Director of Information Technology

Summary:

The Director of Information Technology (IT) formulates the mid and long term IT strategy; creates and maintains IT policies & procedures; develops financial budgets and forecasts; supervises the development, implementation, and support of multiple systems & applications; and leads a staff of IT professionals to align with the organization’s strategy, to ensure the realization of strategic IT objectives, and to contribute to the overall performance and competitive position of Brookline College.

This position is responsible for all IT related systems, processes, and procedures as well as the supervision, implementation, and maintenance of Brookline College’s computing needs. As a key member of the senior management team, the incumbent supervises a team of internal, external and third-party IT professionals who address hardware, office systems, intranet, internal and cloud software solutions, telephone, and network security needs. Also, this position oversees (project manage) the planning and execution of all IT related projects, such as software development & implementation and data security initiatives. Strong knowledge and experience in Campus Management’s CampusNexus software solution is required to perform the essential functions of this position, as well as the creation and maintenance of a world-class help desk system and team.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Develops IT strategy and policies and monitors their implementation throughout the organization, including various campuses
• Interfaces with executive management, academic and operating managers to understand overall company focus and strategic direction
• Selects and implements suitable technology to streamline internal operations and help optimize the strategic benefits and value to the organization
• Responsible for all software development and integration, including but not limited to lead generation, mobile and web development/services, sales and marketing systems, call center, operational systems, financial systems, and data base design and administration.
• Heads the IT function of the company and will help the company in realizing its objective of improving its online presence becoming more digital.
• Plans the implementation of new systems and provide guidance to IT professionals and other staff within the organization
• Integrates, analyzes and helps academic and operations partners interpret complex and diverse information
• Responsible for all technological innovation to create a best-in-class technical education environment including but not limited to ebooks, gamification, personalization portals, mobile platform, interactive visual platforms, simulations, MOOCs and learning analytics.
• Initiates, formulates, and implements new business practices for IT; leads the development and/or delivery of a significant element of the change leadership program for the organization
• Manages the development and/or delivery of budgets and forecasts for the IT department
• Manages/acts as the primary IT partner for student and key internal relationships
• Manages key client/customer and partner/vendor relationships
• Manages the delivery of outputs for the IT team/department through leading the IT team
• Monitors changes or advancements in technology to discover ways the company may be able to gain competitive advantage
• Analyzes the costs, value, and risks of information technology solutions, advises management and suggest actions
• Manages all systems administration and support, ensuring all IT, phone, and network systems are functioning properly and when not functioning properly takes the necessary immediate actions to remedy
• Has specific experience in call center dialer software (Noble), CRM, lead management system (Velocify), student learning management system (Moodle), student administration system (CampusNexus), and financial system (Microsoft Dynamics/Great Plains)
• Ensures applications, databases and other critical systems are backed up according to policy; monitors backup processes for successful completion and practices restore drills on a regular basis according to policy
• Performs requisite preventative maintenance to prevent and/or minimize risk of technology issues/outages
• Creates & maintains a disaster recovery plan and performs disaster recovery drills on a regular basis
• Ensures that security measures for systems, applications, databases, and networks are properly implemented and updated regularly to minimize technical vulnerabilities
• Works with primary academic and operations partners to prepare and communicate project plans for IT projects
• Evaluates new technology solutions available in the market, choosing those best suited for Brookline and prepares the business case for the implementation of said technology solutions
• Leads and manages a team of technical support specialists in the day-to-day performance of their duties
• Manages external vendors with regards to Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and the delivery of products and/or services
• Evaluates SLAs regularly for changes to Brookline operations that may require agreement updates.
• Leads IT organization with a customer-first focus/approach.

Skills and/or Experience:

• Excellent knowledge of IT infrastructure (virtual and standalone servers), Cloud environments (including Office 365), Mobile, Security, API’s, Network, Telecommunication Systems, Databases (primarily SQL) and Software Solutions (Noble, Velocify, CampusNexus, Moodle, and Microsoft Dynamics/Great Plains)
• Experience with managing, maintaining, and engaging with a data center co-location
• Background in designing/developing IT systems and planning IT implementations
• Preferably proven experience or demonstrated capability in leading IT transformational initiatives in complex and dynamic environments by taking advantage of digital opportunities (including online & mobile opportunities) to innovate business models and enable the digitalization of the college
• Possesses working knowledge of infrastructure, including cloud technology, network administration, disaster recovery and business continuity
• Superior analytical and problem-solving capabilities and a solid understanding of data analysis, budgeting/forecasting and how to translate academic and operation needs into cost-effective, value add technical solutions
• Ability to instill confidence in the business and demonstrate the business value of IT.
• Ability to identify, calculate, and report Return on Investment (ROI) of IT initiatives (as outlined in business case)
• Effective influencing and negotiation skills in an environment where resources may not be in direct control of this role
• Excellent organizational and leadership skills
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to explain digital concepts and technologies to academic and operations leaders, and academic and operations concepts to the IT workforce.
• Preferably understands current and emerging technologies and how other education enterprises are employing them to drive digital/online business and how they may be applied to the enterprise to drive and improve digital presence

Education and/or Experience:

Bachelor’s Degree in a related discipline required from a four-year college or university and 10 years related experience including 5 years of management experience. Master’s Degree in a related discipline is highly desired but not required. Must have hands on, demonstrated experience with SQL, PHP, and CampusVue (preferably newest version CampusNexus).

Success Criteria:

Some indicators of success are:

• Minimal technical disruption to students and company personnel
• Successful rollout of new technologies
• Successful testing of backup restores and disaster recovery plans
• Successful rollout of technologies to existing and new campuses
• Development and retention of IT personnel