Job Description

Responsibilities
The Chief Information Officer is responsible for providing overall leadership and direction for the university-wide information technology services and infrastructure to meet the varied and complex needs of the campus. The CIO is responsible for identifying, planning, evaluating, and reporting on information technology needs, trends and risks, and consulting with and advising the college leadership. The CIO is a strategic planner, with vision to prepare and implement business and technical practices as well as emerging technologies, best practices, and regulatory requirements in the field of information technology related to higher education.

Keys to success in this role will be close collaboration with University leadership to establish value-added information technology services using innovative, cost-effective technologies to enhance the academic enterprise and to empower operation efficiency and effectiveness. Communications and providing consultative services to the leadership of Delta State University is an integral part of the CIO’s role. The CIO will be forward-thinking and innovative in seeking appropriate solutions to meet campus and system expectations for the successful integration of modern information systems, including Delta State’s ERP and legacy platforms. The CIO will provide leadership to develop an infrastructure that supports a strong campus-wide data governance model to provide an environment that enhances data-informed decision-making, compliance reporting capabilities, and analytics capacity.

• Lead the development of a university wide strategic vision for information technology services and solutions in alignment with the university’s mission and strategic priorities.
• Develop and organize on-campus talent that is structured to meet the strategic vision while ensuring exceptional support and service.
•Budgetary planning and management for the Delta State Office of Information Technology’s operational budgets through which judicious and demonstrably productive use of resources is essential
• Develop a culture that anticipates how technology can support and be incorporated to meet the needs of present and future faculty, students, and staff. Provide forward-thinking leadership to modernize Delta State’s information technology system.
• Ensure appropriate policies and procedures across all facets of information technology.
• Develop an analytics environment to support data-informed decision-making and compliance reporting requirements.
• Prevent IT security threats by identifying key vulnerabilities, creating internal awareness programs, and maintaining ongoing communication with top-level management. Ensure the security of information technology systems and adherence to applicable laws and regulations.
• Enhance the information technology governance structure to ensure efficient and effective processes to evaluate, prioritize, and manage projects in a coordinated, appropriately secured, and sufficiently supported manner. Develop a model to evaluate information technology performance.
• Strengthen collaboration across the campus-wide IT systems to enhance communication and to facilitate opportunities for shared efficiencies. Shared services, consortia, and outsourcing should all be continually explored as cost-saving alternatives.
• Identify, manage, and report information technology risks.
• Oversees the planning, project management, analysis, design, and implementation of the system-wide and campus-wide software applications by working with faculty, staff, and students to determine requirements, achieve milestones, and deploy successful projects. Balance the need for vision/planning with continual service/operations improvement and major transformation/innovation projects.
• Lead significant infrastructure transformation across the enterprise.
• Support Delta State’s Online technical requirements, including applicable systems such as the Learning Management System, video conferencing, online training for students and faculty, online proctoring systems, lecture capture, etc.
• Develop and implement an organizational model that delivers exceptional quality service and support for all university-wide stakeholders in an efficient and effective manner.
• Develop communication plans and strategies to provide timely updates to university leadership and others regarding information technology initiatives.
• Represent the university on city, region, state, national, and private industry committees and councils and work with internal and external constituents on all matters related to information technology.
Qualifications
Experience:

• Over ten (10) years of progressively relevant information systems/technology experience
• Minimum of five (5) years of leading a higher educational institution’s IT department
• Demonstrating progressively responsible administrative management experience, including supervision

Special Skills & Knowledge:

• Extensive project and personnel management skills with the ability to meet critical deadlines
• Exceptional skills in analyzing and solving complex problems as well as in providing documentation, guidance, and instruction to diverse groups of individuals
• Demonstrated proficiency in leading improvement initiatives and strategic planning efforts
• Demonstrated ability to make information technology strategies and solutions accessible to a wide range of audiences
• Ability to set and change priorities among multiple competing constituencies
Salary Commensurate with experience, qualifications, and university’s resources.
Minimum Qualifications
A bachelor’s degree in computer science, software engineering, information systems, or a related field is commonly required.
Extensive work experience in an IT environment, with at least 10 years of managing projects and/or people.
Experience in higher education information technology.
Preferred Qualifications
A master’s degree in a business administration or information technology field