Director, Technology Enablement

About Understood

Understood is a nonprofit focused on shaping the world for difference. We raise awareness of the challenges and strengths of people who learn and think differently. Our resources help people navigate challenges, gain confidence, and find support and community so they can thrive. 

Having a shared commitment to our values is a key factor in any hire we make. We have five core values: 

• Continuously learn.
• Act with intention.
• Champion difference.
• Inspire change.
• Grow together. 

Come be part of an organization with an entrepreneurial spirit that’s helping to shape the world for difference. Together, we can build a world where everyone can reach their full potential. 

To learn more about Understood, please visit: www.understood.org.

Who you are 

To advance Understood’s mission and to further our impact, we’re hiring a Director of Technology Enablement, reporting to our VP, Engineering & IT. 

This leader owns the full spectrum of how technology serves our people. That spans everything from “your laptop works” to “here’s how this tool changes your workflow.” Technology is not a support function at Understood. It is the lever that determines how fast we move, how well our people perform, and how effectively we deliver on our mission. 

Our people now have access to information that is fundamentally different from what they had even a year ago, and the possibilities keep expanding every month. This role exists to bring the entire organization together on that journey.

This isn’t an IT Manager or Director role. It treats employees as customers to be enabled, not as tickets to be closed. The role starts by stabilizing IT operations and overhauling how we support employees. From there, it grows into the engine that drives technology adoption, proficiency, and transformation across the organization. It also positions Understood to treat AI as a fundamental shift in how work gets done, not just an automation tool bolted onto existing workflows.

The role carries a cultural mandate. We invest in our people’s technology capabilities because we believe it makes them, and our mission, stronger. We provide enablement, training, and the right tools, and we expect our people to lean in: to be curious, to experiment, and to take ownership of their own growth. “I don’t know how” is a starting point we’ll help with; “I don’t want to learn” is not consistent with where this organization is going. This person sets that tone and models it alongside leadership.

This is an ideal role for a hands-on technologist and evangelist who can operate autonomously:  someone fluent in modern productivity and AI tools, energized by helping people work better, and able to run IT operations cleanly while leading the change management that makes new technology stick.

This is a hybrid role that requires a minimum of three (3) days a week in our NYC office, with a focus on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. We are a Mac-based environment, and team members are provided a Mac laptop for their work.

What you’ll do

Technology enablement

• Act as a technology evangelist. Proactively find ways teams can work better with tools they already have, like AI features in Adobe Creative Cloud, Gemini in Google Workspace, and automation in Slack and Jira. Partner with teams to unlock that potential in their day-to-day work.
• Champion Claude and AI across the organization. Serve as a hands-on internal Claude champion who builds skills, plugins, and workflows for each team’s actual work, so every team has Claude working for them and experimentation becomes self-sustaining.
• Drive adoption of new tools. Own the adoption and internal integration of new rollouts. Work with external training vendors where useful, but own the integration into how people actually work, because adoption doesn’t stick when the person driving it leaves.

IT operations

• Lead a small IT team, including an IT operations manager and IT support specialists.
• Own the hardware lifecycle: laptops, access points (APs), network taps, and audio/visual (AV) equipment.
• Own the employee support tier structure, Rippling and other mobile device management (MDM) tools, vendor management, and compliance infrastructure.
• Overhaul the IT queue. Define what’s self-serve versus white-glove, with a baseline expectation that people troubleshoot before they escalate.
• Operate autonomously. Run IT operations without daily executive involvement, and rebalance the team as needed.

Adoption, governance, and culture

• Centralize knowledge in Jira. Become the internal owner of consolidating how work is tracked and made visible. Convene and run the cross-functional working group, drive taxonomy and workflow decisions, and establish a shared vocabulary across teams.
• Connect Jira to the docs and decisions behind each project, and make our work queryable by AI.
• Partner on new technology rollouts. Serve as the technical enablement partner to other internal functions, leading workshops and ensuring adoption.
• Set a culture of technology curiosity. Model the expectation that curiosity is normal and experimentation is encouraged, with troubleshoot-before-escalate as the baseline and self-directed growth as the norm.
• Keep a future view. Track emerging technology with the VP of engineering and IT, and translate what’s coming into capability plans for the organization.

Must-haves 

In this role, you bring leadership experience and the ability to set direction across a capability. You also own team-level priorities, manage multiple direct reports, including hiring and resourcing decisions, own the team budget, and communicate directly with the leadership and executive leadership teams.

We don't expect a perfect match across every category. What matters is relevant experience, genuine interest in the work, and a mindset for growth.

Leadership and people

• Experience: 10+ years of experience in IT or technology roles, including 3+ years leading a team in a fast-moving or complex environment. You’ve owned team-level priorities and delivered results with impact across the organization.
• People leadership and development: You manage multiple direct reports and make decisions on hiring, team structure, and resourcing. You coach and develop people, and keep the team motivated through change.
• Stakeholder and cross-functional partnership: You work effectively with leaders in other functions, senior leaders, and direct reports. You make tradeoffs across teams when priorities compete, and build strong working relationships up, down, and across the organization, including in a hybrid setting.

Strategy, execution, and data

• Domain expertise: Deep expertise in IT operations and technology enablement, from operational stability to embedding new tools and workflows into how people actually work. You treat employees as customers to enable, not tickets to close.
• Strategic thinking and execution: You turn company strategy into clear plans and priorities. You balance long-term thinking with getting work done day-to-day, and adjust the plan when conditions change.
• Project management: You plan and run multiple projects across the team and functions. You set clear milestones, manage risk, and keep the team on track to deliver.
• Data and analytics: You develop insights to shape strategy and priorities. You decide what data is needed and use analysis to test ideas and make better decisions.

Communication, collaboration, and technology fluency

• Communication: You communicate clearly and confidently with leadership and executive leadership teams, peer leaders, direct reports, and external partners. You adapt the message to the audience.
• Collaboration and ways of working: You drive organizational and cultural change that makes technology adoption stick, while keeping people and mission at the center. You work with integrity, emotional awareness, and resilience through change.
• AI fluency: Hands-on fluency with AI and modern productivity tools, with a track record of driving real adoption, not just access. You know where AI adds value at the team and function level, and set expectations for using it responsibly.

Nice-to-haves

• Deep, hands-on experience building Claude skills, plugins, and AI workflows tailored to specific teams and functions.
• Experience leading device management and identity platform work, such as Rippling/MDM rollouts and SSO migrations.
• Experience standing up shared taxonomies and work-tracking systems (e.g., Jira) across an organization.
• Personal connection to the mission or understanding of neurodiversity, learning differences, education, or related spaces.

The base salary range for this role is $180,000 - $210,000, depending on years of experience and qualifications. We offer a comprehensive benefits package that supports wellness for our team members and their families. You can learn more about our benefits and offerings.

Understood.org does not sponsor applicants for work visas or legal permanent residence, including providing assistance with STEM OPT extensions.

Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion

Understood encourages individuals of all learning styles and ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic backgrounds, including those whose life experiences may include the challenge of access due to a disability, to apply for this position. We are committed to maximizing the diversity of our organization, as we want to engage all those who can contribute to supporting this work.

Understood is an equal opportunity employer and considers all applications without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, alienage or citizenship status, marital or familial status, domestic partnership status, caregiver status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, change of sex or transgender status, genetic information, medical condition, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, physical or mental disability (where the applicant or employee is qualified to perform the essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodation), any protected military or veteran status, or status as a victim of domestic or dating violence, sexual assault or offense, stalking, or any other characteristics protected by federal, state, or local law or that of persons with whom that individual associates, or any other legally protected characteristics.

For additional information on learning and thinking differences, including ADD/ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, dyspraxia, executive function challenges, nonverbal learning disabilities, processing issues, and more, please visit www.understood.org.

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