider complete candidate packages for this position. Salary is commensurate upon experience.

NHSA IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, national origin, marital status, religion, gender, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, personal appearance, family responsibilities, political affiliation, or enrollment in a college, university, technical school, or adult education.