About Learning Without Tears (LWT)
At Learning Without Tears, we're more than just a company; we're a passionate, family-owned community on a mission to revolutionize education. We believe that learning should be engaging and joyful, which is why we create innovative, fun products and digital resources that empower educators and inspire children.
Every day, our commitment to collaboration and creativity propels us forward. We're dedicated to embracing change, striving for excellence, and simplifying processes to create a lasting impact in the lives of educators and learners alike.
Join our dynamic team and be a part of something truly transformative as we shape the future of education together!
As the Director of Business and Artificial Intelligence, you will lead the Business Intelligence function-setting technical direction across data engineering, data warehousing, and analytics. You will help lead the evolution of how our company uses data and AI to make decisions, moving from descriptive reporting to predictive, proactive, and embedded intelligence, while serving as a people leader and strategic partner to Senior Leadership and cross-functional stakeholders. This role blends hands-on technical leadership (architecture, troubleshooting, standards, and mentorship) with business partnership to deliver trusted, timely insights and scalable reporting capabilities that drive decision-making.
Core Competencies: Technical
Tech Stack (Required)
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Deep expertise in the Microsoft SQL Server ecosystem, including SQL Server, SSIS, Power BI, and SSRS. Evolve the current tech stack to enable AI transformation.
Databases & Data Quality
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Lead complex analysis and troubleshooting (e.g., reconciling deltas, missing data, dataset matching, and period-over-period validation).
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Design, develop, and support database objects (tables, views, functions, stored procedures, indexes) with an emphasis on reliability and maintainability.
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Drive data quality practices by identifying discrepancies and partnering on remediation (experience with data quality tooling is a plus).
Data Warehousing
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Apply modern warehousing concepts (e.g., Kimball, star schemas, and data marts) to deliver governed, reusable datasets.
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Build and troubleshoot connectivity patterns (e.g., linked servers, ODBC, remote SQL Server connections, PostgreSQL connectivity).
Database Administration & Performance
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Establish performance tuning standards (indexing strategy, query optimization, partitioning) and practices for monitoring and remediation.
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Support HA/DR practices (backup/restore strategies and recovery models; familiarity with log shipping, failover clusters, and availability groups is a plus).
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Leverage proven community tooling and approaches for monitoring, troubleshooting, and automation (e.g., diagnostic scripts and migration toolsets).
Business Intelligence & Reporting
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Power BI leadership: semantic model design, strong DAX proficiency, report development, and service administration (deployments, permissions, gateways, refresh troubleshooting).
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SSRS/paginated reporting: build and support reports end-to-end, including datasets and underlying SQL artifacts.
Integrations & Automation (ETL/ELT)
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Design and support data integrations using SSIS (preferred) and/or comparable platforms (e.g., Alteryx, Fivetran, Azure Data Factory, Celigo).
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Consume and operationalize API-based data sources; experience with Postman and implementation approaches using SSIS and/or Python is preferred.
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Build maintainable pipelines with parameterization, environments, scheduling, monitoring, and operational runbooks.
AI Enablement Delivery & Predictive/Proactive Analytics
- Assist in development of AI use-case portfolio aligned to business value (e.g., churn/retention risk, demand forecasting, pipeline slippage risk, labor/overtime risk, anomaly detection, collections risk).
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Lead delivery of predictive models and proactive decisioning, partnering with Data Science/Engineering and business owners to operationalize outputs into workflows (alerts, queues, nudges, recommended actions).
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Establish lightweight MLOps/AI ops practices appropriate to our scale: model versioning, monitoring, drift detection, retraining triggers, and business impact measurement.
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Help champion productivity-focused AI (e.g., GenAI for summarization, triage, knowledge retrieval, and workflow automation) with strong governance and measurable outcomes.
Core Competencies: Functional, Partnering & Leadership
Business Partnership & Executive Communication
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Serve as a strategic partner to functional leaders and Executive Leadership by translating business questions into well-defined analytics solutions and communicating insights clearly.
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Lead requirements discovery sessions to identify key data points, KPIs, trends, and decision workflows across the business.
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Frame and present performance narratives using period-based analysis (WoW, MoM, YoY) and planning concepts (plans, forecasts, goals) in partnership with Finance/FP&A.
Platform & Domain Knowledge
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Understand and operationalize data from core enterprise platforms (e.g., CRM such as Salesforce; ERP such as NetSuite), including their data structures and relationships.
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Deliver trusted datasets and reporting for cross-functional teams such as Accounting, FP&A, Operations, Sales/Account Management, Revenue Operations, Marketing, and HR/HRIS.
People Leadership & Talent Development
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Lead, coach, and develop a diverse BI organization (e.g., database administration, data engineering/BI engineering, data warehousing, and ETL/integration) through mentorship, standards, and career development.
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Set an operating rhythm that balances delivery, quality, and sustainability (intake, prioritization, execution, documentation, and support).
Delivery, Planning & Governance
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Plan and manage capacity, priorities, and delivery across a portfolio of BI initiatives, from quick-turn analysis to high-impact, enterprise reporting solutions.
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Apply project and service management practices (ITSM and Agile/Scrum), including change management, releases/deployments, and stakeholder communications.
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Use common delivery tooling (e.g., Jira preferred; Zendesk, Trello, Planner, Monday.com) to track work, manage dependencies, and report status.
Key Responsibilities
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Define and execute the BI roadmap, including data platform capabilities, reporting standards, and a scalable operating model.
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Act as a hands-on technical leader for the BI stack (data modeling, ETL/ELT, warehousing, reporting/semantic layers) and be accountable for end-to-end solution quality.
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Establish governance for data definitions, KPIs, and reusable datasets; ensure a single source of truth and appropriate security/access controls.
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Partner with functional leaders to intake, prioritize, and deliver analytics needs; facilitate trade-off decisions based on impact, effort, and risk.
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Develop and mentor the BI team; set expectations, provide coaching, and build a culture of documentation, testing, and continuous improvement.
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Own production support for BI services (SLAs, incident response, root cause analysis, and preventative actions) and continuously improve reliability/performance.
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Communicate progress, risks, and outcomes to Executive Leadership; present insights and recommendations in clear business terms.
Qualifications (Required)
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12+ years of experience
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Demonstrated experience leading Business Intelligence or Analytics teams, including stakeholder management and delivery ownership.
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Strong SQL and data modeling skills with practical experience in data warehousing concepts (e.g., dimensional modeling, star schemas, data marts).
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Hands-on expertise in Power BI (report development, DAX, dataset/semantic modeling, refresh/gateway troubleshooting, and service administration).
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Experience designing and supporting data pipelines using SSIS and/or comparable ETL/ELT tooling.
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Ability to communicate technical topics to non-technical audiences and present insights to senior leaders.
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Experience working with cross-functional teams (e.g., Finance/FP&A, Accounting, Operations, Sales, Marketing, HR) and translating needs into data products.
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Database administration experience, including performance tuning, indexing strategy, and HA/DR concepts.
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Experience with SSRS/paginated reports and enterprise reporting operations.
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Experience consuming APIs and integrating external data sources using tools such as Postman, Python, or SSIS components.
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Familiarity with CRM and ERP platforms (e.g., Salesforce, NetSuite) and their data models.
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Experience with agile delivery tooling (Jira preferred) and ITSM practices (intake, change management, incident/problem management).
Why Work with Us?
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Mission-Driven Impact: Join a team passionate about making a difference and driving positive change.
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Growth and Development: We invest in your success with ongoing learning and career opportunities.
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Work-Life Balance: Enjoy flexible work options, generous PTO, and wellness support.
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Inclusive Culture: We foster a diverse, collaborative, and supportive workplace.
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Competitive Benefits: Receive competitive pay, comprehensive benefits, and employee recognition.
Apply now at https://www.lwtears.com/join-our-team
Learning Without Tears is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer.
