Assistant Director of Information Technology

The School 

At Greens Farms Academy (GFA), students are empowered to do the hard, thrilling, essential work of shaping their own world, of building their own future. More than 700 PreK -12 students come from 23 towns in Fairfield and Westchester counties and form a joyful community that aspires to live by the school's motto, "Each for All." Founded in 1925, GFA is situated on a former Vanderbilt estate in a scenic 44-acre campus located in Westport, CT.  The School’s highly regarded academic program is built around small class sizes (average 15), mentoring partnership with faculty (8:1 student to teacher ratio), and innovative programs designed to support students’ pursuit of questions that matter to them. The faculty is characterized by its growth-mindset, embracing innovation, exploring a range of student-centered approaches, and constantly seeking to better serve its students.

A stunning waterfront campus in Westport, CT, comprises three ecosystems - a salt marsh, Audubon woodlands, and the Long Island Sound - and architecture ranging from a modernized Vanderbilt estate to a state-of-the-art center for arts and global studies. GFA has graduated thousands of compassionate, enterprising, broad-minded women and men - people with the courage and vision to build a better world. The GFA mission plays an essential role in school life: GFA engages students as partners in an innovative, inclusive, and globally minded community to prepare them for lives of purpose. Faculty and staff have committed that language to memory, along with our core values -- passion, integrity, empathy, curiosity, excellence -- so as to better live out the spirit of those words.

GFA is a suburban school close to major transportation and a five-minute walk from the Greens Farms Metro North train station. The campus sits on the Long Island Sound, a half hour south of New Haven and an hour north of New York City by car or commuter train.

The Position 

Greens Farms Academy seeks an Assistant Director of Information Technology to begin as soon as possible. The Assistant Director will report to the Director of Information Technology and broadly support mission-critical functions of the Information Technology department. The Assistant Director will be responsible for providing technology support to students, parents, faculty and staff to meet the community’s technological needs. 

The Assistant Director of Information Technology would join a nimble team of technology professionals who share a service-oriented ethos in supporting students, parents, and faculty and staff in every division and department.  The team’s accomplishments include rolling out and supporting a one-to-one laptop program; transitioning to remote learning of all three divisions in the spring of 2020; incorporating hybrid learning technology in every classroom; enhancing the security systems in the school’s facilities and networks; and managing state-of-the-art audio and visual systems in the school’s various venues, including the 400-seat Performing Arts Center Theatre. 

The ideal candidate will have at least three years of experience in information technology services and be ready on day one to become one of the “go-to” people for technology-related questions for students, parents, and faculty and staff. Experience in schools is preferred and a passion for teaching in STEAM-related disciplines is a plus. For all positions, we look for candidates who enjoy working with colleagues in a collaborative environment; are flexible, creative, and adaptable; demonstrate a willingness to fully engage in the life of the school; and are committed to fostering a culture of belonging for all students under our care. 

Specific Duties and Responsibilities include:  

Building connections with students, faculty, staff, and parents to support their technological needs. 

• Maintaining a visible presence at the help desk and being ready to provide technological support anywhere on campus 

• Being an extension of the Director of Information Technology 

• Being a point of contact on behalf of the office for technology-related inquiries from students, parents and faculty and staff. 

• Resolving routine technological problems in the moment for students, faculty, and parents.

• Providing help desk services and IT support, fostering a user-focused and empathetic culture of service and support.

• Serve on various school committees as assigned.

Supporting the deployment and operations of hardware and software in all divisions and departments. 

• Meeting the hardware and software needs of students, faculty and staff  with an eye towards end-user satisfaction and compliance with the school’s responsible technology use policy.

• Consistently and accurately manage and update service tickets.  

• Surveying classroom technology to ensure suitability and proper functioning of projectors, sound systems, printers, and white boards on an ongoing basis; upgrading these assets as needed. 

• Planning and projecting the next academic year’s hardware and software needs. 

• Managing relationships with vendors to secure essential hardware and software to meet the community’s technology needs.  

Assisting in the integration of educational technology in the classroom. 

• Developing a deep understanding of the technological tools that faculty use the most in connecting with students and teaching their lessons. 

• Seeking out opportunities for training faculty on how to use technological tools--both hardware and software--in their teaching.  

• Forecasting changes to the technological landscape to identify cutting-edge learning technologies that would be valuable to students and faculty. 

Supporting the management of the school’s data and information systems to ensure the smooth functioning of the school’s operations.

• Maintaining essential databases to ensure the accuracy and availability of mission-critical information. 

• Importing and exporting data into the school’s various student information systems.  

• Ensuring that operational and academic department leaders have the necessary access to, and reporting of, data.

Professional Qualifications:

• A bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university is a minimum requirement, though a graduate degree is highly desirable, in computer science, information management systems, database administration, or related fields.  

• Experience with systems and technology planning, development and implementation, including: enterprise systems design and administration, educational technology distribution, data flow and data interoperability, project management, and end-user training. 

• Deep knowledge of the Apple OS, iOS, Android, Windows, and associated devices, and experience with the Google suite (professional certifications in either desired but not required).

• Experience with technical writing and creating instructional guides or tutorials. 

• Skilled with database management, including student information and learning management systems. 

• Knowledge of video conferencing platforms and audiovisual systems

• Experience troubleshooting hardware and software issues on mobile devices, desktops, laptops, and tablets. 

Personal Qualities:

• Ability to work with children of all ages to support their individual technology needs. 

• A professional growth mindset, constantly seeking deeper understanding of current and emerging information technology solutions across educational and industry spaces

• A willingness to collaborate with others in support of the mission of the school

• Skilled vendor management and partner relation skills to leverage external resources that enhance the school’s internal technology capacity

• A collaborative, cooperative, empathetic, collegial, innovative, and patient mindset

• Exceptional interpersonal skills 

• An understanding of the diverse technology needs and organizational complexities of a large, high-achieving, multidivisional, and independent school

• Confidence and humility, together with a sense of humor and warm personality