Chief Technology Officer (CTO)

Join the Learning with Parents leadership team to shape how technology supports our growth, so that one day every child is supported at home to fulfil their potential. About Us Learning with Parents supports all families to have positive learning interactions together. We drive inclusive parental engagement by partnering with schools and leading the sector through learning what works. By partnering with primary schools, we support thousands of families across the UK to enjoy learning together at home. Our child-led videos and hands-on family activities replace traditional homework. Through behavioural insight research, innovative technology and teacher training we ensure that as many families as possible are supported effectively. We are working to improve parental engagement across the sector, by producing evidence of parents’ impact and generating insights into how schools can best support them. Learnings are disseminated through the Parental Engagement Forum and amplified through the Fair Education Alliance. About the Role After six years of building, testing and refining, Learning with Parents has reached an inflection point. We have the traction, the proof of concept and the partnerships to scale significantly, and we are bringing strategic technology leadership in-house for the first time. We already have a strong, effective technology team operating well day to day. Our platform is stable and trusted by the schools and families who use it. What we need is a leader who can look across the organisation, set the direction for how technology serves our purpose, and make the right decisions about where to invest, what to build, and what to procure. The CTO will join our senior leadership team and take ultimate responsibility for the technology function. Day-to-day delivery of work like CRM procurement, data governance and cybersecurity will sit with the team; the CTO sets the strategy, makes the calls, and is accountable for the outcomes. That said, we are still a small organisation, and the right candidate will be happy to muck in where it makes sense to do so. There are three clear strategic priorities: setting our long-term technology strategy and roadmap; embedding a digital-first culture across the organisation, with a CRM implementation as an immediate priority; and building the impact measurement infrastructure that will allow us to move from rich engagement data to robust evidence of outcomes for children, families and schools. The CTO will be well supported. They will inherit an established platform and a capable in-house team comprising a project manager, a product owner, a tech lead and two developers. Our current fractional CTO, who has led technology at Learning with Parents to date, will remain available in a fractional capacity – particularly through the transition – to support the new CTO as they take on the strategic leadership of the function. The CTO will work closely with our evaluation leads (including our Evaluation Manager and our UCL Knowledge Transfer Partnership) and senior colleagues across schools, fundraising and operations. Core areas of responsibility - Strategic Leadership: Support the development and refinement of LwP’s organisational strategy as a member of the Leadership Team. Bring a technology perspective to organisational decision-making as a member of the Leadership Team. Lead the development and execution of LwP’s technology strategy, balancing new feature development with platform maintenance, aligned with the organisation’s purpose and growth ambitions. Set the direction for what we build, what we buy, what we retire, and how we sequence investment, ensuring technology choices serve our purpose rather than short-term pressures. Maintain a prioritised technology roadmap that aligns investment with organisational ambitions and provides an ongoing framework for decision-making. Monitor the wider ed-tech and AI landscape, identifying the opportunities most relevant to families facing disadvantage and translating them into strategic choices for the organisation. - Leadership of the Technology Function: Take ultimate responsibility for the technology function, including the platform, the team, suppliers/subcontractors and the systems the organisation depends on. Lead and develop the existing in-house team (product owner and tech lead) and oversee the work of the dedicated Poteris team (project manager and two developers), setting standards for engineering quality, security and ways of working. Champion a working culture that is inclusive, collaborative and grounded in LwP’s values. Lead the relationship with our key subcontractor Poteris, including managing their workflow and overseeing deliverables. Set strategy for data governance and cybersecurity, ensuring our handling of data on children and families protects the people we serve and maintains the trust of schools and funders, and our accreditations. Provide senior, embedded oversight of platform robustness, scalability and security as demand grows. - Digital-First Organisation and CRM: Set the strategy for becoming a digital-first organisation. Take ultimate responsibility for the procurement and implementation of a CRM system, setting the requirements, making the final call and ensuring the outcome lands well across the organisation. Embed a digital-first culture across the organisation, building digital capability in colleagues outside the technology team. - Impact Measurement Infrastructure: Set the strategic direction for LwP’s impact measurement infrastructure, ensuring the platform captures data systematically and meaningfully. Ensure that platform data is accessible and robust, allowing insights to be shared back to partner schools and the wider sector. About You Our ideal candidate would be able to provide examples of when they have used the following skills and experience: Significant experience in a senior technology leadership role, with responsibility for setting strategy and making investment decisions, not only delivery. Track record of leading and developing technology teams, including engineers and external contractors. Experience scaling a digital platform. Strong understanding of data governance and cybersecurity in a context that involves data on children or other vulnerable groups. Excellent communication skills, able to translate technology into terms that non-technical colleagues, trustees and funders can engage with. A desire to champion and uphold our vision, mission and values. Benefits We have a passionate team and supportive culture. We have supportive policies and offer a number of benefits including: Generous annual leave allowance (35 days, including bank holidays); Your birthday off and additional holiday reward for every year employed with us (up to five days pro-rata); Enhanced maternity, paternity and family-related leave policy from day one; Income protection in case of sickness; Flexible working times; Social events; Environmental (Net Zero) Pension; Cycle to work scheme; Benefit Hub, including virtual GP and discount scheme. To apply Submit a CV and answer the following questions through our site: Why do you want to work for Learning with Parents? (no more than 300 words). Why do you want the role of Chief Technology Officer? (no more than 300 words). What skills or experience do you have that would make you a good candidate for this role at Learning with Parents? (no more than 500 words).