Indigitize is an Indigenous-led initiative with a mission to activate and equip youth, families & educators in Indigenous communities with the literacy and tools to determine how technology serves their communities and protect their communities from it in order to ensure that children are holistically well and have positive and healthy learning experiences as they grow. 

Children don’t need AI. AI needs them. It’s time to center children and ensure that our K-12 Education communities are delivering on a public good to grow and nurture children.

We are seeking an Executive Director to lead the initiative starting in the summer of 2026.

Our ideal candidate is passionate about equipping Indigenous youth with the knowledge to strengthen their communities and understand the impact of technology on community wellbeing and holistic wellness. They have a unique ability to bring communities together around a shared vision. They advocate for expanded access to emerging technology literacy for Indigenous youth and can articulate how Indigenous Values are culturally sustaining and revitalizing, and how Indigenous world views can address the damaging nature of technology and also work with Tribal communities to uphold Tribal Sovereignty and self-determination in relation to emergent technology.  

They are a skilled fundraiser, collaborator, designer, manager, and leader.They are committed to achieving outcomes that matter to youth and communities and view the opportunity to build something new for students and communities as the work of a lifetime.

✦ Who We Are 

Emerging technologies, including AI, carry potential promise and documented peril to the natural world, relationships, and well-being. Indigitize believes Indigenous youth and communities should be active leaders in determining how technology serves their communities as well as protecting their communities from it.

Previously, we’ve worked to ensure that students, educators, and families in Native communities have the literacy and tools to shape emerging technologies in ways that strengthen language, culture, and opportunity. At this moment, we are looking for an Executive Director to take us into a future where we do more work to equip youth and communities with the information needed about the harms, so they can take that information and consider it when making local decisions and ensuring families and educators and tribal leaders have the information needed to enact a healthy learning experience for Native youth.

Launched in 2022, Indigitize now reaches over 20,000 students annually through three core strategies: Educator Communities of Practice which help educators integrate computer science and AI literacy into their teaching; SkoCode, which embeds community members in schools to lead learning experiences around emerging technologies; and close partnerships with schools and districts serving Native youth and Indigitize serves as a resource to tribal communities.

✦ What You’ll Do 

The Executive Director will have overall strategic and operational responsibility for Indigitize’s staff, programs, expansion, and execution of its mission. 

✦ Engage communities to refine and deepen Indigitize’s vision and strategy:

• Embody, advocate for, and execute the mission, vision, and strategic direction of the organization. 

• Listen to communities and communicate in a way that creates positive change. 

• Lead outreach to communities, tribes, school districts, nonprofits, and other partners.

• Translate the organization’s vision into long- and short-term priorities, strategies, and goals, adjusting as needed. 

• Guide Indigitize’s involvement as part of broader change coalitions.

• Refine and implement the Indigitize strategic plan while ensuring that the organization’s strategic direction reflects community input and youth perspectives.

✦ Develop a long-term sustainability strategy that expands and diversifies Indigitize’s fundraising relationships:

• Initiate, cultivate, and extend relationships with Indigitize’s supporters, with an emphasis on developing new partnerships. 

• Ensure that Indigitize has the resources needed to make continuous progress towards its mission; allocate funds reflect present needs and future potential.

• Promote Indigitize’s work in creative ways, including communications, thought leadership, and events to elevate the work of the organization to others. 

• Oversee the financial status of the initiative, monitoring the budget to ensure the organization is sustainable in the short and long term and is operating in a manner that supports the strategic plan.

• Secure future funding for the organization’s key bodies of work and growth with a 80% or higher confidence level for meeting organizational needs over a three year period.

✦ Lead and manage the Indigitize Team:

• Model Indigitize’s core values. 

• Grow and evolve an organizational culture that is based in core values and focused on creating opportunities for young people to be lifelong leaders in their communities 

• Recruit, mentor, and develop a team of high-quality leaders and nurture and support existing staff to meet organizational goals and outcomes for Native youth. 

• Coach and develop direct reports to be effective in their roles and manage their teams and functions.

✦ Create powerful learning opportunities so communities have accurate information about the harms of AI:

• Create and deliver programs that reach 75,000 Indigenous youth by the end of 2028 

• Continuously improve the quality of programming offered to youth. 

• Build new partnerships and secure new commitments that expand access to information about the impact on AI on Indigenous youth and communities

• Share best practices and learning with key partners and engage a cadre of partners who are dedicated to serving Indigenous students over the next five years. 

• Build the systems and operational structure to support school districts, charterschools, BIE schools, Tribally Controlled Schools and after school programs in implementing high quality learning experiences related to our mission.

✦ Prepare Indigitize to thrive as a project at the Tides Center:

• Indigitize will be a project of the Tides Center, so will collaborate directly with the Tides Center team.

  • Cultivate a strong and transparent relationship with the Tides Advisory Team and ensure open communication about financial, programmatic, and impact milestones and goals. 

  • Create an Advisory Board structure that supports the Executive Director and organizational mission. There are 3 existing Advisory Board members.

  • Oversee a fractional financial manager who will work closely with the Tides team to ensure fiscal obligations are met and in compliance with grant agreements.

✦ Who You Are & Keys to Success (the must-haves) 

To be successful in this job, you will excel in four areas: 

• Deep Commitment to Indigenous Values and Students: You center students in every decision and bring understanding of Indigenous communities and education. This work calls to you personally, and you're committed to building something sustainable for the long term. You approach this mission with values-driven leadership and ethical grounding.

• Strategic Leadership and Sound Judgment: You can envision what's possible and chart a realistic path to get there. You understand what it takes to build a sustainable organization from the ground up, making thoughtful decisions that balance immediate needs with long-term vision. You navigate ambiguity and complexity while keeping the bigger picture in focus.

• Operational Excellence, Fund Development & Organizational Sustainability: You show up consistently and follow through on commitments. You have hands-on experience with financial management and operations, and you understand how to build systems that work. You're also skilled at fund development and know how to grow an organization's resources and scale.

• Relationship Building and Team Leadership: You build authentic relationships with students, families, team members, community leaders, philanthropic partners, and education stakeholders. You elevate those around you through strong coaching and management. You actively seek to understand different perspectives and create environments where people thrive.

• Holistic Wellness and Grounded Presence: You bring your whole, well self to this work. You demonstrate emotional intelligence, maintain healthy boundaries, and model the kind of sustainability and balance that allows leaders to serve effectively long term.

✦ If you were working in this role right now, you would be: 

• Representing the organization and the mission and vision in the world grounded in our core values and creating a strong path forward for our impact and success.

• Identifying new funding partnerships.

• Establishing the 5 year vision for the organization in partnership with community members and innovators, including creating a 5 year funding path.

• Supporting the Indigitize team through weekly 1:1s and team meetings, supporting individuals design and live out work plans that align with the overall mission and goals.

• Monitoring progress to goals and ensuring we are collecting the qualitative and quantitative data needed to understand, and share about, our impact.

• Facilitating MOU and contract processes between various partners and Tides.

• Representing Indigitize and building relationships on various advisory committees and coalitions.

• Checking in with funding partners to ensure Indigitize is progressing towards joint goals. 

• Conducting a search process for a fractional financial manager.

✦ What Else You Should Know 

Indigitize is part of the Tides Center. Tides is an equal opportunity employer. We strongly encourage applications from women, people of color, and bilingual and bicultural individuals, as well as members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities. Applicants shall not be discriminated against because of race, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, color, marital status, or medical condition including acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and AIDS-related conditions. Also pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we encourage and will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. 

This remote, full-time position can be based anywhere in the United States. The role requires monthly travel to conferences, convenings, and Indigenous communities around the country. The salary for this position ranges from $125,000 to $150,000, assuming a full-time role, with the exact salary depending on qualifications. 

Working at Tides connects you with world-class teammates, enduring relationships, and an inspired sense of purpose - while our employee benefits support our team’s talent and well-being.

✦ Application Process

Valliant Consulting Firm is managing the search for our Executive Director. Find the application here.