Chief Technology Officer | VVF

The Chief Technology Officer (CTO) is the senior executive responsible for setting and executing the organization’s technology strategy in service of mission impact. As a member of the leadership team, the CTO ensures that systems, data, cybersecurity, and event-facing technology are reliable, secure, and scalable. This role blendsenterprise IT leadership(infrastructure, applications, security, data governance) withevent execution—ensuring technology readiness and seamless delivery.

Specific Responsibilities:

1) Strategy, Leadership & Governance

• Develop andmaintainamulti-year technology roadmapaligned with organizational strategy, budget, and operating plans; translate priorities into quarterly execution.
• Serve on the leadership team; communicate technology risks, investments, and progress to executives and (as needed) the board.
• Establish technology policies, standards, and governance to ensure consistency, reliability, and accountability across departments.

2) Event Technology & Event Execution. Own end-to-end technology readiness and delivery for events/programs where experience, safety, and reputation are on the line.

• Create and drive atechnology production planaligned to the event run-of-show: connectivity, AV/lighting integration, streaming, comms, ticketing access control, POS, onsite support, and contingency plans.
• Leadtechnical readiness checks; confirm escalation plan, bandwidth procurement and redundancy, failover connectivity, and staffing coverage.
• Coordinate with operations, marketing, venue, and development teams to ensure eventobjectivesand audience/donor experience requirements are met.

Pre-Event Planning

• Create and drive atechnology production planaligned to the event run-of-show: connectivity, AV/lighting integration, streaming, comms, ticketing access control, POS, onsite support, and contingency plans.
• Leadtechnical readiness checks; confirm escalation plan, bandwidth procurement and redundancy, failover connectivity, and staffing coverage.
• Coordinate with operations, marketing, venue, and development teams to ensure eventobjectivesand audience/donor experience requirements are met.

Onsite/Live Execution

• Ensure flawless performance of event infrastructure; coordinate internal staff and external vendors during all aspects of events.
• Act as executive escalation point for event technology incidents; stabilize service quickly and lead post-incident reviews.

Post-Event

• Lead post-event debriefs and metrics: uptime, incident logs, vendor performance, and improvement plan for future events.
• Evaluate, select, and manage third-party partners (managed IT, cybersecurity, ticketing, streaming platform, network providers, CRM/ERP platforms).
• Negotiate contracts, SLAs, and pricing; define measurable performance standards (response times, uptime, deliverables, escalation, on-site coverage).
• Maintain a preferred provider benchmark and disaster recovery for mission-critical services (events, system backups, security monitoring, connectivity).
• Partner with operations leadership on vendor coordination practices commonly used in venue/event environments (estimates, scopes, staffing plans, onsite protocols).

4) Systems, Infrastructure & Service Delivery

• Ensure reliable core infrastructure (identity/access, endpoints, network, Wi-Fi, cloud services, collaboration tools) and a high-quality support experience
• Oversee applications portfolio (CRM, fundraising, finance systems, HRIS, ticketing/registration, data interfaces) and prioritize improvements based on impact and risk.
• Lead major implementations and digital transformations (e.g., CRM migration initiatives), aligning stakeholders, vendors, timeline, and change management.

5) Cybersecurity, Risk, and Compliance

• Own cybersecurity strategy: risk assessments, endpoint protection, phishing training, logging/monitoring, incident response, and business continuity.
• Ensure data privacy and regulatory complianceappropriate tothe org (e.g., donor data/PII; program-specific requirements).
• Establish security-by-design practices for event technology (temporary networks, vendor access, streaming platforms, guest Wi-Fi segmentation where applicable).

6) Data Governance & Analytics

• Build a data governance approach: data definitions, stewardship, access controls, retention, and quality.
• Promote data-informed decision-making through dashboards and reporting for programs, fundraising, operations, and event performance.

7) People, Budget, and Operational Management

• Lead and develop a high-performing team; hire, mentor, and evaluate staff and contractors.
• Own technology operating and capital budgets; control spend, lifecycle management, and total cost of ownership.
• Create sustainable processes: asset management, change control, documentation, and on-call coverage for critical events.