AI Systems & Innovation Manager

About the role

Kai Ming Head Start is seeking a hands-on, mission-driven leader to oversee and modernize the organization’s internal technology systems while helping build the next generation of AI-enabled operational tools for the nonprofit and early childhood education sector.

Responsibilities

• Maintain and oversee Internal Jupiter system operations, uptime, performance optimization, bug triage, deployment coordination, and data integrity.
• Lead gradual modernization of legacy ASP.NET/MySQL architecture using modern engineering practices and AI-assisted development tools.
• Improve system usability, automation, and workflow efficiency for internal users across administrative and program teams including education, family services and workforce development programs.
• Design scalable architecture and technical roadmaps that support future multi-program or external partner adoption.
• Identify opportunities to consolidate fragmented workflows, reduce manual processes, and improve operational visibility through technology.
• Strategize for scalable infrastructure, product development, and prospective third-party integrations.
• Lead development and governance of the AI conversational agent platform, including retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) systems, vector databases and embeddings, MCP integrations, citation-based AI responses, internal AI search and workflow automation.
• Evaluate and implement practical AI solutions that improve staff productivity, reporting, knowledge management, onboarding, and operational decision-making.
• Develop AI governance standards, prompt management practices, access controls, and responsible-use guidelines.
• Research and pilot emerging AI tools and frameworks relevant to nonprofit and education program operations.
• Utilize AI coding tools such as Cursor, Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, and related platforms to accelerate development, debugging, refactoring, and documentation.
• Oversee code quality, version control, CI/CD pipeline standards, testing procedures, and technical documentation.
• Establish sustainable development workflows and engineering practices suitable for a small but growing technology team.
• Support API integrations, automation pipelines, reporting systems, and interoperability between platforms.
• Establish and maintain security protocols including access reviews, secrets management, audit logging and incident response planning, patch management, backup and recovery procedures.
• Manage external technology, hosting, and security vendors including vulnerability assessments and penetration testing.
• Develop disaster recovery and business continuity procedures.
• Collaborate closely with leadership and operational teams to translate organizational needs into technical solutions and follow through on implementation.
• Supervise and coordinate the work of software engineers, UI/UX designers, IT support staff and any other staff or contractors that are involved in the work.
• Communicate technical concepts clearly to non-technical stakeholders.
• Prepare reports, dashboards, presentations, and strategic recommendations for executive leadership and the Board of Directors.

Requirements

• Minimum 5 years of experience in software engineering, systems management, or application development, including ownership of production systems.
• Strong technical knowledge of ASP.NET Webforms with VB.NET code-behind (C# /.NET background acceptable), Python, FastAPI, MySQL, Postgres databases, React, MySQL databases, web applications, API integrations, and Google Cloud Platform or equivalent (AWS, Azure).
• Experience leveraging AI coding tools and 2+ years building production LLM applications — RAG pipelines, vector databases, and major LLM APIs.
• Experience with MCP server design and LLM orchestration frameworks.
• Knowledge of system architecture, cybersecurity best practices, access management, and data governance principles.
• Ability to independently manage technical projects, troubleshoot complex issues, and balance multiple priorities in fast-paced environments.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to explain technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
• Experience in nonprofit, education, or public-sector organizations preferred.
• Bilingual English and Chinese (Cantonese or Mandarin) preferred.

Qualifications

• Annual Physical exam and TB Clearance
• Criminal Background and Child Abuse Index Clearance
• Adherence to the Confidentiality Agreement and Child Abuse Reporting Mandate
• Adherence to the Kai Ming Code of Conduct and all internal policies and procedures
• Accountable for the health, safety, and supervision of all children, families, and staff interactions
• Covid-19 Vaccination Requirement: Proof of COVID-19 vaccination record