Chief Information Officer

ABOUT HELUNA HEALTH

Heluna Health makes public health work possible. For five decades, government agencies, researchers, and community organizations have relied on Heluna Health to provide the backbone for their programs: employing the staff, managing the funding, and running the operations so each program can focus on its mission. Heluna Health also delivers services directly, including the nation’s largest WIC program. Today the organization supports more than 300 sponsored programs and approximately 1,800 employees, and manages hundreds of millions of dollars each year for public health.

Mission: To enhance health, wellness, and resilience in every community we serve.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Chief Information Officer (CIO) is the senior executive responsible for Heluna Health’s technology strategy, digital transformation, information security, and data governance. As a member of the Executive Team reporting to the President and CEO, the CIO sets the direction for the full technology function, decides what is built, retired, and invested in, and owns the budget, vendor relationships, and outcomes that come with those decisions.

This role is built for a leader with a point of view. The CIO will assess the current environment and chart the path forward: building on what exists, making the case for new investment, or both. Because every dollar freed up in technology returns to public health work, the CIO treats efficiency as part of the mission. Platform decisions made for headquarters will become the foundation that 300-plus sponsored programs draw on, so the CIO must build buy-in with programs, funders, government partners, and staff at every level.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Area of Responsibility and Key Duties - % of Time

Technology Strategy and Executive Leadership - 20%

• Develop, communicate, and execute a multi-year technology strategy and roadmap aligned with Heluna Health’s FY27–29 strategic plan, mission, and operating priorities.
• Serve as a member of the Executive Team, contributing to enterprise decisions beyond technology and operating within the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) rhythm, including Rocks, scorecards, and Level 10 meetings.
• Advise the President and CEO and the Board of Directors on technology risk, opportunity, and investment; present clearly and candidly to the Board and its committees.
• Assess the current technology environment and determine which systems to sustain, modernize, consolidate, or retire, with business cases written in language leaders trust.

Enterprise Platforms and Digital Workplace - 15%

• Own enterprise architecture and core business systems, including finance and accounting, payroll and timekeeping, human resources, grants and contracts management, and their integrations.
• Select and implement the communication and collaboration tools used by all 1,800 employees, and lead the change management, training, and adoption needed to make them stick.
• Design shared platforms and services at headquarters that can scale to sponsored programs, balancing standardization with the needs of individual programs and funders.

Sponsored Program Technology Services - 10%

• Explore, design, and, where viable, launch a technology service line that supports small nonprofits and sponsored programs that cannot afford technology staff of their own.
• Define service models, cost recovery, service levels, and support structures in partnership with Program, Finance, and Business Development leaders.

Artificial Intelligence and Innovation - 10%

• Partner with departments to identify where AI and automation can meaningfully improve public health work and operations, and lead promising use cases from design through production and ongoing maintenance.
• Establish responsible-use standards for AI, including privacy, security, bias, and human oversight, and recognize where AI is not worth doing.
• Monitor emerging technology and recommend adoption decisions ahead of need.

Information Security, Privacy, and Business Continuity - 15%

• Lead the information security program, building on the existing foundation of testing, threat prevention, and compliance, and stay ahead of growing obligations.
• Ensure compliance with applicable data protection requirements, including HIPAA, federal and state funder requirements, government contract security terms, and California privacy law.
• Own IT disaster recovery, backups, and resilience, and partner with People and Culture and the Incident Response Team on the organization’s Business Continuity Management Plan.
• Report cyber risk, incidents, and mitigation plans to the Executive Team and Board in clear, confidence-building terms.

Data Governance and Analytics - 10%

• Establish what data Heluna Health can use within funder, government contract, and privacy constraints, and build the governance framework, data quality controls, and stewardship roles to use it well.
• Deliver reporting and analytics that executives and program leaders act on; partner with Legal and People and Culture on records retention and destruction practices.

Financial and Vendor Management - 10%

• Develop and manage the technology operating and capital budgets; ensure costs are allocable and compliant with federal Uniform Guidance and funder requirements.
• Own all technology contracts and vendor relationships; review every renewal on its merits, negotiate terms, and redirect savings to mission and program work.

Team Leadership - 10%

• Lead, develop, and retain the Information Technology team of eleven, including two Directors, covering infrastructure and operations, information security, applications and systems, and vendor management.
• Assess and shape the department’s structure, roles, and succession, putting the right people in the right seats; coach managers and foster a culture of service, accountability, and knowledge sharing.
• Model Heluna Health’s values and inclusive leadership; collaborate with People and Culture on workforce planning, performance, and labor relations considerations affecting technology changes.

Perform other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Business Administration, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Master’s degree (MBA, MS, MPH, or related) preferred.

Experience

• Minimum of ten (10) years of progressively responsible technology leadership experience, including at least five (5) years in a senior executive role setting direction, managing significant budgets, and leading multi-disciplinary teams.
• Demonstrated experience building and running technology that others depended on, such as a shared service, enterprise platform, or client-facing system.
• Proven experience owning cybersecurity, privacy, backup, and recovery programs, and presenting technology risk to a Board or senior governing body.
• Track record of taking AI or automation solutions into production with measurable results.
• Experience leading enterprise-wide change and tool adoption across a large, distributed workforce.

Preferred

• Experience in public health, healthcare, government contracting, or a complex nonprofit or fiscal sponsorship environment with multiple funding streams.
• Familiarity with HIPAA, federal Uniform Guidance (2 CFR 200), and security frameworks such as NIST CSF or CIS Controls.
• Professional certifications such as CISSP, CISM, CGEIT, PMP, or ITIL.
• Experience operating within EOS or a similar management system.
• Bilingual in English and Spanish.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Strategic thinker who sees what technology can do for a department before being asked, and for whom a tight budget sharpens ideas rather than silencing them.
• Strong business acumen, including budgeting, cost allocation, contract negotiation, and vendor management.
• Exceptional communication skills in every direction; able to translate technical issues for Board members, executives, program staff, and funders.
• Ability to build trust and buy-in, tell senior leaders difficult truths constructively, and make and own hard decisions.
• Commitment to Heluna Health’s public health mission and to equitable, inclusive service of diverse communities.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT

Work is performed primarily in a hybrid office and remote environment. The role requires extended periods of computer use, sitting, and virtual or in-person meetings, and the ability to occasionally lift up to 15 pounds. Occasional travel to program sites and partner locations is required. The CIO must be available outside normal business hours to respond to critical system incidents and emergencies. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position.

This job description is intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed. It is not an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or qualifications, and may be modified at any time. Employment with Heluna Health is at will.

This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights (https://www.eeoc.gov/poster) notice from the Department of Labor.