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PDK International

Manager of Business Systems and IT Operations

Remote•United States•Full-time
$80,000 - $90,000 annually
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About the Job

About Educators Rising

Educators Rising is a national movement helping young people discover, explore, and step into the future of education. Through a network of more than 21,000 student members across 50 states, we create exceptional experiences that give young people a place to belong, opportunities to lead, and real experiences that help them discover what they are capable of and who they are becoming. Teaching is our entry point, but the experience is bigger than preparing for a single career. Through chapters, coursework, competitions, conferences, leadership, and authentic practice, students build skills, belonging, agency, leadership, and professional identity while discovering the many ways they can shape the future of education.

Summary

The Manager of Business Systems and IT Operations will own our organization’s technology ecosystem, balancing strategic process engineering, efficiency optimization, and hands-on infrastructure management. Across all initiatives, the core objective of this role is to increase efficiency, compatibility, and fluency across our platforms—ensuring that true success is measured across multiple user experiences, both internal and external.

This role is tasked with auditing, redesigning, and streamlining our core business systems—including our Association Management System (AMS), Customer Relationship Management (CRM) database, Content Management System (CMS), Learning Management System (LMS), workflow tools, and project management applications—to drive operational efficiencies, increase organizational capacity, and improve the experience of both staff and members.

A critical near-term priority is pioneering support deflection initiatives, ranging from modernizing our phone tree/Interactive Voice Response (IVR) routing to implementing Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven email and call response solutions to significantly reduce inbound support volume. Bringing a strong "AI-as-a-tool" mindset, this role leverages automation and emerging AI technologies to enhance internal productivity and workflows. This position combines financial analysis, vendor management, and platform strategy with day-to-day IT administration.

This is a 100% remote position. A laptop will be provided to you during onboarding. You are expected to be online during our business hours that align with the Eastern Time Zone. This role reports to the Chief Business and Operations Officer.

Core Responsibilities and Measures of Success

1. Systems Architecture, Integration & Data Strategy

Owns the auditing, restructuring, and bi-directional API synchronization of core enterprise databases (AMS, CRM, and LMS) and productivity infrastructure.

Core Responsibilities:
  • Lead the comprehensive audit of our current AMS implementation and partner with leadership to evaluate whether to completely re-implement our current system via certified partners or migrate to an alternative cloud AMS platform.
  • Coordinate platform transitions, including requirements gathering, data mapping, migration planning, testing, validation, and implementation.
  • Audit and optimize data flows between our CRM database, CMS, LMS, workflow tools (for awards, abstracts, and grants), project management software, and core financial or membership databases, ensuring robust bi-directional Application Programming Interface (API) synchronization and data integrity.
  • Lead the technical execution and change management for our core productivity and collaboration infrastructure—administering Microsoft 365 (M365; including SharePoint management and Power Platform automation workflows) or Google Workspace environments, ensuring seamless Outlook compatibility and optimizing collaboration tools (Teams vs. Slack).

Measures of Success:
  • Core database systems and ecosystem integrations maintain high data integrity, reliable bi-directional API synchronization, and clear roadmaps.
  • Platform evaluations and migrations (AMS and productivity suites) are delivered on time, within budget, and with minimal operational disruption.

2. Process Engineering, Efficiency & Change Management

Drives operational workflows and organizational productivity by applying rigorous process engineering and practical "AI-as-a-tool" automation.

Core Responsibilities:
  • Review existing business processes to apply rigorous process engineering, identifying operational bottlenecks, inefficiencies, duplicated efforts, manual tasks, and opportunities for measurable efficiency gains.
  • Partner with divisions and departments to understand and redesign workflows before automating them.
  • Leverage an "AI-as-a-tool" mindset to explore, test, and integrate AI applications, agents, and low-code/no-code tools that streamline internal processes, reduce manual work, and boost organizational productivity.
  • Collaborate with staff to translate business needs into effective systems, develop user guides and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and deliver training to support successful software and AI adoption.

Measures of Success:
  • Workflows are streamlined through process engineering and practical AI applications, eliminating manual bottlenecks and driving operational efficiency.
  • High staff adoption rates of new tools, databases, and AI-enabled workflows supported by thorough training and clear SOPs.

3. Support Deflection & Automation

Minimizes staff-handled inbound volume by modernizing IVR routing, phone trees, and deploying AI-driven self-service triage.

Core Responsibilities:
  • Analyze inbound support ticket, email, and phone call trends to identify high-volume, repetitive member friction points.
  • Modernize phone tree and IVR routing protocols to improve self-service options and initial caller triage.
  • Research, pilot, and deploy AI-driven customer service tools (smart triage, automated email response agents, voice/chat bots) and low-code/no-code workflow automations to radically reduce staff-handled support volume without sacrificing member satisfaction.

Measures of Success:
  • Measurable and sustained reduction in inbound support calls and manual email responses handled by staff.
  • Improved member experience including, but not limited to, positive member feedback (NetPromoter), self-service capabilities, and faster inquiry resolution times through modernized IVR and AI response solutions.

4. Financial Analysis, Procurement & Governance

Evaluates technology investments through cost-benefit analyses, maintenance estimates, and budgeting while managing software vendor RFPs and contracts.

Core Responsibilities:
  • Conduct cost-benefit analyses and estimate ongoing maintenance, upgrade, and support costs for tech stack updates and platform migrations.
  • Coordinate with software vendors, consultants, and technical partners to establish Request for Proposal (RFP) processes, project plans, timelines, deliverables, and implementation priorities.

Measures of Success:
  • Technology investments and vendor contracts are rigorously evaluated for cost-effectiveness and ongoing operational impact within established budget constraints.
  • Vendor relationships, implementations, and procurements are managed efficiently with clear deliverables and timelines.

5. Internal IT & Infrastructure Operations

Ensures secure, reliable daily IT operations by managing endpoint administration, Mobile Device Management (MDM) for PC and Mac, backups, disaster recovery, and cloud/local hosting.

Core Responsibilities:
  • Serve as the primary escalation point for internal IT operations, managing endpoint management and Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions for both PC and Mac environments.
  • Oversee backup systems, disaster recovery, cloud server environments, website hosting uptime, domain security, and user access/Identity and Access Management (IAM).

Measures of Success:
  • Smooth, secure day-to-day IT operations with minimal downtime, reliable backups, and rapid support response for internal staff.
  • Robust endpoint security, clean onboarding/offboarding workflows, and reliable cloud server and website hosting uptime.

How You Think and Lead

When you wake up, you think about how to scale our systems, make them more efficient, and imagine how to maximize our talent and programs. Driven by this innovative mindset and an inherent "AI-as-a-tool" approach, you focus on a singular, core mission: to increase efficiency, compatibility, and fluency across our platforms, recognizing that true success is measured across multiple user experiences—both internal and external. You bring a systematic perspective to bridging high-level enterprise architecture with hands-on technical execution. You are a strategic thinker who can evaluate multi-platform data migrations and financial models, yet readily roll up your sleeves to troubleshoot infrastructure or configure workflow automations. Ultimately, you thrive on connecting technical solutions with human workflows, empowering staff through effective training, and championing process engineering and intelligent automation to drive operational excellence across a mission-driven organization.

Experience and Qualifications

  • 4–6 years of progressive experience managing non-profit, membership, or school district/educational IT stacks, combining systems administration, data architecture, software implementation, process engineering, and operational efficiency improvement.
  • Demonstrated hands-on administrator experience managing major office productivity and collaboration suites (specifically Microsoft 365 administration—including SharePoint and Power Platform automation—or Google Workspace).
  • Proven background in endpoint management, Mobile Device Management (MDM) for PC and Mac platforms, system backups, disaster recovery, and cloud/local IT infrastructure.
  • Demonstrated experience configuring and managing Association Management Systems, Customer Relationship Management platforms, and Learning Management Systems. Prior experience with specific enterprise platforms—such as Impexium for AMS, HubSpot for CRM, and Slayte for workflow management—is highly preferable.
  • Strong familiarity with data mapping, database migrations, helpdesk ticketing automation, and practical AI-driven support deflection tools.
  • Proven ability to build financial models, evaluate software Total Cost of Ownership, manage vendor contracts, and translate technical options into executive-level decisions.
  • Exceptional cross-functional collaboration and training skills, capable of explaining technical concepts to nontechnical audiences, reporting directly to executive leadership, and providing empathetic, hands-on IT support to internal staff.
  • Associate or bachelor's degree in information systems, information technology, business systems, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.

Compensation

Salary range will be between $80,000 - $90,000, commensurate with experience, plus competitive benefits.

How to Apply

Your resume and cover letter will serve as your application. To be considered for this role, submit your resume, cover letter, and application to HR@educatorsrising.org with the subject line: Manager of Business Systems and IT Operations. Deviation from this subject line will cause a delay in the processing of your application. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
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