Director of Information Technology

Northwest Missouri State University, MO

Job Level

Senior position

Post Date

08/26/2018

Job Category

Director

Sector

Technology

Job Status

Areas of Responsibility

Information Technology

Link to Job Posting

Essential Functions:
PRIMARY DUTY: The Director of Information Technology (IT) leads the technology team responsible for defining, implementing, and sustaining the technology that powers Northwest and the exceptional students the University serves. The position will play a critical role in providing valuable day to day insight and guidance to the Northwest leadership team across the full spectrum of employee and student technologies. The position will manage and develop a team of high performing team members and will report to the Vice President of Strategy and Operations. The successful individual must be customer driven, with the ability to manage multiple tasks and projects simultaneously, establish continuous improvement and day to day priorities for themselves and the team and own deliverables end to end. This individual must be able to work with minimal instruction and oversight, and be able to manage delivery of high quality outputs in a dynamic work environment with overlapping deadlines and time constraints.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: Oversees the role of IT as a service unit, serves as evangelist to drive technology solutions across the University and addresses technology disruptions across academic, student and administrative systems in a proactive manner Collaboratively develops and champions the IT plan that is integrated within the University's strategic plan, helping enhance the university's traditional strengths and providing for innovative resources to meet current and future needs of varying users Ensures the security if IT structures, systems and data. Evaluates and manages the cybersecurity plan and implementation. Keeps mission-critical systems operational, establishes and maintains an IT department responsive to user needs, requests and issues Supports an institutional sourcing strategy that drives cost reduction, avoidance and overall efficiencies; drives legacy system interfaces and migration to enhanced cross-departmental, integrated applications; and decreases customization of systems and increases system of business intelligence Drives customer driven, collaborative internal and external relationships to ensure maximization of value for students, employees and stakeholders Ensures technology solutions and services are agile and student- and employee-focused and scans emerging technologies Selects, trains, develops and retains leadership staff and provides coaching and mentoring; ensures overall technology staff has skill sets that address current and emergent needs Evaluates vendors and products, and recommends purchase of software, hardware and telecommunications equipment; participates in vendor contract negotiations for all new computer equipment and software purchased; and provides oversight for all IT contracts with external vendors Oversees and directs preventative maintenance program of IT hardware and software systems Directs IT-enabled business process restructuring and reengineering, and provides expertise on multidisciplinary business process-improvement teams Ensures network, computer storage and institutional data security; provides oversight for quality assurance of organizational data and ensures confidentiality; ensures network troubleshooting procedures are in place and refines and maintains disaster recovery plan Ensures ethical use of technology and data Ensures the conduct of security and performance audits and the evaluation of user satisfaction with services Conducts research and development of technology in the learning environment; seeks grant funding opportunities to further the improvement of services and impacts; and enacts membership in technology professional organizations, provides leadership in the higher education-related IT space and participates in IT-based forums Reports to the Vice President of Strategy and Operations and serves as a member of the Northwest Senior Leadership Team as well as other teams, including: Extended Leadership Team (ELT), Emergency Response Team, MERC Board (MOREnet), Digital Technology Committee and Computer User's Group Perform other duties as assigned
Qualifications:
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Education: Bachelor's degree Experience: Minimum of five years of progressive leadership experience working with information technology solutions Skills: Ability to make multi-level decisions; strong communication and organizational skills; demonstrated organizational excellence and leadership skills
Additional Job Information:
WORKING CONDITIONS: This position will work the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with an hour lunch break. Additional hours on nights and weekends will be required. LEADERSHIP RESPONSIBILITIES: Directly supervises the Manager of Enterprise application, Manager Infrastructure Services and the Manager of Technology Services. TYPICAL PHYSICAL DEMANDS: Ability to lift up to 20 pounds COMMUNITY: Northwest Missouri State University is located in Maryville, Missouri, a community of 12,000 with a diverse economy, and a strong industrial base. Maryville is located 45 miles north of St. Joseph, Missouri and 90 miles north of Kansas City, Missouri. For more information visit the website at www.maryville.org. UNIVERSITY: Founded in 1905, Northwest is a coeducational, primarily residential four-year university that offers a broad range of undergraduate and selected graduate programs on its Maryville campus as well as its Northwest-Kansas City location and through Northwest Online. With an enrollment of about 6,500 students, Northwest has met all measures of the state's performance-based funding initiative during four of the model's first five years, and U.S. News and World Report has ranked it as the top moderately selective regional university in Missouri during three of the last four years. Safewise ranks the city of Maryville as one of the "Safest College Towns in America," while BestCollegesOnline.org has named the Northwest campus one of the "50 Most Amazing University Botanical Gardens and Arboretums in the U.S." The University boasts a 59 percent graduation rate, which is in the 89th percentile of Northwest's national peer group. In addition, 96 percent of Northwest bachelor's degree earners and 97 percent of master's degree earners secure employment or continue their education within six months of graduation, according to the most recent data. Zippia, a career website, recently named Northwest the best college in Missouri for getting a job. Northwest places a high emphasis on profession-based learning to help graduates get a jumpstart on their careers. Students have opportunities to build their resumes with experiences on campus in nearly every area of study, including the Horace Mann Laboratory School, National Public Radio affiliate KXCV, the R.T. Wright Farm, Mozingo Outdoor Education Recreation Area or Knacktive, a student-driven integrated digital marketing communications agency. For more information, visit www.nwmissouri.edu. APPLICATION DEADLINE: Until the position is filled DATE AVAILABLE: Date to be determined with the successful candidate TO APPLY: Please fill out a Northwest application online by clicking http://agency.governmentjobs.com/nwmissouri/default.cfm to reach our employment opportunities listing. You will also need to submit a cover letter, resume, and the names, addresses, and phone numbers of three references in order for your application materials to be complete. Please contact the Office of Human Resources at 660-562-1127 or email mdrake@nwmissouri.edu for more information.