Director Enterprise Applications, Data & AI

About us:

Direct Relief is a medical aid nonprofit, active in all 50 states and more than 80 countries, with a mission to improve the health and lives of people affected by poverty or emergencies – without regard to politics, religion, or ability to pay.

Since its founding in 1948 by refugees of WWII, Direct Relief has grown to become one of the country's most effective humanitarian assistance organizations. Its work earns broad recognition from independent charity rating agencies, including a 100% fundraising efficiency rating from Forbes, a top ranking by Charity Navigator, and a spot in Fast Company’s list of “the world’s most innovative nonprofits.” Direct Relief’s impact throughout the world is the result of its dedicated and compassionate people, each of whom plays a critical role in advancing the organization's mission.

Position Summary

Reporting to the Vice President of Information Technology, the Director of Enterprise Applications, Data & AI serves as a senior technology leader responsible for delivering enterprise systems, data and analytics capabilities, AI-enabled business solutions, and custom software development that support Direct Relief's global humanitarian mission.

This role acts as the VP's primary partner for business transformation initiatives, driving the adoption of enterprise platforms, data-driven decision making, artificial intelligence capabilities, and modern software solutions across the organization.

Key Responsibilities

Enterprise Applications & Digital Transformation

• Lead implementation, enhancement, and support of enterprise business applications.
• Serve as delivery leader for major technology initiatives, including Salesforce, ERP, CRM, ecommerce, and related platforms.
• Partner with business stakeholders to identify opportunities for process improvement and automation.
• Establish application governance, roadmap planning, and portfolio management practices.
• Manage relationships with implementation partners, consultants, and software vendors.
• Ensure successful integration of enterprise platforms across the technology ecosystem.

Artificial Intelligence & Innovation

• Identify and prioritize high-value AI use cases across fundraising, operations, supply chain, finance, programs, and customer service.
• Lead the implementation of AI-powered capabilities within Salesforce, SAP, Databricks, and other enterprise platforms.
• Partner with business leaders to redesign processes leveraging generative AI, machine learning, automation, and predictive analytics.
• Establish governance frameworks for AI usage, including security, privacy, compliance, and responsible AI practices.
• Collaborate with data engineering and development teams to build AI-enabled applications and workflows.
• Define and track measurable business outcomes from AI investments.

Data, Analytics & Business Intelligence

• Develop and execute the organization's data and analytics strategy.
• Lead business intelligence, reporting, dashboarding, and self-service analytics initiatives.
• Oversee modern data platform architecture including data warehousing, data lakes, and cloud analytics technologies.
• Drive adoption of data governance, data quality, and master data management practices.
• Partner with business leaders to define KPIs and deliver actionable insights.
• Lead teams responsible for Databricks, data engineering, reporting, and advanced analytics capabilities.
• Develop the organization's data foundation to support advanced analytics, machine learning, and AI initiatives.
• Oversee modern data platforms including Databricks, Azure data services, and enterprise data warehousing technologies.

Software Development & Integration

• Support the Director of Software Engineering in the following areas:
• Establishing application development standards, architecture, and delivery methodologies.
• Overseeing custom application development, API management, and systems integration.
• Promoting modern development practices including DevOps, CI/CD, automated testing, and Agile delivery.
• Ensuring scalability, maintainability, and security of custom-developed solutions.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Information Systems, Computer Science, Engineering, or related field.
• 10 years of progressive IT leadership experience.
• 5 years leading enterprise application implementations and business transformation initiatives.
• Experience managing Salesforce , SAP or other enterprise software delivery teams and third-party implementation partners.
• Experience with data analytics and business intelligence programs.
• Experience overseeing custom software development and systems integration efforts.
• Strong project and portfolio management experience.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.

Preferred

• Experience implementing and managing Salesforce platforms, including:
• Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud
• Salesforce Revenue Cloud
• Salesforce Commerce Cloud
• Salesforce Platform
• Experience integrating Salesforce with ERP systems.
• Experience with SAP ECC, SAP S/4HANA, SAP CRM, or related SAP technologies.
• Experience with Databricks, Azure Data Platform, Power BI, or similar analytics technologies.
• Salesforce, SAP, Databricks, or related certifications.