Assistant Dean for Technology Services

Mission or Goal of Unit
The mission of the School of Medicine is to provide preeminent education to physicians and scientists in order to improve the quality of health care for humanity. Through innovative, scholarly activity and a diverse educational context, the School seeks to create and apply new knowledge, and to provide and continuously improve systems of medical and science education. Furthermore, it is our mission to develop more effective healthcare practices to address the needs of the diverse populations we serve and to provide distinguished leadership in the advancement of medicine and science

The mission of the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine Technology Services is to provide the highest quality IT services in the most cost-effective manner, to facilitate and enhance the core missions of the School of Medicine — education, research, and healthcare — and the administrative procedures that support these missions.

Chief purpose of this position in support of above mission or goal
The Assistant Dean serves as a member of the senior administrative leadership team that includes human resources, finance, facilities, education, development, and alumni relations. He/She is responsible for building strong relationships with senior management and stakeholders, driving innovation, and developing IT strategies that align technology with the School of Medicine’s vision, mission, and goals to improve the business value of IT in the delivery of medical education, research, and administration. He/She will oversee and manage the effective use of technology in application development, audio visual, instructional delivery, infrastructure and client services, and IT security. The Assistant Dean will work closely with the VCU Chief Information Officer and VCU Health Systems Chief Information Officer to ensure optimal alignment of University and Hospital central IT services with services provided at the School level. He/She will represent the School of Medicine on VCU / VCU Medical committees, various technical advisory groups, and at national medical school conferences. He/she should have a background dealing with the complexities of supporting a medical school that operates separate from its teaching hospital.

The Assistant Dean will supervise a staff of 5 direct reports. He/She will have broad technical knowledge of infrastructure platforms combined with proven leadership ability and IT service management process methodology using the Information Technology Infrastructure Library ( ITIL ) framework. He/she drives development of the technology architecture and infrastructure to ensure that IT delivers significant value to the school.

Additionally, the Assistant Dean, in collaboration with the VCU Chief Information Security Officer and the VCU Heath Systems Chief Information Security Officer, is responsible for the management and implementation of data security baselines, standards, and policies around data that is generated, stored, and/or transmitted electronically to include computers, servers and mobile devices. He/She will be responsible for management of hardware, software, training, budgets, development of processes, standard operating procedures and other associated documentation. He/She recommends cost- effective solutions based on IT trends.

Position Responsibilities
Reporting to the Senior Associate Dean for Finance and Administration, the Assistant Dean’s responsibilities include:

1. IT Management and Governance (25%)-This position is responsible for developing the strategic objectives and goals for the SOM IT division. The incumbent will articulate the school’s mission and vision to provide leadership with technology solutions in support of the instruction, and research missions of the school. Develops IT governance strategies to support senior leadership goals. Oversees the development of Standard Operating Procedures and best practices. Provides guidance and collaborates with VCU Technology Services and VCU Medical Information Systems to implement technology solutions for the school and acts as primary liaison to the central IT organizations. Recruits and retains highly qualified IT staff and emphasizes professional development of staff. Represents SOM on committees and technical user groups at different levels in the organization within VCU and nationally at the AAMC and Educause. Develops and maintains IT budget, in coordination and consultation with the Senior Associate Dean for Finance and Administration. Creates Business Associate Agreements ( BAA ) and Memoranda of Understanding ( MOU ) for shared systems used throughout the university.

2. Application Development and Data Management (25%) – Provides leadership and direction for the application development team to develop and maintain highly effective, reliable, scalable, secure, and innovative information systems to support instructional and administrative functions. Identifies and prioritize system development projects based on priorities set by senior management.

3. Educational Technology (20%) – Oversees the effective training and timely support for technology-enhanced learning spaces. Monitors the renewal and replacement/updating of classroom/conference room AV and computer equipment. Offers consultative services for multimedia projects and AV design for technology-enhanced learning spaces. Ensures that appropriate network infrastructure and support are in place to facilitate communication with offsite campuses and hospitals.

4. Infrastructure and Client Services (10%) – Provides leadership and management to infrastructure and client services team- which provides centralized helpdesk and computer support for the SOM Dean’s Office, Departments, SOM Affiliated centers and institutes. Implements SOM Information Security Standards, manages SOM services, develops and monitors policies related to the use, purchase and allocation of hardware and software. Oversees/Modifies Business Impact Analysis, Continuity Plan, and Disaster Recovery Plans for SOM supported systems.

5. Performance Metrics (10%) – Establishes and monitors performance metrics for IT services to be used by the Senior Associate Dean and senior management for measuring operational efficiency of IT in promotion of strategic goals.

6. SOM Website Management (10 %) – Oversees the design and maintenance of SOM websites. Oversees the delivery of end-user training with content management tools. Provide expertise to assist in the development and management of Department, Institute, and Center websites.

Required Qualifications
Education/Work Experience Requirements:
• Master’s degree in computer science, information systems, business administration or related field required. PhD preferred
• National certifications in infrastructure, application development, and or project management preferred
• Fifteen or more years in IT industry
• Ten or more years of leadership responsibilities

Knowledge and Skills:
• Strong leadership skills
• Expertise in budget planning, financial management, and resource management
• Extensive knowledge of infrastructure planning, design, deployment, and system life cycle methodology
• Broad knowledge of current and emerging information technologies
• Project management skills to include effective deployment of resources, and managing multiple projects in a cross functional environment
• Excellent oral and written communications skills, including ability to explain technology solutions in business terms and to establish rapport with experts in fields that involve knowledge and business models and practices.