Run for Something: Senior Technical Lead

Run for Something: Senior Technical Lead

Run for Something is hiring a Senior Technical Lead! In this role, you will lead technical initiatives, ensuring that Run for Something's technology infrastructure supports our mission of recruiting and supporting young, progressive candidates, particularly those from marginalized backgrounds, for down-ballot offices.

The Senior Technical Lead will collaborate closely with the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) to scope, prioritize, and implement key technical initiatives. This includes identifying organizational gaps and opportunities, setting vision and designing technical solutions that advance programmatic, communications, and fundraising goals, and leading implementation across teams. This role partners with department heads — including Programs, Development, and Communications — to conceptualize and deliver technology initiatives that strengthen RFS's impact, from data infrastructure to revenue-generating SaaS.

You will also contribute your expertise to build new software, extend existing platforms, craft automations, orchestrate data pipelines, integrate APIs, and create reporting solutions.

As a technical leader, you will mentor and guide our growing tech team, ensuring the integration of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) goals into all technical projects. This role requires balancing multiple cross-functional collaborations with internal and external stakeholders, ensuring that technical initiatives are aligned with the strategic goals of the organization. Additionally, you will work on the ongoing maintenance and development of Run for Something's core technology systems, ensuring that both public-facing websites, web apps, and internal tools, such as the custom-built candidate recruitment pipeline, are continuously improved.

The Senior Technical Lead also supports organizational priorities, maintains alignment with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) goals, and upholds the core values while contributing to a collaborative, inclusive culture.

Key Responsibilities:

• Partner with CTO to ensure all tech initiatives are aligned with organizational goals
• Lead new technical initiatives, including building new software, extending existing platforms, crafting automations, orchestrating data pipelines, integrating APIs, and creating reporting solutions.
• Identify cross-departmental challenges and opportunities, designing and leading tech initiatives that improve workflows, efficiency, and impact across Programs, Development, and Communications teams.
• Partner and collaborate with senior leaders across departments to identify alignment and drive efficiency in technical projects; work strategically with senior leaders to improve workflows and measurement of KPIs across the organization
• Support a candidate services strategy that allows RFS to provide advice and expertise on technical strategies for campaigns.
• As a technical manager, contribute to organization-wide strategy and initiatives; be an active leader and advocate for RFS' philosophy, mission, values, culture, and DEI goals throughout the organization.
• Ensure collection, storage, and reporting of data is compliant, especially for new data and software products.

Core Systems Development and Maintenance [20%]:

• Further develop and maintain Run for Something's core technology systems, including public-facing websites, web apps, and internal tools like our custom-built candidate recruitment pipeline and our automated recruitment research platform(s)
• Support the CTO in administering IT across the organization, including managing IT helpdesk tickets and cybersecurity incidents as assigned
• Contribute to the budgeting process for IT and tech across the organization, ensuring efficiencies across all teams and their products.
• Work directly with RFS CTO and data engineer to plan, build, and maintain data pipelines and reporting

Mentorship and Team Development [20%]:

• Manage, mentor, and coach the Data Engineer and other Tech Department roles (as assigned) in line with RFS values and performance management standards to ensure relevant key performance indicators are met; identify and support areas for professional development; ensure RFS performance standards and values are apparent through all reporting lines.
• Collaborate with other members of the tech team through design and code review, sprint planning/retrospectives, and team professional development.
• Promote cross-functional learning and help non-technical teams understand and leverage technology to achieve their goals.

Your role may evolve to stay aligned with priorities and support our mission of recruiting and backing young progressives for down-ballot offices.

Our Tech Stack:

• Typescript/React via NextJS for web apps; python via Prefect, DBT, and Hex for data pipelines and dashboards
• Google Cloud Platform, Vercel, and Supabase for infrastructure
• Retool for internal dashboards, tools, and workflows
• A wide array of platforms integrated via APIs, including NGP VAN, Twilio, ActBlue, Every Action, Action Network, Airtable, and ScaleToWin
• A modern data stack built on BigQuery and Hex supported by workflows on Prefect/DBT

You will be a great fit for the Run for Something Tech Team if you:

• Want to build tech that matters in service of the next generation of progressive leaders
• Take a people-centered approach to solving technical problems by first understanding the teams and individuals your work affects.
• Sleep better at night after writing or reviewing a few great tests
• Take pride in well-written and approachable documentation as much as clean code
• Enjoy collaborating with others to find creative technical solutions to complex problems

Key Competencies and Qualifications:

• 5+ years of professional software development and/or data engineering experience
• Experience with web application development using a framework such as NextJS, Django, Rails, or Express
• Experience with data pipelines and relational database architecture
• Experience with user-centered and agile software development practices
• Experience in architecting and maintaining complex software/data systems with both custom-built and third-party applications
• Experience managing software products, including gathering requirements, writing specifications, and coordinating rollout with non-technical team members
• Comfort maintaining existing production applications regardless of the technical stack, and a willingness to pick up new technologies
• Familiarity with big data storage, data warehouse infrastructure, and containerized development and orchestration
• Proven ability to collaborate across teams and maintain transparency in workflows
• Experience with unionized work environments, including collaboration with unions or managing within collective bargaining frameworks, is a plus but not essential for this role.
• Demonstrated time management skills transferable to working a four day workweek
• Demonstrated ability to work in and contribute to a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment
• Ability to demonstrate Run for Something's organizational values: Act in Service of Our Mission. Always Ensure DEI is at Our Core, Honor Dignity in Our Relationship, Encourage Innovation, Communicate with Transparency
• Ability to work independently for extended periods of time in a remote environment
• Strong commitment to the Run for Something mission

Plus Qualifications:

• Experience working on campaigns, committees, or advocacy organizations.
• Experience with political tech such as NGP VAN, ActionNetwork, Every Action, or Civis.
• Experience working with fully remote teams
• Experience managing technical roles
• Experience on a small technical team where you had to do a variety of technical tasks in addition to software development
• Familiarity with NextJS
• Familiarity with DBT and a python-based automation framework like Prefect or Airflow
• Experience with unionized work environments, including collaboration with unions or managing within collective bargaining frameworks, is a plus but not essential for this role.

Work Environment:

• Run for Something operates as a fully remote organization, with team members collaborating from across the U.S. You will work from home or a location of your choosing.
• This role involves attending approximately two all-staff or team events per year, which may include overnight travel. Reasonable accommodations are available for employees unable to travel or participate in gatherings.
• The position requires working core hours from Monday to Thursday, with occasional night and weekend work.
• To prioritize employee health and safety, all Run for Something employees must provide proof of COVID vaccination, with reasonable accommodations considered for disabilities, medical advice, or sincerely held religious beliefs.

Run for Something is committed to building diverse teams and fostering equitable, inclusive environments that maximize the skills, potential, and unique perspectives of our employees. We strongly encourage individuals from marginalized communities, including Black, Indigenous, and people of color, women, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and those with disabilities, to apply—especially those historically underrepresented in elected office. Learn more about our commitment here.

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