SUMMARY

Shanghai American School (SAS) stands as a premier English-language day school in Shanghai, serving expatriate families with a comprehensive American curriculum from pre-kindergarten through grade 12 across two full-program campuses in Pudong and Puxi. As one of Shanghai’s few independent, non-profit, coeducational institutions, SAS operates under the oversight of the Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau and Education Commission, while being guided by a unique parent-led governance model.

With two campuses located on opposite sides of Shanghai’s Huangpu River—one in Pudong (the east side) and one in Puxi (the west side), SAS has established itself as China’s largest international school, home to around 3,000 students and 680 faculty and staff. The school’s facilities and resources reflect a long-term commitment to reinvesting in the program, and SAS continues to evolve its “one school, two campuses” model while advancing strategic priorities that emphasize innovative learning, modern infrastructure, and a future-ready student experience.

SAS is now seeking a director of technology to lead the school’s technology program during a period of continued institutional evolution. The next director will focus on technology operations leadership to ensure that ERP systems, help desk services, and hardware deployments are both meeting end-user needs and aligned with the school’s priorities around cybersecurity, data protection, and vendor management. The director will be empowered to partner closely with finance, procurement, and academic leaders, translating strategy into execution through well-run projects, visible service standards, and a technology roadmap that is sustainable in Shanghai’s regulatory and operating context. Likewise, the director will be a key partner on strategic technology planning with both campus leaders and the academic technology team, which starting next school year will report to the head of educational programs.

This is an opportunity for a service-oriented, systems-minded leader to play a key role in a diverse educational community by delivering enterprise systems, IT infrastructure, and support services that are reliable and scalable across two large campuses. The director will join a school community that appreciates thoughtful and comprehensive technology planning that keeps pace with the needs of a complex international organization. The director will report to the CFO and supervise a team of around two-dozen professionals spanning infrastructure, data and systems, engineering, and help desk support. SAS looks forward to welcoming its next director of technology to ideally begin before July 1, 2026, to allow for a graceful handoff with the outgoing director of eleven years.

12M & Ed Tech Recruiting is running the search on behalf of Shanghai American School. Applications received by January 31 will receive priority review.  For application instructions and the full job opportunity statement, please visit:

                  www.EdTechRecruiting.com/jobs/SAS/technology

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Priority Deadline: January 31, 2026

Initial Client Review: Week of February 9

Semifinal Round: Week of March 9

On-site Final Round: Week of March 23

Decision Announced: April 10, 2026

Start Date: Spring 2026

Reports To: Chief Financial Officer

Classification: Full-time

SPECIFIC DUTIES

Technology Division Administration

• Oversee the school’s core technology functions, including IT infrastructure, data and systems, cybersecurity, and client services, and ensure effective coordination across these operational units.
• Serve as the direct supervisor to the technology team and the SIS/data coordinator, and collaborate closely with the educational technology team to support the integration of technology in teaching and learning.
• Allocate time and resources toward sustaining a positive departmental culture, including goal setting, clear communication, and professional growth opportunities for all team members.
• Cultivate a proactive service culture with consistent visibility and support across both campuses.
• Maintain regular leadership presence on both campuses.
• Report directly to the chief financial officer and perform other duties as assigned.

Technology Strategy

• Lead a collaborative process to develop a strategic vision for technology that is aligned with the school’s overall strategic plan, values, and culture, and oversee the implementation of that strategy.
• Lead the consolidation, integration, and optimization of core systems to reduce redundancy and improve data flow, user experience, and long-term sustainability.
• Run a technology department that supports academic and operational needs in a scalable, secure, and sustainable fashion, while adhering to best practices for an enterprise environment.
• Build and maintain connections with academic, administrative, and operational constituents throughout the school to ensure that technology systems effectively support institutional priorities.
• Lead change management for technology initiatives, ensuring clear communication, stakeholder engagement, and smooth adoption.
• Establish and maintain local, regional, and national partnerships to support the strategic goals of the school’s technology program.
• Oversee strategic vendor management, ensuring transparent evaluation, competitive sourcing, and alignment with school procurement policies.

Technology Operations Oversight

• Ensure that the department responds to end-user needs, provides a reliable IT backbone, delivers excellent training and support, and aligns procedures to support school-wide operations.
• Implement technology governance, planning, policies, and procedures within a management framework that both department members and constituents support.
• Establish IT governance structures that clarify decision-making, accountability, and cross-department alignment.
• Implement KPI and SLA frameworks to ensure consistent operational performance, service quality, and measurable outcomes.
• Create and maintain clear operating procedures and documentation standards across all technology functions.
• Ensure transparency in cross-department decision rights related to systems, data, and technology services.
• Lead strategic decisions regarding hardware, software, systems, back-end infrastructure, and services to ensure cost-effectiveness, customer satisfaction, asset management, quality of service, and performance.
• Ensure institutional compliance with China’s cybersecurity and data protection regulatory frameworks, including PIPL and related requirements.
• Provide executive oversight for compliance, data governance, and cyber resilience, safeguarding the school’s digital assets and operational continuity.

QUALIFICATIONS

Professional Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university is required; an advanced degree is highly desirable
• Leadership experience managing technology departments and supervising technology staff, preferably in educational or nonprofit settings
• Proficiency in key areas of technology management, including enterprise IT, data systems, cybersecurity, and client services
• Experience successfully leading concurrent technology-related projects, with a proven ability to set priorities and deliver results
• Expertise in fostering team growth, managing change, and setting strategic goals for a dynamic and collaborative department
• Fluency in English is required; Mandarin proficiency is preferred

Leadership and Personal Qualities

• An enterprise approach to technology management that supports individual needs within a scalable framework for a multifaceted department at a dynamic K–12 school
• An ability to plan and oversee concurrent technology-related programs and projects, and empower departmental leads to ensure completion and success
• A passion and interest for managing all areas of technology including IT infrastructure and data systems
• An ability to build consensus among diverse groups, facilitate critical discussions within large groups, and instill confidence in colleagues during times of transition
• Culturally responsive, able to operate effectively in a bilingual, international school environment and within the regulatory context of China
• A collaborative and supportive approach to developing staff capacity and fostering departmental culture

TO APPLY

For more information please visit the following link, which contains the job opportunity statement and complete application instructions.

                  www.EdTechRecruiting.com/jobs/SAS/technology