Director of Technology

The Organization

The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History (GLI) is the nation’s leading nonprofit and nonpartisan organization dedicated to improving the teaching and learning of American history through educational programs and resources. We serve K–12 teachers and students, honor scholars, and welcome and inform the general public.

Since its founding in 1994, GLI has created powerful and meaningful ways to teach and learn history. Focusing on primary sources, the Institute offers teacher seminars, online courses, exhibitions, digital materials, and print publications that enable students of all ages and backgrounds to study the nation’s past.

The Institute brings the work of today’s leading historians into classrooms and homes worldwide. Through public events, publications, posters, videos, exhibitions, essays, and a dedicated website rich in primary sources, GLI brings every period of American history to life. Diverse education programs, including the acclaimed Hamilton Education Program, provide opportunities to explore five centuries of American history. The Gilder Lehrman Affiliate School network comprises more than 15 million students and 100,000 educators from more than 38,000 schools worldwide.

The Opportunity

The Gilder Lehrman Institute is seeking an experienced, collaborative, and forward-looking Director of Technology to lead the Institute’s technology strategy, systems, cybersecurity, digital platforms, data environment, and technology services.

This is an opportunity for a technology leader who is equally comfortable thinking strategically and engaging deeply with technology to make informed decisions. The Director will partner across the organization to ensure that GLI’s technology environment is secure, sustainable, accessible, and aligned with the Institute’s educational mission.

The successful candidate will bring strong technical judgment, curiosity, and organizational leadership. They will be able to translate complex technology issues into clear choices, build trusted relationships across departments, and balance innovation with security, usability, cost, and long-term sustainability.

The Director will also help GLI navigate rapidly evolving opportunities in artificial intelligence, data management, digital engagement, and educational technology while ensuring thoughtful governance and responsible implementation.

This position reports to the Chief Operating Officer and will manage a team of 5 professionals while also working closely with the President, Chief of Staff, CFO, and leaders across the Institute. The position is full-time, in-person, and based in GLI’s Midtown Manhattan office. Occasional evening and weekend hours may be required.

Key Responsibilities

Technology Strategy & Organizational Leadership

• Develop and manage a multi-year technology strategy aligned with GLI’s mission, programs, operational priorities, and future growth.
• Serve as a strategic partner to GLI leadership and departments, helping identify where technology can improve effectiveness, efficiency, accessibility, and engagement.
• Translate organizational priorities into realistic technology roadmaps, projects, investments, and operating plans.
• In partnership with the COO, Chief of Staff, President, and CFO, plan and manage technology operating and capital investments.
• Establish clear priorities and decision-making practices for technology initiatives across the organization.
• Manage technology vendors and external partners to ensure strong performance, accountability, security, and value.
• Promote thoughtful adoption of new technologies while ensuring that organizational capacity, sustainability, and risk are considered alongside innovation.

Team Leadership & Technology Services

• Lead and support the 5-person technology team, creating an environment characterized by strong communication, collaboration, accountability, professional growth, and excellent service.
• Ensure that GLI employees receive timely, effective, and approachable technology support.
• Establish sustainable technology processes, documentation, standards, and cross-training practices.
• Oversee internal technology projects in partnership with departments throughout GLI.
• Foster a service-oriented technology culture that understands the needs of educators, program teams, operational staff, and GLI’s external audiences.

Cybersecurity, Infrastructure & Business Resilience

• Provide leadership for the security, reliability, and ongoing evolution of GLI’s technology environment.
• Oversee internal technology infrastructure, endpoint management across Windows and Mac environments, cloud services, identity and access, and related enterprise systems.
• Lead GLI’s cybersecurity and technology risk-management efforts, including risk assessment, data privacy, vendor risk, security awareness, incident preparedness, and appropriate safeguards.
• Ensure that GLI has appropriate technology continuity, recovery, and incident-response practices to support organizational resilience.
• Establish and maintain technology standards that appropriately balance security, usability, organizational needs, and risk.
• Ensure new applications, features, integrations, and technology services are appropriately evaluated and tested before deployment.

Digital Platforms & Accessibility

• Provide strategic oversight for GLI’s websites and digital technology platforms.
• Partner with program, communications, education, and other teams to ensure that digital experiences support GLI’s mission and audiences.
• Oversee the technology partners and systems supporting GLI’s web environment, including Drupal, AWS, Cloudflare, and related platforms.
• Champion accessibility and inclusive digital practices across GLI’s programs, digital resources, and the Gilder Lehrman Collection.
• Help establish a sustainable roadmap for the continued evolution of GLI’s digital platforms.

Enterprise Applications, Data & Information Management

• Provide strategic oversight for GLI’s enterprise applications, databases, CRM environment, and related integrations.
• Partner across departments to improve the effectiveness, reliability, and appropriate use of institutional data.
• Help establish clear practices for data governance, access, privacy, quality, retention, and stewardship.
• Guide the continued development and effective use of Salesforce or comparable CRM and enterprise platforms.
• Partner with GLI leadership and program teams to ensure that systems, data, and reporting capabilities effectively support institutional research, program evaluation, and organizational decision-making.

Artificial Intelligence & Emerging Technology

• Play a leadership role on GLI’s AI task force and help shape and implement the Institute’s AI strategy.
• Evaluate emerging AI technologies for their potential to advance GLI’s educational mission and organizational effectiveness.
• Help establish appropriate governance, privacy, security, and responsible-use practices for generative AI and related technologies.
• Work with staff to identify appropriate AI use cases, evaluate platforms, and support responsible experimentation and adoption.
• Maintain awareness of the rapidly evolving technology landscape and help GLI distinguish meaningful opportunities from short-term trends.

What Success Looks Like

During the first 12–18 months, the Director will be expected to

• Build strong, trusted relationships across GLI and develop a deep understanding of the Institute’s programs, people, systems, and audiences.
• Establish shared priorities and a clear multi-year roadmap for technology.
• Strengthen GLI’s cybersecurity, risk-management, documentation, and business-resilience practices.
• Develop a sustainable roadmap for GLI’s websites and digital platforms.
• Strengthen governance of enterprise systems, organizational data, and technology investments.
• Advance an organization-wide approach to the thoughtful and responsible use of artificial intelligence.
• Support and develop a high-performing technology team and strong culture of technology service.
• Create greater clarity around how technology decisions are made, prioritized, funded, implemented, and evaluated.

Qualifications

We are looking for a leader who brings

• Demonstrated experience leading technology functions, teams, or significant technology programs.
• Experience managing and developing staff and supporting the professional growth of direct reports.
• Strong knowledge of enterprise technology infrastructure, cloud services, systems management, and enterprise applications.
• Significant understanding of cybersecurity, technology risk, data privacy, and responsible information-management practices.
• Experience developing technology strategy and translating organizational priorities into achievable short- and long-term plans.
• Experience managing technology budgets, vendors, contracts, projects, and competing organizational priorities.
• Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills.
• The ability to communicate technology opportunities, risks, and trade-offs clearly to both technical and nontechnical audiences.
• A collaborative leadership style and demonstrated ability to build trust across departments and levels of an organization.
• Strong judgment, curiosity, adaptability, and a commitment to continuous learning.
• A commitment to ensuring that technology serves organizational mission and human needs.

Experience That Would Be Helpful

Candidates do not need to have worked with every technology currently used by GLI. Relevant or comparable experience is welcome.

Particularly useful experience includes

• Drupal or comparable enterprise content management platforms
• AWS or comparable cloud infrastructure
• Cloudflare or comparable web security and content-delivery technologies
• Salesforce or comparable CRM and constituent-management systems
• Generative AI platforms, including Claude or comparable tools
• AI governance, privacy, security, and responsible-use practices
• Digital accessibility and inclusive technology practices
• Educational technology, K–12 education, nonprofit organizations, museums, libraries, archives, publishing, or other mission-driven environments

An interest in GLI’s mission, American history, education, and expanding access to high-quality educational resources is strongly valued.

Compensation and Benefits

The compensation range for this position is $185,000–$200,000 annually, commensurate with the candidate’s experience and qualifications.

The Gilder Lehrman Institute offers a generous and inclusive benefits package, including health, dental, disability, and life insurance; a 401(k) employer contribution; Flexible Spending Account plans; donation matching; and paid time off beginning in the first year of employment.

GLI also provides a paid winter recess from December 25 through January 1.

The Institute offers generous tuition reimbursement for courses taken through the Gettysburg College–Gilder Lehrman MA in American History program. Staff members who complete the MA are eligible for complete tuition reimbursement.

To Apply

Interested candidates should submit a cover letter and resume in a single file to View email address on click.appcast.io.

Please include “Director of Technology” in the subject line and let us know how you heard about the opportunity.

Equal Opportunity Employment

The Gilder Lehrman Institute is an equal opportunity employer and considers all applications without regard to race, sex, gender identity, color, religion, creed, national origin, age, disability, marital or veteran status, sexual orientation, sexual and other reproductive health decisions, height, weight, or any other legally protected status.

Research indicates that women and individuals from underrepresented groups may be less likely to apply for positions unless they believe they meet every listed qualification. If you meet many, but not all, of the criteria and believe you could contribute meaningfully to GLI, we encourage you to apply.

While careful consideration will be given to each submission, GLI will contact applicants whose knowledge, skills, and experience most closely align with the needs of the position.