Director, Business Applications & Integration

Director, Business Applications & Integration

Organization: National Endowment for Financial Education

Reports To: Vice President, Organizational Effectiveness & Operations

Location: Downtown Denver, Colorado – Up to 50% remote work is offered

Type: Full-Time, Exempt

Organization Overview

At the National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE), we champion effective financial education. We are the independent, centralizing voice providing leadership, research, and collaboration to advance financial well-being. We do this by mobilizing and inspiring educators, researchers, and advocates nationwide to maximize the impact of financial education. We work hard to remove barriers, amplify outcomes, and elevate effective models through leadership, research, and collaboration. We believe this is important because everyone deserves the opportunity to live their best financial life and that equitable and effective financial education makes it easier for everyone to navigate the financial system, creating a more just society.

Position Summary

The Director, Business Applications & Integration is the organization's senior technical lead for modernizing, integrating, and optimizing core business systems. This director-level individual contributor role leads major initiatives end-to-end, from assessment and solution design through build, implementation, rollout, adoption, stabilization, and organization-wide change management, without direct people management.

Success in this role requires strong autonomy, sound judgment, and the ability to move work forward when priorities, requirements, or systems are still taking shape. The Director must build strong relationships across teams, lead laterally, and translate technical decisions into clear guidance for non-technical stakeholders.

The Director partners closely with the Senior Manager of Technology, Project Management, Marketing and Operations to ensure business applications align with infrastructure, identity, security requirements, and broader organizational priorities.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Lead hands-on implementation of business systems through needs assessment, configuration, customization, build work, data migration, testing, deployment, and rollout.
• Design, build, and implement integrations using APIs, automation tools, middleware, data migration, and structured synchronization methods.
• Design and maintain reporting, data, and governance foundations, including reporting pipelines, Power BI assets, cross-system data models, documentation, and governance standards.
• Build and improve digital, content, and collaboration platforms, including secure public-facing tools, information architecture, permission structures, and document lifecycle governance.
• Troubleshoot and resolve complex system issues, including integration failures, workflow breakdowns, data inconsistencies, and platform performance problems.
• Work with the Senior Manager of Technology and external providers to align application-layer changes with infrastructure, identity, security, and vendor-supported systems.
• Lead work across teams without direct supervisory responsibility by building relationships, supporting adoption, translating technical decisions for non-technical stakeholders, and moving work forward independently in ambiguity.

Minimum Qualifications

• Minimum 7+ years of progressive experience in business application architecture, systems integration, or digital platform design, build, and implementation.
• Hands-on experience designing, building, and maintaining integrations between SaaS platforms using APIs, automation tools, data migration processes, and integration platforms.
• Experience designing and implementing content or document management environments, including information architecture and governance frameworks.
• Experience designing reporting or business intelligence pipelines that improve data reliability and reduce manual processes.
• Strong working knowledge of Microsoft tools and platforms, including Dynamics CRM, Business Central, Power BI, and SharePoint.
• Strong analytical, systems-thinking, and technical problem-solving skills.
• Experience evaluating AI-enabled tools, automation platforms, or intelligent workflow solutions in data-sensitive environments.
• Demonstrated success leading complex, cross-functional initiatives as an individual contributor, with the ability to work independently in ambiguity and carry solutions through implementation and stabilization.
• Strong relationship-building and emotional intelligence, with experience earning stakeholder buy-in and driving adoption across teams with varying levels of technical comfort.
• Experience working in a nonprofit, startup, or small organization.
• Experience working in organizations that use Managed Service Providers for infrastructure and security operations, including building internal technical capability and reducing reliance on external consultants.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in information systems, computer science, business technology, or a related field; equivalent experience considered.
• Experience leading business system modernization initiatives over multi-year roadmaps.
• Experience consolidating and integrating third-party data sources into reporting environments.
• Experience with digital analytics and web performance measurement tools.

Physical/Mental Demands of the Job

Work hours are generally 8:30 AM -5:00 PM Monday – Friday – up to 50% remote work is offered under normal circumstances. Employees work directly with their supervisor and HR to determine the best work schedule, providing sufficient overlap with other NEFE employees.

At NEFE we focus on possibilities not limitations. To do your job effectively, you need the ability to communicate with people; move about a workspace; utilize a computer, job-related software and a telephone. We will attempt to make reasonable accommodations to support the fulfillment of the physical and mental requirements of this position.

Travel Required

Minimum travel is expected with this position

What Success in the First 12 Months Could Look Like

• Assess the current systems environment and develop a prioritized roadmap.
• Evaluate the CRM and implement the best path forward.
• Build and improve system integrations and data flow across key platforms.
• Implement a project management platform.
• Strengthen reporting and KPI dashboard operations.
• Lead website and digital experience improvements, including technical implementation.

Compensation/Benefits

The base salary for this position is $105,600–$117,500. In accordance with Colorado's Equal Pay for Equal Work Act and NEFE's internal compensation structure, this hiring range is fixed and non-negotiable. Final salary offers will be made within the posted range based on relevant experience.

NEFE provides a comprehensive benefits package, including vacation, sick leave, holidays, six weeks of paid parental leave, and health, dental, vision, and life/AD&D/disability insurance. Additional benefits include an EcoPass, paid parking in Downtown Denver, professional development opportunities, tuition reimbursement, an employee assistance program, a 403(b) employer match, and contributions to a defined benefit plan.

Application Instructions

Please submit your resume to be considered. Please also discuss your interest in the organization, appropriate skills, and background in a cover letter—no phone calls, emails, or LinkedIn messages please. Applications will be accepted until Thursday, June 18th at 5:00pm MDT.

Not sure you meet 100% of our qualifications? We understand that some candidates who could excel in this role may not have all the qualifications precisely listed above. If you believe that you could excel in this role, we encourage you to apply. We are dedicated to considering a broad array of candidates, including those with diverse work experience and backgrounds.

NEFE is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the United States. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa at this time.