Staff Careers

Chief Information Officer Search Profile

The Opportunity

The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), a thriving Carnegie High Research Activity institution in one of the South’s culturally rich and economically robust cities, seeks the institution’s next Chief Information Officer. The University invites applications and nominations from experienced and highly qualified individuals who can provide leadership for the University’s information technology strategy.

The University

A hub of innovation and cross-disciplinary collaboration, UAH is admired worldwide for global partnerships with international corporate partners and a robust undergraduate and graduate student environment. The world-class faculty delivers challenging hands-on curricula that ensures UAH graduates are prepared to become tomorrow's leaders. The 500+acre campus, which includes 17 high-tech centers and laboratories responsible for close to $170 million in annual, externally funded, research expenditures, has seen substantial growth over the past decade with a current enrollment of 8,743.

UAH is one of three public doctoral research universities comprising the University of Alabama System. Led by the System’s Chancellor and governed by a 15-member self-nominating Board of Trustees, the UA System is comprised of three of the most dynamic research universities in the South and a world-class medical center. A $15 billion enterprise, the UA System is a major driver for economic, intellectual, and cultural growth, today serving close to 70,000 students and close to 42,000 employees, and treating 1+ million patients annually in its hospitals and clinics. The overall annual economic impact exceeds $10 billion.

With a population approaching 492,000, the greater Huntsville metro area offers a year-round calendar of superb cultural, recreational, and family-focused activities as well as restaurants, craft breweries, and shopping that draw visitors from near and far. Served by an international airport just five miles from the UAH campus, Huntsville is within a short drive of Atlanta, Birmingham, Nashville, New Orleans, and other popular destinations for cultural enrichment.

The Chief Information Officer (CIO) will report to the Vice President for Finance and Administration and has operational, strategic, and fiscal responsibility for all aspects of information technology and innovation. The incumbent will be responsible for expanding the scope of developing technologies to benefit the campus community, implementing innovative applications, providing leadership and management of IT innovation, service support, and security, collaborating with various stakeholders to create strategic capabilities, and ensuring compliance with system-wide IT and security policies. This role also requires the development of an IT strategic and technology plan aligned with the University’s strategic plan, advising on IT priorities and policies, and representing the university on key technology and related communities.

Key responsibilities include:

Leadership:

• Provides vision, leadership, direction, fiscal, and human capital management, for the Office of Information Technology.
• Implements an integrated structure for academic, research, and administrative computing.
• Provides oversight of IT services such as security and systems, application development, instructional media, networking, telecommunications, voice and video communications, and client services with a particular focus on applying technology to further student success, support more course delivery modalities, and enable operational effectiveness.
• Works closely with central and campus-based technology professionals, and academic and administrative advisory groups to develop strategic and tactical planning, development, evaluation, and coordination of information, structure, and technology systems of the university.
• Ensures efficient interfacing with appropriate University of Alabama System, state, and national organizations.

Strategic Planning and Technology Management:

• Oversees, develops, and manages existing and new information policies and strategies, develops an IT strategic and technology plan aligned with the University’s strategic plan, and advises on IT priorities and policies.
• Develops, manages, and maintains annual budgets. Works closely with the Vice President for Finance and Administration and all units on campus on short and long-term priorities for information technology infrastructure and human capital.
• Provides leadership for the security of hardware, software, and networks necessary for emerging needs for a research-intensive university environment with substantial federal and defense-related contracts and grants.
• Conducts research competitive analysis on products and services and makes recommendations considering resources.
• Provides data to executive-level management and relevant stakeholders on purchases, methodologies, processes, and operations of technology and systems to improve technical functionality.
• Delivers new technologies and systems to support and enhance excellence in teaching, learning, and research. Oversees the preparation of a variety of routine and ad-hoc reports and maintenance of University records.
• Solves complex problems related to University networks, hardware, and software, and recommends a course of action to the Vice President for Finance and Administration. Prepares proposals and secures funding to enhance technology development and operations. Manages, participates, and coordinates vendor contract negotiations, approves and coordinates purchases, and other activities related to the acquisition and allocation of hardware, software, and related services.
• Exercises full supervisory authority, and performance management of various levels of managerial/supervisory, technical, and departmental support staff. Provides thoughtful and motivational leadership, and proactive staff development through training, coaching, feedback, and responsibility.

Community Relations & Partnership:

• Represents the university on key technology committees, and other committees as assigned.
• Serves as the University liaison to the University of Alabama System on all matters related to information technology.
• Serves as an official contact for internal and external auditors, security, crisis, risk management, regulatory environment, incident reporting, and response processes, to address institution security incidents (breaches), and respond to alleged policy violations or complaints from third parties or internal/external reporting.

*Please submit a cover letter of interest and references, along with your employment application, for consideration.

Job openings are posted for a minimum of three business days. This job may be removed from posting boards and filled any time after the minimum posting period has ended.

• Master’s degree from an accredited institution and 5 years of full-time verifiable senior-level IT administrative work experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience
• Broad knowledge and experience in enterprise resource planning, systems architecture, security and compliance, implementation and use of academic information databases, current and emerging computing technologies, technology infrastructure for the delivery of online courses, and electronic resources
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex IT teams and collaborate with various levels of managerial/supervisory, technical, and support staff

• A doctorate from an accredited institution in higher education
• Senior-level administrative experience in higher education
• Experience supporting advanced research
• Extensive technical knowledge relative to media computing, and communication-related areas
• Experience managing the implementation of an ERP
• Strong knowledge and experience of the Ellucian Banner ERP system