Job Description

Position Description Summary/Purpose:

The Director of Information Technology (IT) is responsible for overseeing and managing the University’s and Magnet Schools IT infrastructure, ensuring efficient, secure, and innovative technology solutions for students, faculty, and staff. This leadership role requires strategic planning, technical expertise, and the ability to foster a high-performing IT team that supports the university’s mission and growth.

Essential Job Functions/Primary Responsibilities:

(The essential functions or duties listed below are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related or a logical assignment to the position.)

Organization leadership
Recruit, supervise and develop highly performing information technology staff.
Create and maintain a professional team-work environment that reflects the University’s and Magnet Schools mission and values.
As a member of the University’s Leadership Council, participate in non-technical projects and initiatives to benefit the University’s community as needed.
Foster a culture of continuous improvement by encouraging innovation, knowledge-sharing, and ongoing professional development within the IT department.
Lead strategic planning efforts for IT services, ensuring alignment with the University’s overall goals and objectives
Cultivate partnerships with external organizations, alumni, and industry leaders to bring new technologies, ideas, and resources to the University and Magnet Schools’ IT ecosystem.
Technical leadership
Serve as a liaison for administration, staff and faculty regarding future planning and goals of the University and Magnet Schools.
Consult with management on computer system and telecommunications needs for information and functional operations, scope and priorities of projects, strategic planning, system capacity and equipment acquisition
Analyze data and present information to non-technical colleagues in order to solve key business issues.
Work with academic and support departments to recommend information systems policy and make appropriate decisions on the acquisition of products and systems.
Lead the development and implementation of IT strategies to optimize the performance and scalability of the University and Magnet Schools’ technological infrastructure.
Establish best practices and standards for system architecture, data management, and network security to ensure the University’s systems are secure, efficient, and reliable.
Advise on emerging technologies and trends in the IT field, ensuring that the University stays competitive and innovative in its technological solutions.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure alignment of technical initiatives with organizational goals and objectives, ensuring seamless integration across departments.
Develop and implement disaster recovery and business continuity plans to mitigate risks and maintain operational uptime in the event of system failures.
Mentor and provide guidance to senior technical staff, fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and excellence within the IT team.
Research, recommend, develop, and manage plans and budgets for systems development and operations, hardware replacement cycles and software upgrades, hardware, and software purchases.
Systems management
Ensure that proper information protection tools, policies and procedures are in place and working properly at all times. Partner with all software and systems “owners” in the University and Magnet Schools to support the school’s compliance with all federal and state regulations including FERPA and HIPAA
Ensure the consistent performance and long-term viability of systems by creating and maintaining and enforcing standards/procedures for implementing technical solutions
Support the University’s and Magnet Schools on-line learning by ensuring that appropriate systems and infrastructure are in place.
Manage system lifecycle processes, including planning, deployment, maintenance, and decommissioning, to ensure systems remain current, cost-effective, and aligned with institutional needs.
Develop and enforce change management procedures to ensure that system updates, patches, and modifications are conducted in a controlled, predictable, and efficient manner with minimal disruption.
Stay current on industry best practices and emerging technologies to make informed recommendations on new systems, software, and technologies that may enhance operational performance.
Vendor management
Effectively assess, select, and manage technical vendors as needed to ensure seamless and cost-effective service delivery for the University and Magnet Schools.
Collaborate with external vendors and service providers to ensure third-party systems and services are aligned with University and Magnet Schools’ needs, meet performance expectations, and are compliant with security standards.
The position has access to sensitive data including payroll, and personal information of students as well as knowledge of the organization’s future technology policies and plans.
Conducts all work in a safe manner and ensures all work safety practices are followed.
Other Functions:

Performs similar or related work as required, directed or as situation permits.
Continuing professional development and training; keeps current with trends.
Assists other department staff as needed to promote a team effort.