Job Description

Technical Product Owner (Director-level)

About the Role:

TPZ is seeking a mission-driven Technical Product Owner to partner with TPZ's Chief Research & Evaluation Officer (CREO) to drive vision, strategy, and day-to-day management of our custom-built Knowledge Management (KM) platform, along with the external partner that supports development and maintenance of this system. Reporting to the CREO, the Technical Product Owner will be the primary bridge between our non-technical program and business teams, our Research & Evaluation team (R&E), and our external KM technology partner. This KM platform is the central nervous system of our organization, managing everything from student enrollment and attendance to stipend payments and program data. This role will also work closely with TPZ's Operations team and likely be an active member in our Ops Community of Practice.
Our organization is at a pivotal moment, transitioning from an in-house development team to a strategic external partnership. This is a unique opportunity for a systems-level thinker who loves to translate human-centered problems into technical solutions. If you are passionate about building tools that empower users and thrive on bringing order to complex systems, this role is for you.

This is a hybrid role based in our Boston Innovation Center, with the expectation of working 3 days per week in the office.

Responsibilities:

Vendor & Product Management:

Serve as the primary relationship owner for our external technology partner. Act as the internal "Product Owner," owning the KM platform's vision, roadmap, and feature backlog. Gather, document, and prioritize business requirements (user stories) from all internal stakeholders (Program, R&E, Leadership). Translate program and business needs into clear, actionable technical specifications for the external development team. Manage the product backlog, lead sprint planning, and conduct User Acceptance Testing on all new features and bug fixes.

Systems Operations & Triage:

Ensure the operational reliability and integrity of core, time-sensitive data processes, including student stipend and attendance data pipelines. Serve as the internal first line of defense for troubleshooting and data requests; triage all bug reports, user-facing issues, and typical data requests, resolving what you can and escalating to our external KM partner when necessary. Communicate all system downtimes, updates, and new feature rollouts to the organization.

Stakeholder & Data Partnership:

Partner with our Data Scientist and VP of Research & Evaluation to ensure the KM platform effectively supports their data analysis and reporting needs. Act as the key translator and liaison between all departments, ensuring technical decisions are aligned with programmatic goals and organizational strategy. Oversee data governance, working with the R&E team to ensure data accuracy, integrity, and security across the platform and its integrations (e.g., Salesforce).

Strategic Vision:

Develop a deep understanding of our users' (staff and students) needs and identify opportunities for system improvements. Maintain a long-term strategic roadmap for the KM platform, ensuring it can scale with our organization.

Qualifications:

As a Director-level role, candidates are expected to bring about a decade of work experience, including at least three years of experience in technical product management or as a senior business analyst.

An Experienced Technical Translator: You are adept at managing complex, custom-built software products, and can skillfully translate between non-technical users and technology experts. A Strong Prioritizer: You are comfortable, calm, and data-driven in the face of competing demands. You can confidently push back and explain why to stakeholders at all levels. Data-Savvy: You understand data-intensive systems. You are comfortable talking about data pipelines, APIs, and databases, and you understand what it takes to ensure data integrity. A Skilled Vendor Manager: You have experience managing external software vendors, development teams, or technology partners. You know how to hold a partner accountable while building a collaborative relationship. A "High-Empathy" Technical Thinker: You excel at sitting with non-technical users to understand their "pain" and can translate that qualitative need into a crystal-clear technical user story for a developer. Process-Oriented: You have a strong understanding of the software development lifecycle (Agile, Scrum). Mission-Driven: You bring a passion for TPZ's mission and values, and commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Additional Qualifications: + Experience in the nonprofit, education, or youth-development sectors is strongly preferred.
+ While you are not a developer, familiarity with technologies in our stack (Ruby on Rails, React, AWS, R, MySQL) is a major plus.

Pay & Benefits:

TPZ offers performance-based compensation with merit and bonus potential. Our Compensation philosophy is designed with checks and balances to ensure pay equity and to fairly recognize and reward employees' contributions.
TPZ provides full-time employees with a comprehensive benefits package, including, but not limited to: Company-subsidized Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance (80% of the individual premium is paid by TPZ) Professional Development opportunities, including the use of state of the art STEAM Makerspace/FabLab Basic Life insurance, Short-Term Disability, and Long-Term Disability at no cost to the employee Mental Health and Wellness resources through partnerships with Calm and Wellable Commuting stipend for walking, biking, transit, or gas Retirement plan with employer contributions Up to 25 days of paid time off per year Approx. 20 paid holidays per year Paid parental leave

About the Organization

Imagine a world where every young person has the opportunity to design their future, launch their own ventures, and develop the skills to succeed in any career path. At The Possible Zone (TPZ), we're on a mission to make this vision a reality by advancing economic equity and empowering youth.
Based in Boston, TPZ is a nonprofit offering a multi-year, project-based entrepreneurship program for high school students. We combine STEAM education, hands-on work experience, and individualized career advising to help young people develop entrepreneurial mindsets and technical skills. Together, we're shaping the next generation of leaders and change-makers.

DEI Statement
We believe every member of our team and student body deserves opportunities for growth, success and inclusion. We recognize that for many of our students, staff and communities, their life journeys run through oppressive structures and systems (e.g. classism, racism, sexism) -- and that's what makes our organizational culture and work so necessary and important. We believe that diversity in perspective, backgrounds, ethnicities and lived experience is a strength, and from that strength, we can accomplish great things with the students we serve.
Together as students, staff, organizations, communities, volunteers, and partners, we are intentional about creating safe spaces where all members can speak authentically and be themselves.
We are committed to Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity. As members of The Possible Zone community, our progression along this ongoing journey raises thoughtful questions, reveals biases, and opens conversations. We celebrate one another and are unified in our commitment to young people, excellence, and innovation. This work is our shared responsibility and our opportunity to welcome all members who share in our mission and strive to provide pathways that further prepare students in achieving their desired success.