Job Description

We are Continuum Solutions, a boutique strategic retained search firm based in Houston, Texas. We have partnered exclusively with our Houston area client to identify talent for the following position:

Director of Technology Innovation (On-Site: Northeast Houston, 77044)

Our client is a well-capitalized developer building a large-scale, mixed-use master-planned community in Houston. They’re looking for a Director of Technology Innovation to design and deploy the sensor, data, and software ecosystem that will power a truly “smart” urban environment—one that measures its own performance and improves how people live, work, and move through the space.

If you love building novel hardware + software products, get excited about urban-scale data, and want to shape a next-generation “smart city” with a human-centric lens, this could be your role.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Designing and deploying a network of sensors across a large urban development—capturing, storing, and transforming real-world data into actionable insights.
• Building or buying the right tech stack:
• In some cases, engineering and prototyping custom sensors.
• In others, selecting best-in-class hardware, connectivity, and platforms.
• Owning decisions around networks, databases, and applications.
• Owning products from concept to deployment: taking several works-in-progress across the finish line and leading new greenfield initiatives.
• Leading strategic product planning: setting “goal-line” objectives for smart city products that align with business strategy.
• Defining scope, methodology, timelines, and budgets for each product iteration.
• Creating clear system designs and schematics that show how each product interfaces with the broader built environment.
• Curating a library of precedents and inspiration (people, places, products) and organizing site visits to convert research into firsthand experience.
• Building a network of top-tier partners: identifying and collaborating with leading innovators, consultants, and vendors (systems, engineering, architecture, traffic, programming, etc.).
• Immersing yourself in the Houston innovation ecosystem and representing the organization at community, networking, and industry events (some outside standard business hours).
• Driving internal alignment and adoption:
• Leading charrettes, visioning sessions, and trainings around new products.
• Owning UX, interfaces, and reporting outputs.
• Conducting due diligence on emerging technologies and maintaining a compendium of smart city tools, opportunities, and potential partners.
• Leading development of a smart city sensor database with the goal of democratizing data access across the organization.
• Partnering with internal teams to define “performance specifications” for various smart city applications (mobility, energy, environment, amenities, etc.).
• Running ad hoc analytics on existing datasets to uncover insights and inform future investments.

What You Bring

• Deep technical foundation with practical, working knowledge across all seven OSI layers.
• Strong product/engineering leadership experience, including:
• Prior senior role leading product and/or application development.
• Proven ability to take novel products from idea → prototype → market.
• Hands-on systems mindset: fluent in both hardware and software tooling; naturally curious about new technologies and options.
• Track record of managing multiple projects and external teams at once, without dropping the details.
• Excellent communication skills (written, visual, and verbal) with the ability to explain complex systems to non-technical stakeholders.
• Strong analytical intuition around data—how to capture it, model it, and present it in ways that drive real decisions.
• Relationship builder: experience sourcing, evaluating, and nurturing partnerships with technology vendors, research groups, and other innovators.

Who You Are

• You’re passionate about changing how the world works, not just iterating on the status quo.
• You’re comfortable turning fuzzy ideas into concrete, buildable products.
• You’re fascinated by human behavior and how physical + digital environments shape it.
• You enjoy re-thinking digital infrastructure and data-gathering from first principles.
• You’re familiar with smart city concepts (or excited to ramp up quickly).
• You genuinely enjoy building and sustaining strategic relationships across disciplines.

Why This Opportunity

• Big canvas, real impact: help shape the technology backbone of a large, high-visibility master-planned community in one of the fastest-growing major metros.
• Stability + resources: well-funded, long-term development with committed ownership.
• Compensation & benefits: competitive pay, medical, dental, vision, PTO, long-term disability, 401(k) eligibility, and a modern office environment with thoughtful perks.
• Team environment: collaborative group of talented professionals committed to raising the bar for human-centered development.

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