Associate Vice President for Technological Innovation and Chief Information Officer

Barnard College seeks a visionary and collaborative leader to serve as Associate Vice President for Technological Innovation and Chief Information Officer. Reporting to the Executive Vice President for Strategy and Chief Administrative Officer, this role will guide the College's technology strategy and technological innovation agenda as new technologies create expanded opportunities to strengthen institutional effectiveness and the experience of students, faculty, and staff.

A central focus of this role is ensuring that technology is in service to the Barnard community by simplifying processes, improving service delivery, and enabling students, faculty, and staff to focus on the work that matters most.

Barnard is expanding its use of enterprise platforms, advancing its data capabilities, and thoughtfully exploring emerging technologies including artificial intelligence. The College is also embarking on a two-year initiative to implement Workday Student, an important component of Barnard's broader digital optimization strategy.

This role advances technology-enabled innovation across the College, including the responsible evaluation and integration of emerging technologies, in ways that align with Barnard's mission and values.

The ideal candidate is a creative and strategic thinker who is comfortable operating in a fast-paced, complex environment, able to connect ideas across functions, and skilled at building partnerships across a wide range of stakeholders. This role requires a leader who is comfortable exploring new technologies, learning through iteration, and guiding the institution in understanding what is possible and what is practical.

Job Description:

Duties & Responsibilities

Institutional Technology Strategy

• Develop and lead a comprehensive technology and technological innovation strategy aligned with Barnard's Bold History, Fearless Future strategic plan.
• Advise senior leadership on emerging technology trends, including artificial intelligence, and their implications for higher education.
• Guide the responsible evaluation and adoption of emerging technologies, ensuring alignment with institutional values, governance, and data privacy standards.
• Help define and advance Barnard's approach to artificial intelligence, including opportunities to enhance operations, support teaching and learning, and improve service delivery.

Technology in Service of the Barnard Community

• Ensure technology solutions strengthen the daily experience of students, faculty, and staff by simplifying processes and improving access to services.
• Identify opportunities where digital tools and automation can streamline workflows and reduce administrative burden.
• Promote a service-oriented technology culture that prioritizes usability, responsiveness, and accessibility.
• Encourage the thoughtful use of technology to remove operational friction and allow the community to focus on higher-value work.

Enterprise Systems and Digital Platforms

• Provide executive oversight for the College's enterprise technology ecosystem, including enterprise platforms, digital infrastructure, and institutional data systems.
• Guide the long-term strategy for enterprise platforms including Workday and related systems.
• Lead the College's two-year Workday Student implementation and ensure strong coordination across institutional teams.
• Ensure enterprise systems are integrated, sustainable, and aligned with institutional needs.

Information Technology Operations

• Oversee Barnard College Information Technology through the Executive Director for Information Technology.
• Ensure reliable and secure technology operations including infrastructure, network services, enterprise systems, and cybersecurity.
• Strengthen institutional cybersecurity and risk management practices.

Digital Transformation and Institutional Optimization

• Guide digital innovation and institutional optimization initiatives through the Executive Director for Digital Innovation and Optimization Strategy.
• Promote technology-enabled improvements to institutional processes, service delivery, and data use.
• Support initiatives that modernize workflows, improve institutional effectiveness, and enhance decision-making.

Organizational Leadership

• Lead and develop a high-performing forward-thinking technology organization.
• Foster collaboration between infrastructure, enterprise systems, and digital innovation teams.
• Establish governance structures to prioritize technology investments and digital initiatives.

Innovation and Emerging Technologies

• Encourage thoughtful exploration and practical experimentation with emerging technologies through pilot initiatives and cross-functional collaboration.
• Create space for responsible experimentation with technologies such as artificial intelligence.
• Help position Barnard as a forward-thinking institution that integrates emerging technologies in ways that align with its academic mission and values while maintaining strong governance, privacy protections, and ethical use of data.
• Promote a culture of curiosity and continuous learning within the technology organization, ensuring that teams remain informed about evolving technology trends that may benefit the College.
• Identify opportunities where new digital tools and technologies can improve the College's effectiveness while preserving Barnard's commitment to a human-centered educational environment.
• Partner with faculty, students, and administrative leaders to explore how emerging technologies may support new forms of collaboration, learning, and service delivery.

Organizational Leadership and Collaboration

• Lead and develop a high-performing technology organization.
• Foster collaboration between infrastructure, enterprise systems, and digital innovation teams.
• Serve as a connector across the College, bringing together academic, administrative, and technical perspectives to shape technology-enabled solutions.
• Establish governance structures to prioritize technology investments and digital initiatives.

Other Duties as assigned

Skills, Qualifications & Requirements:

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Strategic leadership with the ability to translate emerging technology trends into institutional strategy.
• Strong understanding of enterprise technology environments and digital innovation.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in fast-paced environments with multiple priorities and stakeholders.
• Strong ability to build relationships, influence without authority, and collaborate across diverse groups.
• Ability to balance innovation with responsible governance and risk management.
• Curiosity and openness to exploring new ideas, technologies, and approaches.
• Strong communication skills and ability to engage both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Commitment to using technology to improve service, simplify work, and strengthen community experience.
• Ability to navigate ambiguity and lead through evolving priorities while maintaining focus on institutional goals.

Required Qualification Summary

• Bachelor's degree required.
• Leadership experience in information technology or digital strategy.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex technology organizations or enterprise digital initiatives.
• Demonstrated curiosity in, and adoption of, emerging technologies to support operations and experience.
• Strong understanding of enterprise systems, infrastructure, cybersecurity, and data governance.

Preferred Qualification Summary

• Advanced degree preferred.
• Experience in higher education or a similarly complex organization.
• Experience leading digital transformation initiatives.
• Experience with enterprise platforms such as Workday or other ERP systems.