Chief Technology Officer

Remote - Anywhere 00000 Overview
Salary Range: $ - $ Salary Position Type:
Regular Category:
Information Technology

Thank you for your interest. We will begin reviewing applications on January 26, 2026, and the expected start date for this role is March 2026.

The non-profit Waterford Research Institute has been a leader in the use of technology to educate young children for nearly 50 years. With the rapid expansion of its UPSTART virtual pre-K program, the growth of in-school SaaS offerings Smart Start (pre-K) and Waterford Early Learning (K-2), Waterford is seeking a Chief Technology Officer (CTO) to join its executive leadership team and help accelerate organizational growth and impact.

The CTO will oversee all technology-related aspects of the business from both a functional and a strategic perspective, including architecture, software engineering, development operations, quality assurance, IT, Tier 2 customer support, field engineering and database development and administration.

• Makes product quality, user experience and positive learning impact the first and highest priority for Waterford’s technology teams
• Establishes and emphasizes a culture of goal-setting, measurement and accountability - continuously improving project estimation accuracy and execution (achievement of planned deliverables according to projected time and budget) while increasing development velocity and capacity utilization without compromising quality
• Establishes and executes an overall technology plan for the organization and its products in accordance with Waterford’s mission, strategic plan and product roadmap
• Ensures effective, ongoing collaboration between technology team members, product management and the executive team within an Agile development environment
• Clearly articulates technology's role in achieving organizational goals to board members, executives, and the broader team
• Build and continuously improve technology teams via networking with and recruiting top talent, and via mentoring, developing and motivating staff to succeed in current and future roles
• Defines or approves all technology safeguards, policies, and processes to minimize the risk of security breaches and protect sensitive data and company IP
• Consistently evaluates effectiveness and efficiency of technology, processes and team members and makes changes and improvements as necessary
• Owns the evaluation, approval and purchase process for technology that supports both internal processes and external objectives while ensuring the needs of department leaders are understood and met
• Effectively communicates technology-related decisions and direction to those who have technical backgrounds as well as those who are non-technical

The ideal candidate will possess the following skills, experience, and education:

• Deep knowledge of technical ecosystem alternatives and trade-offs to achieve the right blend of reliability, performance and scalability for cloud-based, multimedia rich offerings
• Well-versed in product technology lifecycle management and well-aware of current and emerging technology solutions; has a proven history of success technology challenges and opportunities that evolve over time
• In-depth knowledge of critical IT areas including security & privacy, data governance, disaster recovery, system performance, and high availability
• Experience in building strong and diverse teams of high performing individuals while managing multiple projects to success

• C-Level presence and subject matter expertise worthy of an industry thought leader and public speaker
• Ability to strike a balance between what’s innovative and best practice from a technical perspective and what’s strategic and pragmatic for our business at any given time; strong advocate for functional areas of responsibility within the context of what is most beneficial to the organization and its mission overall

• Motivator and mentor who strives to advance the careers and expertise of team members by providing opportunities for
  • Technically challenging work
  • On-going education
  • New responsibilities and advancement
• Analytical approach to development, infrastructure and purchasing decisions, including:
  • Build versus Buy
  • ROI
  • Technical debt
  • GAP Analysis
  • Cost-conscious mindset, but creative problem solver within budget, time and resource constraints
• Strong contract negotiation skill
• Excellent interpersonal, written / oral communication and presentation Skills

• 15+ years of experience in the Information Technology or related arena
• 10+ years of experience in management and strategic planning
• 8+ years in the Education Technology industry
• Experience or awareness of other industries in order to apply solutions in other industries to the education domain
• A strong and current background of demonstrated technical engineering experience in a diverse set of disciplines including Software Architecture, Programming, IT infrastructure and Design.
• Understanding and experience of Agile…