Assistant Director of Technology bei The Cottonwood School

Description

 The Cottonwood School offers dynamic homeschooling pathways for TK-12: a uniquely personalized, whole-learner approach that nurtures academic, social, and emotional achievement. The Cottonwood school is a tuition-free, public charter school serving transitional kindergarten through 12th-grade students in Alpine, Amador, El Dorado, Placer, and Sacramento Counties. We take an integrative approach that education is more than academic learning. We understand that a rich education includes social and emotional development as well as a strong academic foundation. 

Our Homestudy Pathway fosters holistic learning through the many activities and events we offer each month—field trips, workshops, hands-on, experiential activities.

Our Cottonwood College Prep Academy is a hybrid on-site High School Pathway that offers Montessori-inspired project-based learning that encourages collaboration and creativity.

At The Cottonwood School, we envision a world where students flourish, communities thrive, and staff are fulfilled. 

Application Deadline: Until Filed

Start Date: December 1, 2025

Vacancies: 1

Employment Type: Full-time

Direct Supervisor: Director of Technology

Salary Schedule: Schedule F2 Assistant Director 

Work Calendar: 260

Classification: Classified

FLSA Status: Exempt

Supervises: Data & Systems Specialist

Location: This position is eligible for telecommuting up to 5 days per week, with in-person

presence required as needed to fulfill the position's duties and responsibilities.

Position Summary

Under the direction of the Director of Technology, the Assistant Director of Technology is responsible for designing, implementing, governing, and managing the ongoing operations of all cloud-based integrations that support the district’s instructional, administrative, and operational goals. This includes ownership of all APIs, ETL/iPaaS platforms, integration standards, change

control, and the district’s integrations catalog. The role ensures secure, reliable, and efficient data flow across the district’s cloud systems (e.g., SIS, Google Workspace, purchasing/finance systems, assessment and learning applications, and other educational APIs). The Assistant Director will coordinate and manage department staff, including recruitment, training, scheduling, performance evaluations, and employment actions, under the direction of the Director.

Required Qualifications

•  Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Software Engineering, or related field.
•  Minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in systems integration, API management, or ETL/iPaaS environments.
•  Must live in Northern California and be able to commute to El Dorado Hills and the surrounding counties.

Preferred Qualifications

•  Master’s Degree in Information Systems, Data Engineering, or related discipline.
•  Experience in a K-12 or charter school environment.
•  Experience in managing integrations across cloud-based systems (Google Workspace, SIS, ERP/purchasing, or other education-related platforms).

Employment Requirements

• Background Clearance
• Tuberculosis Clearance
• I-9 Verification

Duties and Responsibilities

Supervisor

•  May hire and train new staff or assist the Director with this process.
•  Coordinate and oversee the day-to-day workflow of subordinate staff in the department. E
•  Organize and oversee the schedules, timesheets, and work of employees as assigned by the Director. E
•  Conduct or assist with performance evaluations of employees as assigned by the Director. E
•  May assist the Director with employment actions, including discipline and termination of employees in accordance with TCS policy.

Technology

•  Own and maintain the district’s integration catalog: document APIs, endpoints, schemas, data flows, and versioning. E
•  Design, implement, and monitor ETL/iPaaS integrations between SIS, Google Workspace, purchasing/finance systems, assessment tools, and other cloud services. E
•  Develop and enforce API governance standards, including authentication, authorization, version control, and monitoring. E
•  Lead change control processes for integrations: regression testing, rollback planning,
• and documentation. E
•  Collaborate with School Leaders across Instruction, Business, Community, SIS/Enrollment, Human Resources, and Compliance teams to gather requirements and deliver integration solutions. E
•  Ensure compliance and security of all data transfers, including FERPA, CIPA, and state privacy regulations. E
• ?Provide outside vendor communication/oversight for integration projects, ensuring SLA compliance, testing, and long-term maintainability.
•  Support disaster recovery/business continuity planning for all integrations.
•  Monitor and troubleshoot integration pipelines, including performance tuning, error handling, and root-cause analysis. E
• Provide training, documentation, and knowledge transfer to other technical staff.
•  Support technology planning and budgeting by advising on integration platforms, licensing, and future needs.
•  Stay current with emerging technologies and best practices for integrating them into K-12 education.
•  Offer input and feedback to leadership on systems and ways to improve data sharing, simplify processes, and identify cost savings across departments. E
• Other Duties
•  Respond to non-urgent communication within 24 school hours and urgent communication within two school hours. E
•  Attend all required virtual and in-person meetings/events as assigned. E
•  Resolve escalated employee, parent, and student issues in alignment with core values and ensure compliance with the school’s Uniform Complaint Policy, Technology Use Policy, and the provisions of California Penal Code Section 11166 (Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act). E
•  Perform other duties as assigned.

Required Skills/Abilities

Leadership & Management

•  Excellent managerial and supervisory skills; ability to lead, influence, and build consensus across departments.
•  Excellent time management, organizational, and project management skills with the ability to assign, delegate, prioritize, and manage multiple tasks under time constraints.

Technical Skills – Integrations & Infrastructure

•  Ability to develop API integrations, including writing and debugging code in common languages (e.g., Python, JavaScript, SQL, Node.js), with examples from prior work, repositories, or integration projects.
•  Experience managing integration infrastructure, including version control (GitHub/GitLab), cloud environments (Azure, AWS, Google Cloud), and server configurations, with examples of past deployments or system administration work.
• Experience leveraging integration platforms (e.g., Boomi, Workato, MuleSoft, Informatica Cloud) as part of an enterprise integration strategy, ensuring scalability, monitoring, and maintainability.
• Experience developing, defining, and maintaining integration/API catalogs, standards, and governance processes.
• Strong experience with cloud APIs, RESTful web services, ETL/ELT processes, and authentication standards (OAuth, SAML, etc.).
• Ability to design, document, and manage complex data workflows.

Compliance & Reporting

• Knowledge of FERPA, CIPA, and other privacy/security requirements.
• Familiarity with state/federal reporting requirements and integration with CALPADS or equivalent.

Communication & Professionalism

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to translate technical concepts for non-technical stakeholders and work effectively with diverse stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ethical behavior, confidentiality, professionalism, integrity, and dependability.
• Ability to be flexible in an environment with evolving tasks and requirements. 

Operational Skills

•  Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint), Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, Forms, Drive), and virtual meeting platforms (Zoom, Google Chat, etc.).
• Proficiency in operating standard office equipment and maintaining accurate records.
• Maintain consistent, punctual, and regular attendance.

Work Environment

The conditions herein are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions. These physical standards are generic, and tasks may vary depending on the school site or specialized site assignment. The information contained in this physical standards description is for compliance with the Americans with Disability Act and is not an exhaustive list of duties performed. The individuals currently holding this position perform additional duties and additional duties as assigned.

Physical Demands

• Continuously - Sufficient strength, stamina (including physical, mental, and emotional), physical ability, and mobility to visually observe and assist students.
•  Continuously - Sit or stand for extended periods.
• Occasionally - Bend at the waist, kneel, stoop, squat, reach, and crouch.
• Seldom - Work variable hours
• Seldom - Lift, push, and/or pull objects weighing approximately 20 pounds.
• Occasionally - Ability to reach in all directions, including overhead and horizontally.
• Continuously - Dexterity of hands and fingers to operate equipment, including computer keyboard/mouse, and standard office equipment necessary to perform job functions. 
• Continuously - Communicate effectively with students, staff, parents, and community members.
• Continuously comply with timelines and deadlines despite frequent interruptions.
• Seldom - Travel for department meetings and school training/in-service meetings.
• Continuously - See to operate equipment, read and understand written material, and ability to detect information displayed on a computer screen.
• Seldom - Restrain students when necessary.

Physical Demands Frequency Definitions Based on an 8-hour day:

• Never = 0%
• Seldom = 1 - 10% (less than 45 minutes)
• Occasionally = 11 - 33% (up to 3.0 hours)
• Frequently = 34 - 66% (up to 6 hours)
• Continuously = 67 - 100% (more than 6 hours)

Work Environment

The conditions herein are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions. These physical standards are generic, and tasks may vary depending on the school site or specialized site assignment. The information contained in this physical standards description is for compliance with the Americans with Disability Act and is not an exhaustive list of duties performed. The individuals currently holding this position perform additional duties and additional duties as assigned.

Physical Demands

• Continuously - Sufficient strength, stamina (including physical, mental, and emotional), physical ability, and mobility to visually observe and assist students.
• Continuously - Sit or stand for extended periods.
• Occasionally - Bend at the waist, kneel, stoop, squat, reach, and crouch.
• Seldom - Work variable hours
• Seldom - Lift, push, and/or pull objects weighing approximately 20 pounds.
• Occasionally - Ability to reach in all directions, including overhead and horizontally.
• Continuously - Dexterity of hands and fingers to operate equipment, including computer keyboard/mouse, and standard office equipment necessary to perform job functions.
• Continuously - Communicate effectively with students, staff, parents, and community members.
• Continuously comply with timelines and deadlines despite frequent interruptions.
• Seldom - Travel for department meetings and school training/in-service meetings.
• Continuously - See to operate equipment, read and understand written material, and ability to detect information displayed on a computer screen.
• Seldom - Restrain students when necessary.

Physical Demands Frequency Definitions Based on an 8-hour day:

•  Never = 0%
•  Seldom = 1 - 10% (less than 45 minutes)
•  Occasionally = 11 - 33% (up to 3.0 hours)
•  Frequently = 34 - 66% (up to 6 hours)
•  Continuously = 67 - 100% (more than 6 hours)

Environment including Hazardous Conditions

This position may include indoor offices/classrooms and outdoor work (including eating and common area(s), auditorium, playground(s), restroom(s), stairs if applicable, and parking lot(s)) with the following possible exposures: dust; wind; sun; insects; bloodborne pathogens and biohazardous waste; variances in weather conditions (snow, rain, sleet, etc.); noise which can

range from quiet to loud; fast-paced work environment with possible stressful situations and need to multitask; traffic congestion; playground projectiles such as baseballs, footballs, basketballs, etc.; intervening physically to stop conflicts between angry or emotionally upset students; and, dealing with students, parents, employees and the general public who may exhibit unpredictable or anti-social behavior.

Employees in this position may have a higher level of exposure to illness or infection from students. May be exposed to students who may ask inappropriate personal questions, display socially unacceptable behavior, display physically aggressive behavior, and insult your personal characteristics, including appearance, age, sex, and race. There is also frequent contact with staff and the public

Right to Revise

This job description is not meant to be all-inclusive, and the School reserves the right to revise this job description as necessary without advance notice. The statements herein are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees and are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified. Furthermore, they do not establish a formal contract for employment and are subject to change at the employer's discretion without notice.

E = Essential Job Functions

Compensation & Benefits

In addition to competitive salaries, The Cottonwood School offers eligible full-time employees a comprehensive benefits package that can include: Medical, Dental, Vision coverage, Life & Disability insurnace, 403(b) and 457(b) plans(with matching available for certain classifications), an Employee Assistance Program, Flexible Spending accounts for Health care and dependent care, Paid Time Off and sick leave benefits (for certain classifications and eligible staff), pet insurance, and more!

Requirements

 Required Qualifications

? Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Software Engineering, or related field.

? Minimum of five (5) years of progressively responsible experience in systems integration, API management, or ETL/iPaaS environments.

? Must live in Northern California and be able to commute to El Dorado Hills and the surrounding counties.

Preferred Qualifications

? Master’s Degree in Information Systems, Data Engineering, or related discipline.

? Experience in a K-12 or charter school environment.

? Experience in managing integrations across cloud-based systems (Google Workspace, SIS, ERP/purchasing, or other education-related platforms).

Employment Requirements

? Background Clearance

? Tuberculosis Clearance

? I-9 Verification