Partner, IT & Business Enablement

Role Description

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.

What Success Looks Like in Year 1

• Developed a clear enterprise technology implementation and information strategy aligned to Transcend’s organizational and programmatic priorities.
• Strengthened core IT, security, and data governance operations for a fully remote organization.
• Established clearer systems architecture, ownership, and operational standards across internal and programmatic technology systems.
• Increased organizational AI fluency and adoption through practical tools, guidance, and capacity-building efforts.
• Built strong cross-functional partnerships across operations, product, program, legal, finance, and leadership teams.
• Improved the scalability, reliability, and security of the infrastructure supporting Transcend’s growing portfolio of programmatic tools and resources.
• Clarified priorities, operating models, and longer-term staffing needs for the Information & Technology function.

Key Responsibilities

• Enterprise Technology Implementation Strategy & Operations
  • 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.
• Information Security, Privacy & Governance
  • 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.
• AI and Other Tech-Tool Enablement & Organizational Capacity
  • 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.).
• Programmatic Infrastructure & Architecture
  • 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.

Qualifications

• Meaningful ownership of an organization's technology and information operations.
• Substantial contribution to shaping an organization's technology strategy.
• Experience managing IT and/or information security functions.
• Ownership of data architecture and infrastructure decisions.
• Experience leading data privacy and/or security functions.
• Meaningful contribution to an organization's AI adoption.
• Experience making sound build-vs-buy-vs-partner decisions.
• Familiarity with the education landscape and needs.

Skills

• Strong technical fluency across enterprise systems, data architecture, cloud infrastructure, and AI/ML tooling.
• Excellent technology strategy skills.
• Strong people leadership.
• Clear, accessible communication.
• Strong cross-functional collaboration.
• A practical, grounded orientation toward AI.
• Strong organizational instincts.

Knowledge

• Deep familiarity with the enterprise software landscape.
• Strong grounding in data architecture and information systems design.
• Solid grounding in data privacy law and best practices.
• Familiarity with modern software engineering practices.
• Familiarity with relevant AI tools and capabilities.
• Knowledge of K–12 education, school system change, or community-based design.

Orientations

• Deep alignment with Transcend's mission.
• A strong service orientation.
• Curiosity, sound judgment, and comfort navigating ambiguity.
• Energized by AI and redesigning traditional tech workflows.
• A bias toward clarity, simplicity, and follow-through.
• A collaborative, low-ego working style.
• Excitement about helping a mission-driven organization become genuinely AI-forward.

Application & Hiring Process

• Initial interview with the team via Zoom.
• Try-on activity to engage in a role-aligned exercise or an artifact submission discussion.
• Interview with a small group of Transcend teammates.
• 1-2 interviews with members of our executive team.
• Reference checks to learn more about your superpowers and working style.

Salary

• Geo Comp 1: $175,000-$235,000 (NYC metro area, CA Bay Area, Boston City, LA City, Washington, D.C, Seattle).
• Geo Comp 2: $166,250-$223,250 (San Diego; New Haven, CT; Ventura, CA).
• Geo Comp 3: $157,500-$211,500 (Most other US locations).

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage options.
• Org-wide holidays.
• Paid time off.
• Paid parental leave.
• Professional development opportunities.
• Fully remote work.