Chief Technology Officer

About the Unit​

IT Services is an integral part of the University of Chicago, committed to service delivery and support of the university mission through innovative uses of technology.

Job Information​

Job Summary:

The Chief Technology Officer (CTO) leads, directs, plans, and manages activities of University of Chicago Information Technology Services Infrastructure, Operations, Network, Voice, and Architecture teams to ensure reliable, effective, efficient, and secure delivery of technology systems to all areas of the University.   He/she will design, build, operate, and provide support for all University-wide systems and the IT infrastructure that supports school, division, and department specific applications. Collaborates with all departments of IT Services and the academic, research and administrative leadership across the University in the development and implementation of enterprise-wide IT strategy. Identifies changes and trends in technology and communicates impacts and consequences to the leaders in the University. Determines long-term, enterprise-wide information technology needs and contributes to setting the strategic direction of the University of Chicago information technology organization; insures technical innovation, and influences strategic business decisions regarding the use of technology.  Develops and maintains key IT vendor relationships in support of critical platforms and services. 

Responsibilities:

Key responsibilities of the CTO include:

• Strategy: Partner with CIO and other IT leaders to develop the enterprise-wide strategic technology infrastructure roadmap and design innovative technology strategies for a constantly changing top-tier academic research environment.

• Management: Oversee the management and short and long-range direction of the technology infrastructure functions and all technical aspects and technological resources.  Lead teams responsible for:  Voice & Data Networks; Servers & Storage; Messaging; Database Administration; Data Center Facilities & Operations, Scheduling & Monitoring; Cloud Computing Strategy, Architecture.  Manage an annual operating budget totaling more than $23 million.

• Process: Create and maintains an ITIL based service model to support the University of Chicago and its’ affiliates; establish IT policies, and processes, to ensure stable and reliable infrastructure operations and safeguard information resources and data.

• Measurement: Establish metrics and key performance indicators for all operations; monitor key performance indicators and direct efforts to ensure operational efficiency and continuous alignment with business needs; deploy solutions targeted at maintaining and improving service delivery.

• Relationships: Maintain relationships with academic, administrative, and executive leadership to understand business strategy and needs; Builds and maintains relationships with affiliates, higher education peer groups, as well as with industry bodies, start-ups, vendors and technology analysts to learn and influence the role of information technology within the University. Ensure IT alignment with clients and partners and ensure high levels of customer satisfaction.

• Planning: Participate in planning and budgeting processes, bringing a knowledge and vision of technology and systems that positively influences Information Technology department and university plans.  Oversee strategic and operational planning and capacity planning for systems and networks.

• Disaster Recovery: Oversee the development, maintenance and regular testing of enterprise disaster recovery plans.

• Innovation:Acts as a thought leader on emerging technologies, articulating the applicability to the future of the University.  Promotes innovation and implementation of IT enablers to support key capabilities used by the University academic and administrative organizations.

• Staff Development: Evaluate performance and provide coaching for IT staff. Promote diversity and foster teamwork, collaboration, and a learning organization. Provide input on development and retention processes for IT staff.

Competencies:

• A track record of attracting, hiring, managing and retaining top quality staff and management.

• Strong change management and leadership skills plus the ability to implement new systems and redesign work processes.

• Financial and operational management experience, particularly for a complex, central service provider that supports a highly decentralized and diverse portfolio.

• Demonstrated experience directing and managing within a challenging environment and working inclusively through people to achieve shared objectives.

• Energy, tact, conviction, flexibility, and excellent communication skills plus the other intangible attributes necessary to succeed in a complex, fast-moving, top-tier University.

In order to accomplish the strategic and operational objectives established for this role and to contribute to the overall success of ITS, the Chief Technology Officer must demonstrate a range of key personal qualities and must be able to apply the following core values to this position at the University of Chicago:

• Strategic Agility: can anticipate future consequences and trends accurately; has broad knowledge and perspective; is future-oriented; can articulate a vision of the future state of enterprise systems in a way that engages business partners and IT staff; can create competitive and breakthrough strategies and plans.

• Business Acumen: knowledgeable about current and possible future policies, practices, trends, technology and information affecting his/her business and organization; understands or can quickly learn the key activities, risks, and performance objectives of the business activities of the University.

• Decision Quality: makes good decisions based on a mixture of analysis, wisdom, experience, and judgment; is sought out by others for advice and solutions; includes others in the process of defining the problem and identifying the solution.

• Process Management and Prioritization: knows how to organize people and activities to get work done; understands how to separate and combine tasks into efficient work flow; knows how and what to measure; can see opportunities for synergy and integration where others may not; can simplify complex processes and achieve results efficiently.

• Planning and Project Management: accurately scopes out the length and difficulty of tasks and projects; breaks down work into process steps; develops schedules and task/people assignments; anticipates and adjusts for problems and roadblocks; measures performance and evaluates results; engages stakeholders and staff in a collaborative process of planning and execution.

• Customer Focus: dedicated to meeting the expectations and requirements of customers; solicits first-hand customer information and uses it for improvements in products and services; acts with customers in mind; establishes and maintains effective relationships with customers and gains their trust and respect.

• Peer Relationships: can quickly find common ground and solve problems for the good of all; is seen as a collaborator and a team player; easily secures trust and support of peers. 

Additional Requirements​​

Education, Experience or Certifications:

Education:

• A Bachelor’s degree in computer science or related field required.

• A Master’s degree in a technical or relevant functional discipline (finance, business, etc.) is highly preferred.

Experience:

• Minimum 15 years of experience in Information Technology, including the following :

  • Experience planning and implementing large-scale IT projects and meaningful experience with higher education research, academic and administrative activities.

  • Experience leading and managing a team of at least 100 technology infrastructure professionals is preferred.

  • Experience planning and implementing large-scale IT projects (both systems and network)

  • Experience managing or overseeing projects to implement enterprise-level business applications for a large (5,000-plus FTE) enterprise as well as experience operating those applications preferred.

  • Strong management experience with the ability to manage a complex multilayered organization required.

  • Portfolio management experience, including experience collaborating with a PMO and other IT Leaders to establish, implement, and maintain a robust resource management process.

  • Experience conducting cost/benefit and Total Cost of Ownership studies preferred.

  • Prior experience collaborating with other R1 institutions, National Labs, Federal Agencies such as NSF and NCI, and other higher education forums, preferred.

  • Proven experience successfully deploying new technology, including cloud computing services, collaboration services, voice & video services, and other emerging services.

  • Experience creating and maintaining 3-5 year technology roadmaps required.

  • Experience with internal and external IT data centers and a complex 24/7 operation required.

  • Experience managing a hybrid computing environment (on premise and Cloud) of virtual servers, tiered storage, and mainframe computing required.

  • Operations experience, including capacity planning and forecasting, risk management, incident response and recovery, and business continuity, required.

  • Experience designing, implementing and supporting shared services initiatives in an enterprise- wide environment preferred.

Working Conditions and Physical Requirements:

• Office environment

Required Documents:

• Resume
• Cover Letter

NOTE: When applying all documents MUST be uploaded under the Resume/CV section of the application.

Benefit Eligibility​ 
Yes

Pay Frequency​
Monthly

Pay Range
Depends on Qualifications

Scheduled Weekly Hours​
37.5

Union​
Non-Union

Job is Exempt?​
Yes

Drug Test Required?​​
No

Does this position require incumbent to operate a vehicle on the job?​
No

Health Screen Required?​​
No

Posting Date​
2018-11-20-08:00

Remove from Posting On or Before​
2019-05-20-07:00

Posting Statement:​​

The University of Chicago is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity/Disabled/Veterans Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, status as an individual with a disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

Staff Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.

The University of Chicago's Annual Security & Fire Safety Report (Report) provides information about University offices and programs that provide safety support, crime and fire statistics, emergency response and communications plans, and other policies and information. The Report can be accessed online at:  http://securityreport.uchicago.edu.  Paper copies of the Report are available, upon request, from the University of Chicago Police Department, 850 E. 61st Street, Chicago, IL 60637.