Chief Information Officer

Job Level
Senior position
Job Category
C Level
Sector
  • Technology
Job Status
Areas of Responsibility
  • All Areas of Technology
About Susquehanna

As a living, learning and working community, Susquehanna University affirms its commitment to being an engaged, culturally inclusive campus. As we seek to embody the rich diversity of the human community, we commit ourselves to the full participation of persons who represent the breadth of human difference. The university encourages candidates from historically underrepresented groups to apply. Susquehanna University is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Susquehanna University is a national liberal arts college committed to excellence in educating students for productive, creative and reflective lives of achievement, leadership and service in a diverse, dynamic and interdependent world. Its more than 2,200 undergraduates come from 35 states and 22 countries, and all students study away through Susquehanna’s unique Global Opportunities program. Susquehanna University’s 325 acre campus, noted for its beauty, is located in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, 50 miles north of Harrisburg in the scenic Susquehanna River Valley, about a three hour drive from Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and New York City. For more information, please visit https://www.susqu.edu.

Position Summary

Reporting to the Vice President for Finance & Administration/Co-Chief Operating Officer, the Chief Information Officer (CIO) is responsible for developing and implementing comprehensive information technology strategies that support the mission, strategic plan, core educational and administrative objectives of Susquehanna University. The CIO, in collaboration with key stakeholders, will prioritize technology initiatives, identify risks, evaluate trends, and make IT recommendations as appropriate to senior leadership. 
Specific Responsibilities

  • Develop a strategic IT direction for Susquehanna that integrates with the University’s strategic plan and ties into the institution’s five-year capital and operating plan 

  • Work in partnership with administrative departments to streamline business processes and to help administrators identify technology solutions that help deliver on strategic priorities. 

  • Provide day-to-day leadership of the Information Technology office, through the IT leadership team, including the oversight of information and telecommunications technology functions and services supporting the institution.

  • Ensure appropriate implementation and support for business, academic and research systems by managing and coordinating applications, network administration, security and related areas.

  • Develop and administer information technology security strategies, policies and procedures for network availability, security and related issues.

  • Ensure overall compliance with regulations for securing data records associated with student and personnel records, financial records, and research data.

  • Work collaboratively with the senior leadership team and key stakeholders in identifying and implementing key IT initiatives.

  • Establish effective quality assurance processes, including integration and testing strategies, and departmental metrics.

  • Identify the appropriate balance of campus based resources and services versus brokered resources and services delivered by vendor and cloud based providers.

  • Develop, manage, and marshal the information technology budget, including capital and recurring expenses pertaining to ongoing and future projects.

  • Advance and maintain cloud resources focused on effective business/disaster recovery plans to ensure the effective recovery of IT systems and services in the event of an outage or catastrophic event.

  • Build strong working relationships among IT and faculty, staff, management, vendors and other technology organizations within the University by facilitating communication and resolving conflicts.

Required Qualifications

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities
Knowledge of the information technology challenges and opportunities present at a private university to facilitate teaching and learning, student excellence and success. Ability to effectively manage financial and other resources in a manner that maximizes productivity and quality of work. Must have excellent interpersonal skills and be able to build strong collaborative relationships. Requires ability to multi-task and attend to detail. Must have the ability to work independently and to set priorities; but also advocates team concepts and functions as a team member as needed. Demonstrates excellent written and verbal communication skills. Applies analytical skills and principles of rational systems to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete situations where limited standardization exists. The ability to manage budgets and to be able to continually shift funds from old technology to new technology in a cost effective manner.  
Education
Bachelor’s degree in business, computer science, engineering, or other related discipline required.
Experience
10 years of progressive responsible leadership and management experience in Information Technology with accountability for programmatic oversight, resource management, and employee development.
Physical Demand
Position requires the ability to stand or sit for extended periods of time. Position requires the ability to move about the campus. Position requires the ability to talk and to hear instruction. Position requires occasional manual dexterity and the ability to use fingers, hands, and arms to feel, handle, and reach. Position requires occasional stooping, crouching and bending. Position requires the ability to occasionally lift up to 10 pounds. Working conditions are indoor.