ABOUT US

The Aspen Institute

The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization committed to realizing a free, just, and equitable society. Since its founding in 1949, the Institute has been driving change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve the most critical challenges facing communities in the United States and around the world. Headquartered in Washington, DC, the Institute has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, and an international network of partners.

Commitment to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

To achieve our mission of a more free, just, and equitable society, we commit to working proactively to advance the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion across our myriad endeavors such as the recruitment, compensation, training, and advancement of staff. The best people-serving institutions make this commitment, and we seek to be a leader in the ways that we do so and learn from others. Visit our website to learn more about our commitment and recent actions taken toward building and nurturing a diverse and inclusive environment.

Information Technology Services department

The Information Technology Services department is a partner to all Programs and Departments at the Aspen Institute, responsible for delivering world-class service/support as well as digital and data solutions to meet the organization’s mission and business needs.

ABOUT THIS ROLE

The Aspen Institute is seeking a dynamic, collaborative, and innovative digital technology and web leader to join our team as the Director, Digital Products & Services. In this new role, you will drive transformative advancements and cohesion in the Institute’s ecosystem of website properties and platforms.

As a key member of the Information Technology Services (ITS) leadership team, you will play a critical role in maturing the Institute’s engagement technology infrastructure by managing a team of digital platform experts; liaising with teams across the Institute; translating business needs to digital solutions; and ensuring the successful execution of our web projects, events portals, mobile apps, and other digital engagement vehicles. In particular, you will partner closely with Communications and Programs teams to ensure that the Institute’s website ecosystem aligns with organizational goals, provides an exceptional user experience, and meets technical performance standards. In addition, you will serve as product manager for digital initiatives supporting the Office of the President & CEO and other strategic functions.

The ideal candidate will bring a strong background in web and digital product management, team leadership, and nonprofit-focused digital strategy. The salary range for this role is $185,000 - $205,000. Candidates local to an Institute office will be expected to work onsite a minimum of two days/week; fully remote candidates should expect occasional travel for in-person meetings or other functions.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

Digital Ecosystem Leadership

• Co-lead the digital experience of AspenInstitute.org, working in close partnership with Communications and our web development agency to re-launch and evolve our main Institute website.
• Serve as the product manager and technical lead of a host of personalized, interactive web-based “MyAspen” products under development for the broader Aspen Institute community.
• Ensure the healthy functioning of a large portfolio of programmatic website properties, digital engagement platforms, and related infrastructure, including websites, event promotion, media asset management, and mobile applications, throughout the lifecycle from conception to development to maintenance and evolution.
• Optimize the digital ecosystem in an ongoing fashion to support organizational priorities, including program delivery, fundraising, events, and multichannel audience journeys.
• Identify and implement opportunities to enhance user engagement, accessibility, and scalability across all digital properties.
• Serve as technical leaders for the redesign, consolidation, or creation of new web and other digital properties as needed, ensuring alignment with branding, accessibility (WCAG), privacy, and SEO best practices as well as the relevant Software Development Lifecycles.

Team Leadership and Collaboration

• Supervise and mentor a digital platform team including specialists in project management, web administration, digital production and infrastructure, including both staff and consultant/vendor partners.
• Foster collaboration, professional growth, high performance, and a service orientation.
• Collaborate closely with teams across the Institute, especially Communications’ digital strategy staff, the President’s Office’s network engagement staff, and Programs’ marketing and engagement functions, to ensure that digital solutions meet stakeholder needs.
• Partner with ITS colleagues such as the CRM & Data team and training, Help Desk, and change management functions.
• Promote a culture of innovation, testing, and data-driven decision-making within the team.
• Represent ITS leadership in key inter-departmental meetings and external functions, bringing a growth mindset and partnership attitude to all interactions.

Project and Vendor Management

• Oversee end-to-end delivery of mission-critical digital projects, from discovery and requirements gathering to launch and post-launch analysis.
• Manage relationships with external vendors, agencies, contractors, and technology partners, ensuring quality outcomes and adherence to timelines and budgets.
• Advise the Institute on external partner selection and setting up favorable contract and relationship terms.

Infrastructure and Technology Oversight

• Lead the evaluation, selection, and implementation of digital tools and platforms (e.g. CMSes, web hosting) to support organizational goals as needed.
• Manage the support and service contracts and operational resourcing of a variety of programmatic websites and supporting vendors, agencies and consultants.
• Ensure website infrastructure is secure, scalable, well-maintained and optimized for performance, including integrations with CRMs, MAM/DAMs, analytics platforms, and other systems.
• Ensure all digital properties incorporate the principles of Privacy by Design and Secure by Default.
• Regularly audit and improve the health and performance of all digital properties.
• Stay up to date with emerging web technologies, trends, and best practices to inform strategy and execution.

Metrics, Reporting, and Optimization

• Define and track KPIs to measure the success of digital properties and projects, providing regular reports to leadership.
• Leverage analytics and user feedback to inform ongoing optimizations and enhancements.
• Advocate for continuous improvement, A/B testing, and data-driven enhancements across the digital ecosystem.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO THRIVE

• Bachelor’s degree in Digital Marketing, Web Development, Computer Science, or related field.
• 8+ years of experience in digital product management, web development, or digital strategy, preferably in a nonprofit or mission-driven organization. Demonstrated experience managing complex web portfolios and digital infrastructure.
• 3+ years of experience managing teams and cross-functional projects.
• Strategic thinker with strong problem-solving skills and the ability to balance technical and business needs.
• Collaborative, service-oriented mindset with expert leadership, stakeholder management, consensus-building and interpersonal skills.
• Strong communicator of both emergent and established digital best practices and related technical concepts for non-technical audiences.
• Strong understanding of CMS and Community platforms (e.g., WordPress, Drupal, Contentful, Sanity, Salesforce Experience Cloud), front-end/back-end web development, and web hosting (e.g., AWS, Pantheon), and related engagement tools such as Salesforce Marketing Cloud, Cvent and Classy.
• Knowledge of web analytics tools (e.g., Google Analytics, Data Studio) and digital marketing concepts (SEO, SEM, accessibility).
• Familiarity with CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce), APIs, and system integrations. Experience working with CRM/data teams to connect front-end user experiences with back-end data capture and analysis.
• Commitment to accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG) and web security best practices.
• Understanding of data privacy landscape and best practices for the collection of PII.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and stakeholders in a fast-paced environment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The Aspen Institute offers a generous benefits package including health, dental, vision, and prescription benefits, retirement benefits, and paid leave.

The Aspen Institute is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all District and federal laws. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or protected veteran or disabled status and will not be discriminated against.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation regarding the accessibility of our website, a modification or adjustment of the job application or interview process due to a disability, contact HRSupport@aspeninstitute.org or call (202) 736-5800.