Search Success: Rob Jacobs Joins Sandy Hook Promise as Vice President of Technology!

Sandy Hook Promise and Pillar Search & HR Consulting are proud to announce the appointment of Rob Jacobs to the position of Vice President of Technology. Rob joined the organization on January 30, 2023.

As Vice President of Technology, Rob will lead technology strategy, objectives goals vision, priorities, and technology decisions. He will define and bring to life the best technology solutions that meet the needs of the organization today and establish the right foundation for future growth and ability to scale, while also leading a team of IT professionals, building on a best-in-class culture with big-picture thinking that is adaptable and able to respond to the needs and goals of the organization effectively and efficiently. Rob will develop, implement, and evaluate technology projects and new processes and systems in line with organizational objectives, and build Project Management expertise to manage these initiatives.

Most recently, Rob was Director of IT with the Indiana Economic Development Corporation. Prior, he was the Chief Information Officer of the Capital Good Fund. Earlier in his career, he was the Chief Information Officer of Kappa Alpha Theta and Senior Director of IT with Herff Jones, as well as a consultant with The Integrity Practice.

Rob earned his master’s degree in organizational management & development from the Fielding Graduate School and his bachelor’s degree in computer science from Morehouse College.

About Sandy Hook Promise: Sandy Hook Promise is a national nonprofit organization with a mission to end school shootings and create a culture change that prevents violence and other harmful acts that hurt children. Through its lifesaving, evidence informed Know the Signs prevention programs, Sandy Hook Promise educates and empowers youth and adults to recognize, intervene, and get help for individuals who may be socially isolated and/or at risk of hurting themselves or others. Sandy Hook Promise is a moderate, bipartisan organization that supports sensible policy solutions that address the human side of gun violence and make schools safer. Sandy Hook Promise is led by several family members whose loved ones were killed in the tragic mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012. For more information about Sandy Hook Promise, please visit https://www.sandyhookpromise.org.

About Pillar Search & HR Consulting: A woman-owned business based in Boston, Pillar Search & HR Consulting provides executive search/recruiting and human resources consulting expertise to nonprofit and mission-driven organizations, working with senior leaders and the boards of directors to hire and develop the very best talent across all functional areas of the organization. For more information about Pillar, please visit www.pillarsearch.com.

New Search: Vice President of Technology with Sandy Hook Promise!

Pillar Search & HR Consulting is honored to partner with Sandy Hook Promise on the search for their new Vice President of Technology. This is an ideal role for a mission-driven senior technology professional who is strategic, able to identify technology solutions that solve the current and future needs of an organization, and has experience managing high-performing teams. This position is remote within the U.S.

About Sandy Hook Promise

Sandy Hook Promise (SHP) is a national nonprofit organization with a mission to end school shootings and create a culture change that prevents violence and other harmful acts that hurt children. Through its lifesaving, evidence informed Know the Signs prevention programs, SHP educates and empowers youth and adults to recognize, intervene, and get help for individuals who may be socially isolated and/or at risk of hurting themselves or others. SHP is a moderate, bipartisan organization that supports sensible policy solutions that address the human side of gun violence and make schools safer.

SHP is led by several family members whose loved ones were killed in the tragic mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012.

Commitment to Racial Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

SHP strives to ensure its culture and work environment reflect the values of race, diversity, equity, and inclusion (REDI) and is responsive to the views and issues of the diverse communities with which they live and work. SHP encourages individuals who have demonstrated a commitment to equity and inclusion to apply.

Position Summary

The VP of Technology will set the strategic and operational foundation for growth and scale of all relevant IT infrastructure.  The success of this position will depend heavily on the ability to visualize process and provide intuitive user interfaces to systems involved. This position requires a strategic thinker with experience in systems implementation and administration, ability to build and coach a team, Salesforce administration, and an ability to seek out and incorporate best IT practices.  The VP of Technology will own all aspects of data collection and storage, ensuring accuracy of inputs and clear reporting outputs from which organizational strategy can be planned and operational efficiency can be monitored and improved. This position will report to the Chief Operating Officer.

Job Responsibilities  

  • The VP of Technology will be responsible for technology thought leadership, which will include strategy, objectives, goals, vision, priorities, and technology decisions
  • Define and bring to life the best technology solutions that meet the needs of the organization today and establish the right foundation for future growth and ability to scale.
  • Lead a team of direct and indirect reports, building on a best-in-class culture with big-picture thinking that is adaptable and able to effectively and efficiently respond to the needs and goals of the organization
  • Develop, implement, and evaluate technology projects and new processes and systems in line with organizational objectives, and build Project Management expertise to manage these initiatives.
  • Streamline existing processes and technologies and spearhead the creation of automated tools designed to reduce bottlenecks and relieve pain points.
  • Owns data collection and reporting process; uses data to drive decision-making.
  • Collaborate with all departments, determining and addressing their technology needs and requirements, including those of a distributed workforce.
  • Direct the effective development and delivery of networks, understanding the obstacles inherent in using systems while in the field.
  • Oversight of all vendor platforms including our Anonymous Reporting System and Learning Management System
  • Identify and eliminate vulnerabilities with strategic solutions that increase data security for SHP and all relevant technology partners.
  • Prepares tech progress and budget reports for upper management.
  • Builds and maintains relationships with outside vendors.
  • Development and ownership of IT policies, including business continuity and IT security, and adherence to those policies.
  • Performs other duties as required.

Qualifications  

  • Experience building systems to scale with a growing organization, ideally with an organization that, like Sandy Hook Promise, has a team and constituents who are geographically dispersed across the U.S.
  • Track record of managing a complex digital ecosystem; shows deep knowledge of the interconnectivity across all technology needs and how to leverage those connections for the greatest effectiveness and efficiency
  • Proven experience leading and managing high-performance teams, as well as managing teams remotely
  • Ability to envision a solution, communicate that vision clearly to others, and effectively plan and execute to bring that vision to life.
  • Experience with process automation.
  • Must have discretion and ability to handle confidential information.
  • Collaborative team-player with strong interpersonal skills and ability to independently gather, interpret, and analyze information.
  • Strong coaching and engagement skills.
  • Experience with change management within a complex organization
  • Salesforce Administrator experience strongly preferred.
  • Proficiency in data analysis and metrics.
  • Experience with Learning Management Systems.
  • Ability to project budget needs and manage vendor costs organization wide.
  • Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, with ability to communicate with both technical and non-technical colleagues.
  • Sandy Hook Promise is a Microsoft environment, and proficiency with Microsoft is essential (Office Suite and Microsoft Office 365, including Teams and SharePoint).

Benefits and Salary Range 

The starting salary for this position is $140K-$150K.

100% remote with occasional travel for meetings.

SHP offers a very competitive benefits package, including:

  • Generous paid time off and holidays, including unlimited vacation
  • Paid parental leave
  • Health, dental, and vision
  • Employer paid life insurance and short- and long-term disability
  • 401k match
  • Employer Paid Employee Assistance Program.

Sandy Hook Promise operates within a distributed workforce, allowing for location flexibility across the country for most positions. They provide remote office support for all staff, which includes a laptop, home office reimbursement, and monthly cell phone reimbursement up to $50.

Equal Opportunity Employment 

SHP is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. They strive to be an employer of choice: where a diverse mix of talented people want to come and do their best work. All applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status, or any other protected characteristic. They are focused on promoting diversity, multiculturalism, and inclusion and believe deeply in having a workforce comprised of people of all beliefs and backgrounds who seek to prevent gun violence and stop the tragic loss of life. Members of all under-represented groups are encouraged to apply.

Note

The selected candidate will be required to provide professional references and pass a background check.

To Apply

Sandy Hook Promise has partnered with Cindy Joyce of Pillar Search & HR Consulting on the search for their new VP of Technology. Please submit your cover letter and resume to Cindy at cindy@pillarsearch.com.