Director of Technology Services

As a small organization with a global reach and impact, Unicode is now seeking a full-time, fully remote Director of Technology Services to steward its technology services transformation anddrive modernization – while ensuring the integrity and continuity of current technology operations. This diverse role requires the Director to support all technology services, including developing and executing a roadmap that aligns with the organization's mission and goals and ensuring technology systems are stable, secure, and scalable.

This position reports to the CEO with a dotted line to Unicode’s Technical Coordinating Group.

The Director leads and manages the technology services function working closely with members and volunteer professionals from the world's leading technology companies. These professionals work tirelessly to ensure interoperability and internationalization across all devices and around the world. While this position has no direct reports, the Director sources and works with contractors on clearly scoped projects, and relies heavily on working with volunteers and
leading by influence.
 

Job Summary

This role requires a unique blend of technical expertise, strategic thought partnership, and influential leadership skills to navigate the complexities of the company’s systems to sustain global impact. This is an exciting position for someone who can roll up their sleeves, is passionate about Unicode’s mission, and is collaborative and influential in their approach.
The Director will have the opportunity to shape the future of Unicode’s work while contributing directly to the ability of everybody to utilize their own technology in their own languages.

Key Responsibilities

● Develop and implement a comprehensive technology strategy and roadmap that addresses current weaknesses, capitalizes on opportunities, and mitigates risks.
● Oversee the modernization of Unicode’s technology toolset, including the consolidation of redundant systems, migration to cloud-based solutions, and integration of best-in-class SaaS applications.
● Drive the documentation and knowledge management efforts to ensure the capture and transfer of critical information from long-time contributors and volunteers.
● Lead by influencing a team of contractors, stakeholders, contributors, and other volunteers to maintain and extend technological capabilities in delivering Unicode’s work and fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
● Implement robust technology governance frameworks, including policies, procedures, and best practices for data management, cybersecurity, and risk management.
● Manage servers and databases and be responsible for any technical support and helpdesk services.
● Collaborate with technical committees, the board of directors, volunteers, and working groups to understand their requirements and deliver technology solutions that meet their needs.
● Lead software development and integration of commercial products
● Drive maintenance and modernization of existing content management systems, scripts, and tooling, (e.g., PERL, Bash, Python, and C)
● Manage the budget, vendor relationships, and contract negotiations to optimize costs and ensure the delivery of high-quality services.
● Provide regular reports and presentations to executive leadership and for the board of directors on the progress and impact of technology initiatives.
● Stay abreast of emerging technologies and industry trends, and continuously explore opportunities to leverage them for the benefit of the Unicode Consortium.

Required Skills and Experience

● Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field; Master's degree preferred.
● 10+ years of progressive experience in technical leadership roles, with a proven track record of driving technology transformation in complex, global organizations with a diverse group of staff, contractors, contributors, and volunteers.
● Deep understanding of system architecture, cloud computing, cybersecurity, and data management.
● Passion for open source technologies and experience in managing open-source tools and licensing.
● Strong project management skills, with the ability to prioritize tasks, allocate resources, and deliver results on time and within budget.
● Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build and maintain relationships with diverse stakeholders while building a cohesive spirit around the mission of Unicode.
● Adaptability and willingness to learn and stay updated with emerging technologies and industry trends.
● Experience implementing TS governance frameworks and best practices, such as TSIL, COBTS, or ISO 27001.
● Familiarity with DevOps principles and tools and a commitment to fostering a continuous integration and delivery culture.
● Ability to think strategically, anticipate future needs, and develop innovative solutions to complex problems.
● Hands-on knowledge and experience working with key SaaS DevOps tools, development platforms, and technologies such as GitHub, MS Azure, Google Cloud Platform, Google Workspace, Linux Operating Systems.
● Knowledge of the internationalization and localization industry is a plus.
US-based with a salary range of $95,000-$125,000, commensurate on experience. Company
benefits include paid holidays and time off, stipend towards healthcare, and a match towards SIMPLE-IRA.

Please email a letter of interest and resume to: [email protected]. Include the position title in the “Subject” line. Resumes with a letter of interest demonstrating direct experience will receive priority consideration.

About the Organization

The Unicode Consortium is the non-profit open source, open standards body that provides the foundation for everyone to communicate in their own languages — across all platforms and on billions of devices. It is arguably the most widely used software in the world. Unicode provides a unique number for every character, no matter what the platform, program, or language is — and its broad impact is only possible because of the support of our members and an extensive community of dedicated, passionate volunteers who have worked over 30 years to encode all of the world’s scripts and languages and the ever-popular emoji. Beyond character encoding, Unicode is also the de facto standards and coding package for internationalization, providing the framework that allows currency, time, date, person names, and much more to appear in the format relevant and accurate for the languages of the world — in ways that a native speaker would expect their language to behave. Once organizations implement the Unicode Standards, libraries, and code, expanding into new international and local markets can become a reality.