Fast Facts

Join Understood as the Vice President of Engineering, where you will lead technological advancements to support individuals who learn and think differently, contributing to a mission-driven culture focused on innovation and personal empowerment.

Responsibilities: You will shape overall technology strategy, foster a culture of innovation, manage diverse teams, ensure compliance, and represent Understood externally while driving technology projects forward.

Skills: Candidates must possess 15+ years of software engineering experience, with extensive leadership expertise, strong strategic thinking, and practical knowledge in AI/ML technologies, cloud infrastructure, and compliance frameworks.

Qualifications: Successful applicants should have a proven track record of scaling tech products, strong communication abilities, collaborative leadership skills, and a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Location: This hybrid role requires at least three in-office days per week in New York, NY.

Compensation: $300000 - $330000 / Annually

About Understood 

Understood is a nonprofit focused on shaping the world for difference. We raise awareness of the challenges and strengths of people who learn and think differently. Our resources help people navigate challenges, gain confidence, and find support and community so they can thrive. 

Having a shared commitment to our values is a key factor in any hire we make. We have five core values: 

1. Continuously learn.
2. Act with intention.
3. Champion difference.
4. Inspire change.
5. Grow together. 

Come be part of an organization with an entrepreneurial spirit that’s helping to shape the world for difference. Together, we can build a world where everyone can reach their full potential. 

To learn more about Understood, please visit: www.understood.org.

Who you are 

To advance Understood’s mission and to further our impact, we’re hiring a VP of Technology, reporting to our Co-President/CTO. You are a visionary and transformative technology leader, passionate about shaping a world that embraces difference. Serving as a key member of the Leadership Team, you are driven to leverage technology to create deeply personalized and impactful experiences that empower people who learn and think differently. You are an innovative, inventive, and fearless critical thinker, ready to guide Understood to new horizons in the behavior change domain by 2030.

Your track record shows you can inspire and scale multidisciplinary teams spanning front-end, back-end, mobile, platform, IT, security, compliance, and applied AI to deliver remarkable outcomes while cultivating a culture where everyone thrives.

This is a hybrid role that requires a minimum of three (3) days a week in our NYC office, with a focus on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday.

What you’ll do

• Serve on the Leadership Team, shaping organization-wide strategy, priorities, and decision-making
• Co-create and champion a 5-year vision to revolutionize our products and user experiences
• Serve as a key technical voice for the organization, effectively communicating technical strategy, opportunities, and risks to executive and non-technical stakeholders.
• Ensure world-class security, privacy, ethics, and compliance; own incident response and risk mitigation
• Represent Understood externally through thought leadership, speaking, and partnerships
• Partner with Product, Research, and executive stakeholders to translate strategic objectives into an actionable, data-informed technology roadmap
• Champion a culture of rapid innovation, continuous learning, psychological safety, and data-driven decision-making
• Drive excellence through SLOs (Service Level Objectives), SLIs (Service Level Indicators), metrics, automation, and continuous delivery
• Recruit, grow, and retain a diverse and mission-aligned team across web, mobile, platform, IT, security, and AI
• Manage the technology budget, vendor relationships, and build-versus-buy decisions

Must-haves 

• 15+ years of progressive experience in software engineering, with at least 7+ years in senior leadership roles (e.g., Director, Senior Director, or VP of Engineering)
• Proven experience in taking products from concept to significant scale (zero to one and beyond)
• Demonstrated success in architecting, building, and scaling complex, personalized user experiences, ideally within behavioral health, education, or related domains
• Deep understanding and practical application of AI/Machine Learning (ML) technologies and data science concepts to enhance product capabilities and user engagement
• Strong strategic thinking and communication skills, with the ability to translate business needs into technical realities and vice versa
• Entrepreneurial mindset with a proven ability to thrive in ambiguity and rapid change
• Deep expertise in cloud infrastructure, DevSecOps, data privacy and compliance frameworks such as SOC 2, HIPAA, etc.
• Ego-free, highly collaborative leadership style, comfortable acting as both a coach and a player when needed
• Committed to embodying and being a steward of our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging

The base salary range for this role is minimum $300,000-$330,000 maximum, depending on years of experience and qualifications. We offer a comprehensive benefits package that supports wellness for our team members and their families. You can learn more about our benefits and offerings.

Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion

Understood encourages individuals of all learning styles and ethnic, racial, and socioeconomic backgrounds, including those whose life experiences may include the challenge of access due to a disability, to apply for this position. We are committed to maximizing the diversity of our organization, as we want to engage all those who can contribute to supporting this work.

Understood is an equal opportunity employer and considers all applications without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, alienage or citizenship status, marital or familial status, domestic partnership status, caregiver status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, change of sex or transgender status, genetic information, medical condition, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, physical or mental disability (where the applicant or employee is qualified to perform the essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodation), any protected military or veteran status, or status as a victim of domestic or dating violence, sexual assault or offense, stalking, or any other characteristics protected by federal, state, or local law or that of persons with whom that individual associates, or any other legally protected characteristics.

For additional information on learning and thinking differences, including ADD/ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, dyspraxia, executive function challenges, nonverbal learning disabilities, processing issues, and more, please visit www.understood.org.

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