Technology Product Director (1070), Student Information Systems

Sylvania; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 148,000 - 199,000; Full time

Job summary

San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) is seeking a Technology Product Director in San Francisco to lead the strategic direction for enterprise student information systems and digital products. You will oversee staff, develop roadmaps, and coordinate large-scale technology initiatives with district departments, schools, vendors, and partners.

The role requires guiding cross-functional teams, ensuring compliance, and driving improvements in service delivery and student outcomes.

Qualifications

• Five years of digital product management experience.
• Experience leading a major technology product with cross-functional teams.
• Substitution: one year of additional experience may replace the degree.

Responsibilities

• Organize, direct, supervise, and evaluate staff for student information systems and digital products.
• Develop and implement strategic product roadmaps and long-term technology plans.
• Coordinate end-to-end implementation of technology products and integrations.
• Monitor performance and drive continuous improvements.

Skills

Project management

Stakeholder management

Communication skills

Agile methodologies

Education

Associate degree in CS/IS/BA/UX

Tools

Ed-Fi

Job description

Job Class: 1070 Technology Product Director

Salary Range: $148,215 - $198,901/annually

Appointment Type: Permanent Exempt (what does this mean?)

Calendar: Full Time / Full Year

Who We Are

The San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) is the seventh largest school district in California, serving more than 55,000 students who speak more than 44 documented languages across 132 schools in the city of San Francisco every year. We aim for every student who attends SFUSD schools to discover his or her spark, along with a strong sense of self and purpose, and that all students graduate from high school ready for college and career, and equipped with the skills, capacities and dispositions outlined in SFUSD’s Graduate Profile. Every day in our quest to achieve this mission we provide each and every student the quality instruction and equitable support required to thrive in the 21st century.

What It Means to Work Here

The SFUSD community is unified by our Core Values:

• Student-centered: We put students’ needs first
• Fearless: We persist through challenges
• United: We celebrate and build on each other’s strengths
• Social Justice: We stand with those most vulnerable in our community
• Diversity-driven: We respect and seek to understand each person

We are also inspired by Vision, Values and Guardrails which captures our aspirations and vision for the future of public education in San Francisco. Alongside the District’s strategic plan. SFUSD is reimagining how public education will change over the next decade to meet the dynamic future of San Francisco. As a CORE district, SFUSD is also a leader in critical systems change for more comprehensive school accountability and innovations that help strengthen the instructional core, which is the foundation of our strategic plan and Vision 2025.

Who We Want

We want talented people from diverse backgrounds and experiences, who are committed to and will champion our Core Values, are inspired by our mission steeped in equity, and who are motivated to unleash our children’s potential. We want people who are strong collaborators, skilled communicators, problem solvers and who are comfortable in a community of continuous learning.

Essential Duties

The duties specified below are representative of the range of duties assigned to the job code/class and are not intended to be an inclusive or exhaustive list.

As the Technology Product Director, duties are specified below:

• Organize, direct, supervise, coach, and evaluate the work of professional and technical staff responsible for student information systems, digital products, reporting, integrations, and operational support.
• Participate in the development and implementation of departmental goals, objectives, policies, priorities, governance, and strategic initiatives that support the Department of Technology, Digital District Plan, and District priorities.
• Develop and implement strategic plans, product roadmaps, and long-term technology strategies for enterprise student information systems and digital products.
• Plan, direct, coordinate, and oversee the development, implementation, enhancement, maintenance, and continuous improvement of student information systems, digital products, technology services, and system integrations.
• Lead large-scale, cross-functional technology initiatives by coordinating implementation efforts with district departments, vendors, schools, and external partners.
• Identify opportunities to modernize, automate, consolidate, and improve business processes through technology solutions and enterprise system integrations.
• Evaluate, recommend, and implement technology solutions, digital products, and operational improvements that enhance service delivery, user experience, organizational efficiency, and student outcomes.
• Coordinate end-to-end implementation of technology products, software enhancements, upgrades, integrations, testing, deployment, and production support.
• Monitor product performance, operational metrics, service delivery, user satisfaction, and technology effectiveness; analyze trends and recommend continuous improvements.
• Anticipate project risks, identify operational bottlenecks, balance business needs with technical constraints, and resolve complex organizational and technology issues.
• Ensure technology activities are completed efficiently, accurately, and in compliance with District policies, Board policy, and applicable federal, state, and local regulations.
• Direct the administration of student information systems supporting enrollment, attendance, scheduling, grading, transcripts, special education, and state and federal reporting requirements.
• Ensure the accurate, timely, and compliant submission of required state and federal student data reporting.
• Develop, maintain, and implement policies, procedures, documentation, and operational standards governing student records, transcript preservation, data governance, and enterprise student information systems.
• Support enterprise data integration initiatives, including interoperability standards such as Ed-Fi and Unified Data System reporting.
• Develop project implementation plans, work plans, schedules, resource allocation strategies, and project governance to ensure successful delivery of technology initiatives.
• Prepare feasibility studies, implementation proposals, budget estimates, technical specifications, Requests for Proposal (RFPs), procurement documentation, and recommendations for technology acquisitions and consulting services.
• Participate in the preparation and administration of assigned budgets; monitor technology investments, vendor contracts, maintenance agreements, and resource utilization.
• Coordinate consultants, vendors, and technology partners supporting the design, implementation, enhancement, and maintenance of enterprise technology products and services.
• Represent the Department of Technology at meetings, committees, workgroups, and with internal and external stakeholders regarding technology initiatives, student systems, and digital services.
• Serve as liaison between the Department of Technology and district departments, schools, state agencies, vendors, and community partners to coordinate technology solutions, data sharing, and digital service delivery.
• Develop and deliver executive presentations, product roadmaps, operational reports, technology recommendations, performance metrics, and implementation status updates to executive leadership and governance bodies.
• Coordinate and provide training, professional development, procedural documentation, and technical guidance for district staff, administrators, and end users regarding student information systems, digital products, reporting processes, and technology services.
• Establish performance expectations for assigned staff, assess organizational capacity, develop succession planning strategies, identify resource needs, and provide ongoing coaching and professional development.
• Foster collaboration, innovation, accountability, continuous improvement, and user-centered technology practices across the Student Systems team, Department of Technology, and cross-functional district workgroups.
• Research emerging technologies, industry trends, and best practices to recommend technology strategies and solutions that improve operational effectiveness, service delivery, and long-term sustainability.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

Knowledge of: Project management and information systems development and maintenance; principles and practices of digital product management and service delivery technical, operational, and programming problem solving analysis; computer languages; systems design and software development lifecycle concepts; user-centered and data-informed approaches to product or system improvement: common operating systems and relational database systems; interactive or macro-based applications; agile and iterative methodologies; practices and techniques of supervision; training techniques; job flow within a large scale data processing environment; and data processing methods; budgeting, procurement, resource management, and vendor coordination; and change management and communication strategies for introducing new systems or service models.

Ability or Skill to: Supervise and direct a group of technical employees, including the ability to provide counseling, guidance, and mediation; persuade, convince and train others; advise and interpret regarding the application of policies, procedures and standards to specific situations; exercise judgement, decisiveness and creativity required in situations involving the direction, control and planning of projects, programs, and products; modify existing policies, strategies and/or methods to meet unusual conditions within the context of existing management principles; communicate effectively orally and in writing; establish and maintain good working relationships with department personnel, staff, vendors, and peers; use logic and analysis to solve problems; produce complex reports and presentations; prioritize competing requests for service in a dynamic, multi-stakeholder environment.

Minimum Qualifications

Education: An associate degree in computer science, information systems, business administration, UX/UI design or a closely related field from an accredited college or university OR its equivalent in terms of total course credits/units [i.e., at least sixty (60) semester or ninety (90) quarter credits/units with a minimum of twenty (20) semester or thirty (30) quarter credits/units in one of the fields above or a closely-related field].

Experience: Five (5) years of experience in digital product management, system administration, information systems development, maintenance and support, software engineering, or information technology project management, including two (2) years of experience leading a major technology product, system, or project involving cross-functional teams and multiple stakeholders.

Substitution: One year of additional experience as described above may be substituted for the required degree.

The Strongest Candidates Will Have:

• Experience working in a K-12 school district
• A minimum of 10 years of work experience, with demonstrated prior experience leading teams
• Experience working in urban education
• Occasional evening and weekend work required
• Familiarity with Special Education Information System (SEIS), Synergy SIS, and Illuminate
• Knowledge of San Francisco’s public schools/urban public schools and a passionate belief in SFUSD’s commitment to instructional leadership as a lever toward delivering on the SFUSD Graduate Profile

What We Offer

SFUSD offers a competitive salary of $148,215 - $198,901/annually annually, commensurate with experience in a similar position. We offer a comprehensive benefits plan including dental and vision plans, a defined benefit pension plan, disability, life insurance, flexible spending account options and vacation time. We also offer an inclusive and equity-centered environment where we encourage staff to bring their whole selves to work.

Verification

Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. If education verification is required, information on how to verify education requirements, including verifying foreign education credits or degree equivalency, can be found at http://sfdhr.org/how-verify-education-requirements.

Note

Note: Falsifying one’s education, training, or work experience or attempted deception on the application may result in disqualification from this and future job opportunities with the San Francisco Unified School District.

Nondiscrimination Statement and Grievance Procedures:

San Francisco Unified School District prohibits discrimination, harassment, intimidation, sexual harassment and bullying based on actual or perceived race, color, ancestry, nationality, national origin, immigration status, ethnic group identification, ethnicity, age, religion, pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy or lactation, including medical conditions or recovery, parental, marital, and family status, reproductive health decision making, physical or mental disability, medical condition, sex, sex stereotypes, sex characteristics, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military or veteran status, or genetic information, or association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics, or any other basis protected by law or regulation, in its educational program(s) or employment.

Any person may report discrimination, including sex discrimination, sexual harassment, or discrimination on the basis of a physical or mental disability (whether or not the reporting person is alleged to be the victim of the discriminatory conduct) in person, by mail, by telephone, or by email, using the contact information for the District's Title IX Coordinator.

District Title IX Coordinator:

Eva Kellogg

Office of Equity

555 Franklin Street, 3rd Floor

San Francisco, CA, 94102

415-355-7334 or [e-mail]

For more information and the District's nondiscrimination policy, please review Board Policy 4030. For more information about the District's Sexual Harassment policy, please review Board Policy 4034.