Tech Development Consultant

The Tech Development Consultant is responsible for providing technology, workflow and data management solutions for internal use among staff and for our client-specific projects. The right candidate will be one who is passionate about the latest technologies, reads up on what the best new emerging low-code and no-code solutions are, has opinions about the most useful project management platforms, and has a broad view of what emerging tech or data management solution would work best for solving a particular problem. Ideally, you have experience coming into an organization, assessing tech needs, evaluating potential solutions, and implementing those solutions.

Institutional fundraising is a field where the adoption of new technology and data solutions has the potential to revolutionize the efficiency of day-to-day work, and allow organizations to have a greater impact on the communities and causes they serve. While some have been early adopters of new tools, in our work we’ve also met many successful nonprofits that don’t yet use project management or CRM technology to manage their deliverables and partnerships, or maximize the use of integrations and automations in their workflow. CIMA Consulting seeks to disrupt this pattern by creating an environment where our consultants work on teams delivering high-value services for our nonprofit partners, working efficiently in a way that allows our fundraising professionals to achieve work-life balance while having a meaningful impact on causes that matter. Smart use of technology and data are critical to solving this puzzle. That’s where you come in.

This position will fill both external- and internal-facing roles, contributing to a variety of development projects. CIMA has recently begun offering our services in low-code and no-code software configuration to meet the needs of the nonprofits we work with. We intend to provide consulting on technology solutions they need to manage their data, create operational efficiencies for their teams, and evaluate the impact of their programs. With 1-2 projects on the immediate horizon, the person in this position will immediately jump into a support role on client-facing projects. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to contribute not only to the work itself but to our strategy as we grow this arm of our consulting practice.

In addition to client-facing work, the consultant will act as an intrapreneur, identifying operational efficiencies within CIMA, developing our central database (Airtable) and Notion teamspaces, and finding integrations that will empower our team to work most effectively. This requires not only expertise in technology and data solutions, but an ability to communicate and coach teams through a change process that many may be unfamiliar or uncomfortable with, and to listen and learn from the team’s nonprofit and consulting expertise to create solutions that work.

Responsibilities:

Development

• Develop solutions that meet client needs using low code platforms, including but not limited to Airtable and Notion.
• Create applications that streamline business processes and increase efficiency.
• Create automations using low code platforms, including but not limited to Make.
• Make design decisions and recommendations.

Project Scoping & Management

• Guide and participate in the entire application development process, from design to implementation and support.
• Analyze process issues and gather user requirements.
• Work closely with users to scope and build the best solutions to their problems.
• Create project timelines and roadmaps and track project progress, ensuring on time completion of deliverables.

Client Services

• Obtain feedback from users and stakeholders and implement improvements .
• Develop training materials and train users.
• Coach and mentor other tech developers and interns.

Core Competencies:

• A bachelor’s degree with at least three years of experience. Experience may be considered in lieu of a degree.
• Proven success in a client-facing project or account/project management role; an ability not only to complete the tech and data work but to distill client needs, communicate effectively, scope projects, and gently guide clients and colleagues through adoption of new technology solutions.
• A passion for automating work processes and creating efficiencies, being an early adopter/tester of new tech.
• Prior experience in Airtable and implementing complex automations/integrations that may require moderate coding ability.
• Familiarity with JSON and sourcing data through APIs preferred.
• Working knowledge of Python and Javascript preferred.
• High level of experience with Airtable, Notion, and Make/Zapier required. Experience with Google Workspace, Trello and/or other project management platforms, Squarespace, and relational databases strongly preferred. Experience with other low-code, no-code front end/data visualization software (e.g. Softr, WeWeb, Bubble), and other software frequently used by nonprofits (e.g. Quickbooks) would be preferred/ideal.
• Ability to vet and supervise external contractors through Upwork or similar where specific additional technical expertise is necessary.
• A curiosity and growing knowledge about AI and how it impacts the nonprofit sector.
• A demonstrated appreciation for/commitment to social impact.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-moving, intellectual environment, with the feel of a start-up; willingness to listen, and collaborate, and seize upon opportunities for growth and change.
• Flexibility, dedication, and the ability to laugh at one’s self (and others, but only in a nice way).