Executive Director of Information Technology

  • Full-time

Company Description

Colby Community College is located in northwest Kansas, approximately 50 miles from the Nebraska and Colorado borders. The college has grown from 99 students in the fall of 1964 to around 1,900 today.  

In addition to an 80-acre main campus, CCC has a 60-acre farm used as a hands-on laboratory and training facility. The college also accommodates hundreds of off-campus students in the 14-county service area through face-to-face, online, and hybrid courses.

A number of studies conclude CCC is a solid educational investment. Colby has a strong history of student performance including the highest graduation rate among Kansas community colleges. 

Job Description

Colby Community College (CCC) is seeking an outstanding individual with business and technical acumen and strong communication and collaboration skills as its Executive Director of IT. This on-site, 12-month position begins in August 2018.

Reporting to the Vice President of Business Affairs, the Director provides technology leadership and management of Information Technology department and is responsible for enterprise applications systems and services, networking and telecommunications, information security, and user support, training and outreach. The Director is expected to be “hands-on” and willing to assist IT Techs when needed. As a member of the administrative team, and in collaboration with the College community, the Director develops and implements information technology strategic and tactical activities in alignment with the College mission and strategic plan.

The Director builds and sustains effective partnerships and collaborations with academic and administrative departments, creates a self-sustaining service-oriented IT organization with limited dependency on external expertise for standard operations, and ensures a reliable and secure technology infrastructure.  In consultation with CCC leadership and faculty, the Director provides technologies, data analytics and support services to enable teaching and learning and support student success.  The Director improves the reliability and performance of core technologies, optimizes the use of the administrative systems and leverages modern technology solutions to improve student services and the underlying business processes of the College. The Director leads conversations on data governance and reporting,and in partnership with students, faculty and staff identifies and explores innovative ways to use technology to further student success. The Director leads the development of technology strategies to leverage digital media to promote the College and support constituent engagement strategies.

The Director is an advocate for CCC's total technology needs, facilitates IT governance, advises the executive staff of the College on significant IT investments, and designs appropriate policies to manage data, technology, and information security risk. The Director leads an IT organization that maintains high levels of performance and provides opportunities for IT professionals to increase their skills and contributions to the College.

Information Technology at CCC

CCC's IT group includes three full-time employees and a budget of approximately $1 million.  The group is responsible for networking and telecommunications, enterprise applications including Ellucian PowerCampus, classroom technology, user-support and information security.  The group provides technologies to support online and classroom-based learning and supports the work of the Vice President of Academics Affairs, education technology and instruction to assist faculty in adopting effective learning technologies. The Director is responsible for:

  • Providing technology leadership, management and delivery of technology systems and services;
  • Developing and implementing an Information Technology strategy that supports both academic and business operations;
  • Facilitating collaborative projects to evaluate the technology needs of academic and administrative departments and leading initiatives to optimize the use of existing technologies;
  • Aligning projects and operations with the institutional mission, vision and values with customer service focus;
  • Developing an enterprise architecture and data governance practices to create a foundation for more effective reporting and analytics;
  • Applying best practices in information technology management to resolve and/or mitigate technology-based issues;
  • Devising staffing plans and sourcing strategies to optimize the performance and cost, risk and effectiveness of IT operations;
  • Managing the day-to-day operations of the Information Technology department including directing staff who support Administrative Systems, Network Operations, Technology Support Services, and telecommunications;
  • Collaborating with other CCC units delivering technology-related services including Integrated Marketing and Communications and the Education Technology and Instructional Department;
  • Establishing, where needed, policies, processes and procedures for the Information Technology department;
  • Recommending and/or determining a roadmap for the long-term maturation, enhancement or replacement of the institution's technology services, applications and infrastructure;
  • Actively participating in key committees, administrative level meetings, ad-hoc project teams, and college community activities;
  • Maintaining responsibility for managing various IT related vendor contracts; and
  • Enabling professional development plans for all IT staff.

Salary/Benefits 

$60,000-$70,000 Based on degree, years of experience, and qualifications. 
Package includes a $5,000 moving allowance.

Flexible benefits program which includes: options for single and family health and dental coverage, life insurance, reimbursement accounts, sick leave and vacation leave allowances. Participation in state retirement program required.

Application

Open until filled. To apply, submit a letter of application, resume, all postsecondary transcripts and references to:

Colby Community College
ATTN: Human Resources
1255 S. Range Ave.
Colby, KS 67701

Materials may be emailed to hr(at)colbycc.edu.

Qualifications

The successful candidate will have excellent leadership, management, supervisory, interpersonal and communications skills. The ability to listen, synthesize, lead, explain and communicate at all levels will be critical. A bachelor's degree and at least five years as an IT leader in a comparable sized organization, or equivalent experience as a deputy in a larger organization, is required. An advanced degree and experience in higher education are strongly preferred but not required.  The individual should have a working knowledge of the strategic technology issues facing higher education and specifically community colleges and a broad perspective on leading IT practices in higher education or closely related industries.   Successful candidates should be conversant in higher education's strategic issues and the role of technology in teaching and learning and student success. It is also preferable that candidates have many of the following experiences:

  • Leading or playing a significant role in the development and implementation of IT strategic and financial plans.
  • Setting an organization's technical direction and leading technology adoption decisions in consultation with stakeholders.
  • Providing technology and support services to support teaching and learning.
  • Developing effective organizations and creating a culture of service.
  • Leading or managing core infrastructure (e.g. networks, data centers, servers, and storage) cost-effectively and with a high degree of reliability.
  • Implementing strategies to improve data management and enhance capacity for reporting and advanced analytics.
  • Analyzing alternative strategies to source technology services and effectively managing vendor relationships.
  • Improving the delivery of IT services including collaborating with internal stakeholders to establish service level objectives, assess performance and continually improve quality.
  • Establishing successful decision-making processes that engage diverse constituents to identify IT priorities.
  • Overseeing the successful completion of large process and technology change projects.
  • Operating within established budgets and effectively managing large capital and operating budgets.
  • Experience leading and developing a diverse group of future IT leaders and facilitating their professional development.
  • Identifying and managing technology related risks including those related to information security, privacy, and disaster recovery.

Additional Information

CCC is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to diversifying its work force and encourages applications from women, members of minority groups, individuals with disabilities and veterans. All applicant information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

The successful candidate for this position will be subject to a pre-employment background check.

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