Independent Contractor Chief Program Officer Jobs in Dallas, TX

Economic Mobility Center

Dallas, Texas (Hybrid, with regional and national engagement)

About the Economic Mobility Center

The Economic Mobility Center (EMC) is a mission-driven non-profit that was formed by the Commit Partnership and Dallas College that is committed to transforming regional systems to ensure more young people — particularly those historically underserved — navigate successful journeys from middle school through post-secondary education into sustainable-wage careers. EMC is the umbrella non-profit where both the Dallas County Promise and Economic Mobility Systems (EMS) operate. We serve as a workforce intermediary inside Dallas County, aligning K-12, higher education, employers, and community partners to close equity gaps and accelerate economic mobility while running the Dallas County Promise. Outside Dallas County we serve to support other intermediaries and partners in developing and executing their regional talent systems that support student success.

Position Summary

The Chief Strategy and Product Officer (CSPO) will serve as a key executive leader, reporting to the CEO, responsible for driving the Center’s overall product vision, technology roadmap, data strategy, and analytics initiatives. This role is pivotal in positioning the Economic Mobility Center as a premier regional workforce intermediary, developing tools and strategies that enable Dallas and other communities to own the full student journey from middle school to meaningful employment.

As a critical partner to the CEO and Board—and in close collaboration with the COO and Chief Program Officer—the CSPO will lead the integration of technology and data into the Center’s strategic initiatives, ensuring we meet the evolving needs of students, families, educators, and workforce partners.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the strategic development and execution of the Center’s product, technology, data, and analytics agenda, aligned to our mission of improving student-to-career outcomes.
• Oversee cross-functional teams encompassing product management, technology development, analytics, and data systems.
• Serve as a key member of the executive leadership team, contributing to organizational strategy, partnerships, and funding growth.

Product & Technology Leadership

• Shape the long-term product strategy including our Salesforce-centered architecture and the evolution of a student & family experience app that supports the full educational and career lifecycle.
• Ensure product design is informed by user research and co-creation with students, families, educators, and employers.
• Oversee development, maintenance, and scaling of technology platforms that connect disparate systems into a seamless ecosystem of support.

Regional Data Strategy & Hub Leadership

• Lead the design, development, and governance of a regional data hub, integrating data across K-12, higher education, workforce, and employer systems.
• Drive data-sharing agreements and technical infrastructure that enable secure, interoperable, real-time and longitudinal data flows.
• Ensure data architecture supports sophisticated analytics, predictive models, and dashboards that provide actionable insights to students, families, counselors, and administrators.

Analytics & Insight Generation

• Build an advanced analytics strategy that empowers regional partners to understand and respond to student needs across the middle school-to-career continuum.
• Develop tools and dashboards that give students, staff, and leaders historical and real-time visibility into progress and interventions.

External Partnerships & Systems Engagement

• Serve as a credible and strategic thought partner to CTOs and CIOs of school districts, higher education institutions, and workforce organizations, translating complex technical concepts into aligned regional action.
• Represent the Economic Mobility Center in local, state, and national convenings on data interoperability, student success technology, and workforce innovation.

Ideal Candidate Profile

• 10+ years in education technology or data systems leadership, ideally with Chief Product Officer or equivalent experience in an ed tech, workforce, or public sector innovation environment.
• Demonstrated success owning the full product lifecycle—from discovery and user research through development, launch, and continuous iteration—grounded in clear product vision and measurable outcomes.
• Deep technical fluency in data integration, regional data hubs, and system interoperability, especially across K-12, postsecondary, and workforce datasets.
• Experience leading engineering teams or overseeing large software system builds.
• Familiarity with API management, cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity best practices, or agile/DevOps environments.
• Track record of building and scaling products on platforms like Salesforce, and designing compelling digital experiences for diverse user groups (students, families, educators).
• Significant experience collaborating with public systems leaders (school district CIOs/CTOs, higher education data leaders, workforce board data/tech leaders).
• Master’s degree in relevant field
• Visionary product strategist with a user-centered mindset and expertise in building products that drive equitable outcomes.
• Strong technical communication skills — able to connect technical architectures to on-the-ground needs, and build trust with engineers and policy executives alike.
• Proficiency in advanced analytics concepts, including predictive models and data visualization.
• A collaborative, humble leader who thrives in cross-sector environments and is deeply committed to improving economic mobility.

Why Join Us?

This is an opportunity to help redefine how communities support young people from middle school all the way into meaningful, sustaining careers. As Chief Strategy and Product Officer, you’ll shape the future of regional data and technology infrastructure, ensuring more students have the guidance and support they need to succeed.

• Competitive benefits package, including: Competitive salary (commensurate with experience)
• Bonus opportunity
• 15 days of Paid time off
• 14 paid holidays
• 403(b) retirement plan with company match.
• Health, dental, and vision insurance.
• Flexible spending accounts FSA and HSA.
• Hybrid work schedule based in Dallas, TX (75247)