Chief Technology Officer - Khan Ted Institute

Job Description

Job Description

About ETS: ETS is a global education and talent solutions organization enabling lifelong learners worldwide to be future-ready. For more than 75 years, we've been advancing the science of measurement to build benchmarks for fair and valid skill assessment across cultures and borders. Our worldwide impact extends through our renowned assessments including TOEFL®, TOEIC®, GRE® and Praxis® tests, serving millions of learners in more than 200 countries and territories. Through strategic acquisitions, we've expanded our global capabilities: PSI strengthens our workforce assessment solutions, while Edusoft, Kira Talent, Pipplet, Vericant, and Wheebox enhance our educational technology and assessment platforms across critical markets worldwide.

Through ETS Research Institute and ETS Solutions, we're partnering with educational institutions, governments, and organizations globally to promote skill proficiency, empower upward mobility, and unlock opportunities for everyone, everywhere. With offices and partners across Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Americas, we deliver nearly 50 million tests annually. Join us in our journey of measuring progress to power human progress worldwide.

The Opportunity

Khan TED Institute (KTI) is a bold new model for higher education—designed for a rapidly changing world and built to expand access to world-class learning globally.

This groundbreaking initiative brings together three extraordinary mission-driven non-profits:

• Khan Academy - providing a free, world-class education for anyone, anywhere

• TED - ideas change everything and a catalyst for ideas that move us

• ETS - advancing the science of measurement to power human progress

Together, we are creating a new kind of institution—one that prioritizes mastery over seat time, skills over credentials, and is focused on helping our learners thrive professionally in the age of AI.

KTI is an early stage non-profit building a human-centric Masters and Bachelors degree in Applied AI that is radically affordable and globally accessible. The program is competency based with project-based learning and performance assessments, built with deep employer engagement and authentic work.

This is not an evolution of higher education—it is a reinvention.

The Role

The CTO for Khan TED Institute will architect, build and scale our technology platform in close collaboration with academic and business partners to enable the differentiated vision for KTI to be realized. We are looking for an engineering-led builder with product, design, and AI strengths as well as learner passion and empathy.

What You Will Do

Design, build and scale a learning platform that is:

• Loved by students (high engagement, high completion rates)

• Radically affordable (low marginal cost, scalable globally)

• Outcomes-driven (strong employer trust and graduate success)

Additional detail on what you will do

• Architect a learning-centered technology stack supporting dynamic learning models and product configurations; robust reporting for learners, employers, regulators and accreditors; support for marketing and e-commerce; back-office operations; and ongoing evolutions in technology, especially AI tools.

• Assemble a cost-effective team of internal and external contributors as well as vendors to design, implement, maintain, and support a robust and agile tech stack.

• Compose custom and off-the-shelf components to rapidly deliver a flexible and cost-efficient operating platform, enabling KTI to operate with high levels of automation and low staffing ratios.

• Ensure security, student identity verification, and the data and reporting infrastructure required for accreditation and potential federal student aid eligibility as well as FERPA compliance, accessibility conformance (WCAG 2.2 AA), privacy compliance for international learners (including GDPR where applicable).

What Success Looks Like

Year 1 Priorities:

• Build a differentiated UI/UX and deliver a commercial grade technical experience for our first certificate in February 2027 (first widely available product released into market)

• Build and start scaling accredited level infrastructure

Years 2-3:

• Deepen differentiation of experience for learners, broaden global market access, scale platform at very low marginal cost, ensure continued dynamism of projects, skills, and content, open up additional growth via tech infrastructure to support B2B opportunities.

Who You Are

You are a rare blend of product builder and scaler — someone who thrives in ambiguity and is driven to reinvent systems at scale.

While core engineering strength is foundational, including strong backend, infrastructure, API integration, reliability and full-stack execution skills, we are also looking for a CTO that has:

• built products for consumers and understands user behavior

• demonstrated ability to collaborate closely with product, UX and design to deliver great user experiences

• AI-native workflow fluency

• comfortable operating in ambiguity

• ability to move fast on early pilots, and successfully harden the system as we scale

• experience in education ideally with learner empathy

#LI-RK1

Critical Capabilities

• Product builder + scaler mindset

• Demonstrated success in startup or high-growth environments

• Strong AI capabilities and comfort navigating an emerging, ambiguous landscape

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Critical Technical Capabilities

• Core engineering strength: strong backend, infrastructure, API integration, reliability, and full-stack execution skills

• Direct hands on experience building great consumer products - with product and design taste and editorial product judgement

• AI-native workflow fluency - comfortable building with modern AI tools, agents, evaluation loops, prompt workflows, and human-in-the-loop systems to build dynamic, highly scalable and low marginal cost infrastructure

• Pilot-to-production mindset- can build pilots fast, but also has demonstrated ability to can harden and scale low marginal cost systems successfully

• Collaborative, entrepreneurial and comfortable in ambiguity - hands on IC work, builder

• Demonstrated passion, interest, and/or expertise in education with learner empathy

Experience required

• 10+ years in software and platform engineering, including senior leadership of team and vendor portfolios.

• Experience building or scaling learning platforms, ideally in higher education, with working knowledge of student data systems and privacy and security requirements unique to education environments. Experience with accreditation and/or Title IV data environments preferred.

• Experience supporting innovative learning and assessment models, especially related to project-based learning, competency-based learning, performance-based assessment, and AI-driven coaching.

• Tracking AI industry developments and adopting new approaches at the right time.

• The ability to translate between academic, partner and engineering priorities, and work as a collaborative partner to business and academic leadership.

• A track record of shipping production AI features and building and managing agentic development environments and workflows.

• Comfort with ambiguity and enthusiasm for doing hands-on work in an early-stage organization.

ETS is mission driven and action oriented

• We are passionate about hiring innovative thinkers who believe in the promise of education and lifelong learning.
• We are energized by cultivating growth, innovation, and continuous transformation for the next generation of rising professionals as leaders.  In support of this ETS offers multiple Business Resource Groups (BRG) for you to learn and advance your career growth!
• As a not-for-profit organization we will encourage you to lean in to your passion for volunteering.  At ETS you may qualify for up to an additional 8 hours of PTO for volunteer work on causes that are important to you!
• The base salary range advertised represents the low and high end of the anticipated salary range for this position. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate's geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. The base pay is only one aspect of the Total Rewards Package that will be offered to the successful candidate.

ETS is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other characteristic protected by law. We believe in creating a work environment where all individuals are treated with respect and dignity.