Director, Data Science & Analytics

DonorsChoose makes it easy for anyone to help a teacher in need, bringing us closer to a nation where students in every community have the tools and experiences necessary for a quality education. Since 2000, over 5 million individuals and partners have donated $1 billion to support 2 million teacher requests for classroom resources and experiences. These projects range from art supplies to build sets for school musicals, to books and puzzles that affirm students' identities, to bird seeds for a home science project. We proudly serve all US public schools, public charter schools, and Head Start centers, and we combat systemic inequity by directing a majority of donations to schools that have been historically underfunded due to economic and racial disparity. DonorsChoose has been recognized as a top place to work by GOOD Magazine and the Nonprofit Times. Fast Company named DonorsChoose one of the 50 Most Innovative Companies in the World—the first time a charity has made this list— and our dedicated team works across the United States to bring classroom dreams to life. About the Data Science & Analytics Team The Data team promotes DonorsChoose's data-driven philosophy and focus on equity using an analytics-centric data warehouse that serves as the single source of truth for all aspects of our operation. With this structured data, we use business analytics and data science to understand user behavior, construct machine learning products, and inform business strategy across Marketing, Operations, Fulfillment, and Product departments. We're also utilising cutting-edge AI technologies like large language models to further expand our operations and social impact. This Director role reports to our CTO and manages a team of Data Scientists, BI Analysts, Data Engineers, and Analytics Engineers. Our Data team oversees our data stack, centered around a Redshift-based warehouse that contains transactional, event, customer service, and CRM data. We use Fivetran to ingest data and dbt to transform it. Our staff accesses this data through Looker, which includes classroom requests from 845,000 teachers for 20 million resources, funded by nearly 6 million donors. About the Role In this role, you will: 1. Manage a team of five, providing them with leadership, technical guidance, mentorship, and opportunities for professional growth. 2. Determine the strategic direction and priorities for our data analytics, which includes modeling, engineering, analysis, and AI/ML initiatives. 3. Collaborate with various teams to understand business requirements, oversee complex cross-team projects, and facilitate data solutions to inform decisions across Marketing, Operations, and Product departments. 4. Push innovation in AI and data science to amplify our social impact and enhance our data-driven capabilities. Stay updated with developments in the field, and identify opportunities for improvement. 5. Promote data literacy across the organization, with an emphasis on racial equity analyses and strategies. 6. Share our work and learn from others, including the "Data for Good" community and external researchers. Compensation and Benefits Our compensation is competitive with tech-forward nonprofits of similar size and internally equitable in our pay practices. The salary for this role is between $153,000 and $172,000. For specific higher cost-of-living locations like New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Boston, and Washington, D.C., the hiring salary range is $170,000-$191,000. All employees at DonorsChoose are eligible for annual performance-based raises. We also offer 25 paid vacation days per year, 11 paid holidays, a comprehensive employer-paid health plan, a matching 401(k) plan, annual professional development stipend, and a casual and flexible work environment. Hybrid Workplace and Other Details You have the option to work a flexible hybrid schedule in our NYC office, or completely remotely from several specified states. Those not located in NYC can expect to travel to our NYC office 4-6 times per year, with all work-related travel expenses covered by the organization. All new employees will need to provide proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 within two weeks of their hiring date or request an exemption due to a disability or deeply held religious belief, barring states that restrict vaccine mandates. To Apply Please submit your resume and answer the application questions online. We ask that you refrain from using AI writing tools to craft your responses. A cover letter is optional but welcomed. Final Note The DonorsChoose team works to ensure students in every community have the resources needed for an excellent education. We are an increasingly diverse organization, representative of the varied races, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, religious and political beliefs, and abilities that make up our nation. We focus on attracting, retaining, and advancing diverse talent as it makes us more effective, high-performing, creative, and resilient. If you are passionate about our mission, highly skilled in your field, and looking for a workplace where you can bring your whole self, we want you.