Director of Information Technology

Saint Mark’s School is an independent, Episcopal coeducational day school in Altadena, California.  Founded in 1960, the School serves the needs of approximately 350 Preschool through Sixth grade students from diverse ethnic, racial, religious and economic backgrounds.   The School’s mission is to develop the unique intellect and character of each student in a nurturing environment committed to academic excellence, respect for diversity, responsibility, and spiritual growth.

Director of Information Technology

Saint Mark’s School is seeking an innovative IT professional to provide leadership for the planning, development, implementation and evaluation of technology infrastructure. This person will be responsible for ensuring the delivery of highly effective technology systems that support both teaching and learning, as well as the administrative operations of the school. The Director of Information Technology will partner closely with the Director of Educational Technology and Innovation in all ways that involve supporting faculty and student achievement in the classroom. This is a 12-month exempt position, reporting to the Head of School.

The ideal candidate will have a proven track record of working collaboratively with others to leverage technology in meeting organizational goals. The successful candidate will have experience with working in a team-oriented setting and in delivering excellent, personalized customer service to all constituencies in the community while creating a secure IT landscape. Specific responsibilities include providing hands-on support for network infrastructure (wired and wireless), all physical and virtual servers, backup systems, network security, video systems and emergency broadcast systems.

The Director of Information Technology will partner with the Director of Educational Technology and Innovation to clarify the school’s technology vision and to implement a technology plan that meets the current and future needs of a dynamic 21st-century learning environment. The successful candidate will join at an exciting time in its development, with the opportunity to impact the school’s long-term vision for technology implementation through its upcoming strategic planning process.

Major Responsibilities:

• The Director of Information Technology is both visionary and managerial. S/he considers the present and imagines the future in developing the systems that will allow the school to fulfill its mission in preparing students to become to become self-confident, self-reliant, and responsible to themselves, their families, their school, and the world;
• In addition, s/he manages all aspects of the technological infrastructure of the school and directly supports the adult and student users of that technology. The scope of the job is broad and includes, but is not limited to, the following:
• Overseeing the mobile tablet carts and Classroom 3.0, including network management, the installation of network hardware, and the repair of all electronic equipment, computers, and other equipment;
• Taking a proactive approach to assessing needs and ensuring that equipment is working reliably and efficiently;
• Ensuring the continual functioning of mission critical operations including file servers, email systems, internet service, wireless network, web servers and website service, physical plant systems, security systems, phone systems, and emergency broadcast/communication systems and others*;
• Reviewing and negotiating  vendor relationships including hardware procurement and maintenance, software licensing, installation, and upgrade continuity;
• Managing non-educational and educational platforms and databases for constituencies including the admissions, advancement, marketing/communications and business offices;
• Ensuring optimal integration of all systems and databases;
• Collaborating with the Director of Educational Technology and Innovation and Head of School to develop and oversee technology budgets and manage those technological functions that support the academic program, along with facilitating seamless, efficient implementation of educational platforms at a technical level;
• Monitoring and managing network   resources to maintain efficiency and security;
• Holding primary responsibility for the back-up, security and stability of the school’s systems and data in response to accidental outage or damage, natural disasters, malicious attack, and other threats;
• Overseeing hardware distribution, inventory database of school’s hardware/software and maintenance cycles;
• Providing on site and remote support to faculty, staff and students concerning hardware and software

Qualifications: The ideal candidate will possess:

• BS or BA in Computer Science, Systems Management or related field
• Three or more years of experience serving as an IT director, managing institutional technology infrastructure
• Experience with IOS and Windows OS
• Ability to work collaboratively to achieve collective goals
• Flexibility in all areas of work life
• Patience, creativity, a sense of humor, dedication, approachability and a positive attitude
• High interest in serving a not-for-profit, mission-based institution
• Experience creating and implementing operating plans and goals
• Outstanding organizational skills, with ability to juggle long-range planning while prioritizing and completing multiple tasks simultaneously
• Excellent interpersonal and cross-cultural skills
• Outstanding oral and written communications; skilled at communicating technical information to non-technical personnel
• Previous experience in a school setting- independent schools preferred but not required
• Solution-driven and improvement-oriented mentality
• Love for working with a range of people, including children

Requirements and Work Environment: 

• Must be available to be on call for after-hours emergencies
• Works at desk and in front of a computer screen for extended periods of time
• Turns, bends, reaches and may occasionally use a ladder
• Be able to occasionally lift up to 35 lbs
• Work primarily in a traditional climate controlled office environment 
• Salary: Salary is commensurate with experience 

Benefits: A full benefits package includes medical, dental and vision coverage and a TIAA/CREF retirement plan. 

Application:  If interested in the position, please submit your resume and a letter articulating your interest in and fit for the job to adenan@saint-marks.org.

Saint Mark’s School is an equal opportunity employer, dedicated to a policy of non-discrimination in employment on any basis including race, color, age, sex, religion, national origin, the presence of mental, physical, or sensory disability, sexual orientation, or any other basis prohibited by federal or state law.