About Communities Foundation of Texas  

The mission of Communities Foundation of Texas (CFT) is to improve the lives of all people in our community by investing in their health, wealth, living, and learning. CFT works to accomplish this by growing community giving, expanding community impact, and advancing community equity. With a vision of building thriving communities for all, CFT works locally and across the state with many individuals, families, companies, foundations, and nonprofits through a variety of charitable funds and strategic grantmaking initiatives. CFT professionally manages more than 1,300 charitable funds and has awarded more than $2.5 billion in grants since its founding in 1953. 

CFT is committed to serving and understanding donor needs, expertly handling complex gifts, wisely managing charitable funds, and leveraging its community knowledge to increase charitable impact, in addition to powering several initiatives including the W. W. Caruth, Jr. Fund at CFT, the Center for Business Impact, Educate Texas at CFT, Emerging Leaders in Philanthropy at CFT, GiveWisely, and CFT’s North Texas Giving Day. CFT’s North Texas Giving Day raised $64 million on a single day in 2023 to help over 3,250 North Texas nonprofits. Learn more at CFTexas.org.   

Summary

The Chief Information Officer (CIO) leads CFT’s ongoing commitment to support and promote the strategic use of information technology to advance the overall missions of the organization. Reporting to the CEO, the CIO develops, plans, implements, and manages an information technology (“IT”) strategy that meets the foundation’s needs, delivers optimal return on investment, and maintains utmost security. This includes networking and infrastructure, operational technology, core application technology, cybersecurity, and end-user support. The successful candidate will anticipate future technology needs, recommending priorities, strategic investments, and considerations to CFT leadership and the Board of Directors.

Key Responsibilities

Manage Applications Portfolio Strategy

Establishes standards, and ensures application performance at or above expectations
Effectively manages the integration of software and systems in support of achieving organizational objectives
Ensure the cost-effective and timely management of enterprise resource planning (“ERP”) and customer relationship management (“CRM”) applications.
Driving a culture of continuous improvement, leveraging partners and external best practices to optimize internal system functionality
Demonstrated ability using a life cycle management process for implementation of changes in technology

Evaluate & Manage Systems Risk and Cyber Security

Develops and executes a comprehensive cyber security strategy
Stay abreast of emerging threats, proactively identifies areas of associated risk, and works with managed services providers to mitigate them

Ensure that existing controls remain effective

Build Strong Customer Relationships

Meet regularly with senior executives and their teams to assess IT performance and identify opportunities to improve service
Strong customer orientation, understanding the broad range of technology stakeholders and it’s impact on their success
Champion projects along with senior executives in their role as Executive Sponsor(s)
Deliver projects that meet organizational objectives
Suggest ways for business to get more from our technology investment

Leadership

Effectively lead a small team of internal IT staff along with outside integrators and consultants
Apply sound financial practices to guide decision-making
Drives a Governance Process that is sized correctly for CFT
Partners with internal stakeholders in delivering projects that meet expectations for quality and value and in alignment with organizational goals
Direct the effective delivery of networks, development, and disaster recovery systems and processes
Hire, train, develop, motivate, and manage performance of IT staff
Develop and maintain effective relationships with peers, staff, and external vendors
Develop strategic IT roadmaps and plans
Prepare IT financial operating and capital budgets
Employes an “outside-in approach,” researching and identifying new market opportunities in improving IT processes

Qualifications / Skills / Requirements

Bachelor's degree in business administration, computer science, IT, or related area
15 or more years of relevant experience required
Experience as a technology executive, withdemonstrated success in managing IT system functionality within varying business environments required
Salesforce and NetSuite platform-based leadership needed
Previous experience at the CIO-level is preferred, but not
Proven proficiency to lead via influence and effectively facilitate change
Proven ability to effectively manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines
Demonstrated ability to relate to all levels of the user community and executive management, operate as a team player, set and manage priorities, translate complex technical issues into common language, sell solutions and gain alignment, link and apply technologies to business strategies, and lead projects to success.
Effectively model and demonstrate CFT’s leadership competencies which include Leadership, People Management, Developing and Retaining Talent, and Team Building.

Disclaimer: The above sections contain representative examples of job duties that might be performed by employees assigned to this classification. CFT is a dynamic organization, and the environment can be fluid. Roles and responsibilities may be altered to accommodate changing conditions and objectives as well as to tap into the skills and experience of its employees.Accordingly, employees may be asked to perform duties that are outside the specific work that is listed. This is not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and/or skills required of all employees within this class.

Accommodations: Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position

Communities Foundation of Texas jobs

Chief Information Officer