Senior Director of Technology Save

ProPublica, the independent, nonprofit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest, is looking for a seasoned leader to guide its wide-ranging technology efforts and teams.

As the senior director of technology, you will lead the development and execution of our technology strategy to ensure our systems and technical initiatives support the organization’s objectives and mission. You will manage a team of talented product developers and an enterprise technology (IT) group that supports the work of colleagues across the organization.

Responsibilities include:

• Identifying the needs and leading the execution of technical solutions that advance and elevate the work of everyone at ProPublica to contribute to our mission and advance our journalistic, audience and revenue goals. You’ll work cross-functionally with designers, product managers and data analysts. You’ll partner with business leadership in fundraising, communications, marketing, HR, legal and finance and with journalists in our newsroom. Although this is a leadership role, you’ll also be expected to be hands-on and lead by example when necessary.
• Protecting the security, safety and resiliency of the organization’s personnel, data, sources and assets. You’ll be expected to anticipate and mitigate risks, particularly by malicious actors targeting our newsroom, and effectively manage incidents when they arise.
• Cultivating a collaborative, high-achieving, inclusive culture within the team. You will ensure there is a culture of learning and curiosity and that there are strong processes for mentorship and professional development. You will be responsible for the overall health of the team, including hiring pipelines, diversity initiatives and performance plans.
• Working with engineers across product and the newsroom to ensure engineering excellence, including the speed, reliability, scalability, interoperability and security of our technology. You will manage technical infrastructure, set standards and build processes for continuous improvement.
• Overseeing the annual operating and capital budgets for technology by effectively managing costs, identifying efficiencies and guiding leadership on strategic planning decisions. You’ll set and track objectives and key success metrics for technology initiatives.
• Bringing strong leadership, management and communication skills to effectively collaborate with peers, stakeholders and executives across the organization. You’ll ensure we have the training, documentation and other programs necessary for adoption and use of our technology solutions. You’ll be an ambassador and advocate for ProPublica to the wider journalism and tech industries, such as cultivating relationships with technology leaders at similar organizations to collaborate around shared interests and to keep our capabilities reflecting best practices.

This person will manage a two-person enterprise technology and security (IT) team and four product developers, and, alongside the senior director for design and product, will co-lead the larger team. They will advise and consult across the organization on technology decisions made by other groups, such as news apps, data and administrative functions including HR and finance. The role reports to the chief product and brand officer.

We’re looking for someone with:

• At least 10 years of experience in leading technology initiatives, preferably within or adjacent to journalism or media organizations.
• A strong track record of managing high-functioning teams and mentoring individual contributors to do their best work and develop their careers.
• Expert knowledge of modern software development technologies and practices, including AWS and Google Cloud environments, front-end and back-end development frameworks and security strategies.
• Exceptional communication and collaboration skills across a wide range of teams and skills.

This position is full time, includes benefits and is based in New York City, with work occurring during typical weekday business hours. One or two days per week of in-office work may be required. Applicants must be eligible to work in the U.S.

The expected salary range for this position is $175,000 to $190,000.

This is a good-faith estimate of what we expect to pay for this position. The final salary figure will take into account a person’s experience, accomplishment and location. ProPublica is committed to paying its staff equitably, and these ranges should not be considered career salary limits or caps.

We will begin reviewing applications as we receive them, but we will continue to consider candidates as long as the posting remains live on our site.

Questions? Send an email to [email protected]. 

No phone calls, please.