Description
About Run for Something
Run for Something recruits and supports young, diverse progressives running for down-ballot races to build sustainable power nationwide. Since 2017, RFS has engaged nearly 250,000 potential candidates, endorsed over 4,000, and celebrated 1,500+ election victories. RFS alumni drive impactful changes in housing, abortion access, and education, shaping the Democratic Party's future.
RFS fosters a culture emphasizing work-life balance, sustainability, and a deep commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. With strategic, year-round initiatives, RFS is dedicated to long-term democracy-building.
Learn more about our work and values on our Careers page.
Position Name: Senior Technical Lead
Reporting Structure: This role reports to the Chief Technology Officer
Location: Remote (U.S.)
Job Classification: Full Time, Exempt
Position Summary:
Run for Something is hiring a Senior Technical Lead! In this role, you will lead technical initiatives, ensuring that Run for Something’s technology infrastructure supports our mission of recruiting and supporting young, progressive candidates, particularly those from marginalized backgrounds, for down-ballot offices.
The Senior Technical Lead will collaborate closely with the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) to scope, prioritize, and implement key technical initiatives. This includes identifying organizational gaps and opportunities, setting vision and designing technical solutions that advance programmatic, communications, and fundraising goals, and leading implementation across teams. This role partners with department heads — including Programs, Development, and Communications — to conceptualize and deliver technology initiatives that strengthen RFS’s impact, from data infrastructure to revenue-generating SaaS.
You will also contribute your expertise to build new software, extend existing platforms, craft automations, orchestrate data pipelines, integrate APIs, and create reporting solutions.
As a technical leader, you will mentor and guide our growing tech team, ensuring the integration of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) goals into all technical projects. This role requires balancing multiple cross-functional collaborations with internal and external stakeholders, ensuring that technical initiatives are aligned with the strategic goals of the organization. Additionally, you will work on the ongoing maintenance and development of Run for Something’s core technology systems, ensuring that both public-facing websites, web apps, and internal tools, such as the custom-built candidate recruitment pipeline, are continuously improved.
The Senior Technical Lead also supports organizational priorities, maintains alignment with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) goals, and upholds the core values while contributing to a collaborative and contributes to a collaborative, inclusive culture.
Key Responsibilities:
Technical Leadership and Initiative Development [60%]:
Partner with CTO to ensure all tech initiatives are aligned with organizational goals
Lead new technical initiatives, including building new software, extending existing platforms, crafting automations, orchestrating data pipelines, integrating APIs, and creating reporting solutions.
Identify cross-departmental challenges and opportunities, designing and leading tech initiatives that improve workflows, efficiency, and impact across Programs, Development, and Communications teams.
Partner and collaborate with senior leaders across departments to identify alignment and drive efficiency in technical projects; work strategically with senior leaders to improve workflows and measurement of KPIs across the organization
Support a candidate services strategy that allows RFS to provide advice and expertise on technical strategies for campaigns.
As a technical manager, contribute to organization-wide strategy and initiatives; be an active leader and advocate for RFS’ philosophy, mission, values, culture, and DEI goals throughout the organization.
Ensure collection, storage, and reporting of data is compliant, especially for new data and software products.
Core Systems Development and Maintenance [20%]:
Further develop and maintain Run for Something’s core technology systems, including public-facing websites, web apps, and internal tools like our custom-built candidate recruitment pipeline and our automated recruitment research platform(s)
Support the CTO in administering IT across the organization, including managing IT helpdesk tickets and cybersecurity incidents as assigned
Contribute to the budgeting process for IT and tech across the organization, ensuring efficiencies across all teams and their products.
Work directly with RFS CTO and data engineer to plan, build, and maintain data pipelines and reporting
Mentorship and Team Development [20%]:
Manage, mentor, and coach the Data Engineer and other Tech Department roles (as assigned) in line with RFS values and performance management standards to ensure relevant key performance indicators are met; identify and support areas for professional development; ensure RFS performance standards and values are apparent through all reporting lines.
Collaborate with other members of the tech team through design and code review, sprint planning/retrospectives, and team professional development.
Promote cross-functional learning and help non-technical teams understand and leverage technology to achieve their goals.
Your role may evolve to stay aligned with priorities and support our mission of recruiting and backing young progressives for down-ballot offices.
Our Tech Stack:
Typescript/React via NextJS for web apps; python via Prefect, DBT, and Hex for data pipelines and dashboards
Google Cloud Platform, Vercel, and Supabase for infrastructure
Retool for internal dashboards, tools, and workflows
A wide array of platforms integrated via APIs, including NGP VAN, Twilio, ActBlue, Every Action, Action Network, Airtable, and ScaleToWin
A modern data stack built on BigQuery and Hex supported by workflows on Prefect/DBT
You will be a great fit for the Run for Something Tech Team if you:
Want to build tech that matters in service of the next generation of progressive leaders
Take a people-centered approach to solving technical problems by first understanding the teams and individuals your work affects.
Sleep better at night after writing or reviewing a few great tests
Take pride in well-written and approachable documentation as much as clean code
Enjoy collaborating with others to find creative technical solutions to complex problems
Key Competencies and Qualifications:
The qualifications below are broad because this role is meant to be a generalist who can engage in a variety of technical projects. Candidates with a demonstrated willingness and aptitude for learning new tech are encouraged to apply even if they don’t meet every qualification listed.
5+ years of professional software development and/or data engineering experience
Experience with web application development using a framework such as NextJS, Django, Rails, or Express
Experience with data pipelines and relational database architecture
Experience with user-centered and agile software development practices
Experience in architecting and maintaining complex software/data systems with both custom-built and third-party applications
Experience managing software products, including gathering requirements, writing specifications, and coordinating rollout with non-technical team members
Comfort maintaining existing production applications regardless of the technical stack, and a willingness to pick up new technologies
Familiarity with big data storage, data warehouse infrastructure, and containerized development and orchestration
Proven ability to collaborate across teams and maintain transparency in workflows
Experience with unionized work environments, including collaboration with unions or managing within collective bargaining frameworks, is a plus but not essential for this role.
Demonstrated time management skills transferable to working a four day workweek
Demonstrated ability to work in and contribute to a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment
Ability to demonstrate Run for Something’s organizational values: Act in Service of Our Mission. Always Ensure DEI is at Our Core, Honor Dignity in Our Relationship, Encourage Innovation, Communicate with Transparency
Ability to work independently for extended periods of time in a remote environment
Strong commitment to the Run for Something mission
Plus Qualifications:
Experience working on campaigns, committees, or advocacy organizations.
Experience with political tech such as NGP VAN, ActionNetwork, Every Action, or Civis.
Experience working with fully remote teams
Experience managing technical roles
Experience on a small technical team where you had to do a variety of technical tasks in addition to software development
Familiarity with NextJS
Familiarity with DBT and a python-based automation framework like Prefect or Airflow
Experience with unionized work environments, including collaboration with unions or managing within collective bargaining frameworks, is a plus but not essential for this role.
Work Environment
Run for Something operates as a fully remote organization, with team members collaborating from across the U.S. You will work from home or a location of your choosing.
This role involves attending approximately two all-staff or team events per year, which may include overnight travel. Reasonable accommodations are available for employees unable to travel or participate in gatherings.
The position requires working core hours from Monday to Thursday, with occasional night and weekend work.
To prioritize employee health and safety, all Run for Something employees must provide proof of COVID vaccination, with reasonable accommodations considered for disabilities, medical advice, or sincerely held religious beliefs.
Run for Something is committed to building diverse teams and fostering equitable, inclusive environments that maximize the skills, potential, and unique perspectives of our employees. We strongly encourage individuals from marginalized communities, including Black, Indigenous, and people of color, women, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and those with disabilities, to apply—especially those historically underrepresented in elected office. Learn more about our commitment here.
Learn more about what it’s like to work at Run for Something on our Careers page.
Compensation & Benefits
The salary for this position is set at $146,600. In order to counter pay inequality and uphold internal parity, salaries are non-negotiable for new and current employees. Run for Something salary bands for a given staff level are benchmarked to the 75th percentile for our sector, and all new employees are paid at the entry point of those bands. Employees then have the opportunity to progress through current salary bands through annual cost of living increases and performance-based pay increases and into new salary bands through promotions.
Learn more about our compensation policy here.
Benefits at Run for Something include:
Four-Day Work Week (learn more here)
Unlimited Paid Time Off policy
Platinum Medical Insurance (100% of premium covered for employees; 50% of premium covered for dependents)
Dental and Vision Insurance (100% of premium covered for both employees and dependents)
Professional Development Stipend
Treat Yourself Stipend ($500 a year to do something that brings you joy)
Equipment Stipend
401k with up to 2% matching
Work from Home Stipend
Cell Phone/Internet Stipend
12 weeks of paid family leave
Paid Sabbatical (after 3 years of service to RFS)
Employee Assistance Program
~ Four weeks in organization-wide holiday closures, including a two-week winter break
Flexible, remote work environment
