"Executive Director, Enterprise Application Services"

Job Summary

Provides strategic leadership, operational oversight, and sets the technological vision for both home grown and off-the-shelf enterprise software solutions that support the academic and business functions of the institution. Collaborates closely with senior leadership, academic units, and administrative departments to understand technology needs and deliver scalable, reliable, recoverable, compliant, and secure solutions that align with institutional priorities.

Responsibilities

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. Sets the strategic vision and direction for units delivering enterprise applications in alignment with institutional priorities and IT strategy
2. Partners with university leaders to understand academic and business needs and translate them into actionable technical strategies
3. Responsible for the full lifecycle of off-the-shelf and home-grown applications and related technologies, ensuring that academic and administrative units have scalable, reliable, recoverable, compliant, and secure solutions that align with institutional priorities
4. Identifies opportunities for innovation and process improvement using software and related technologies
5. Manages vendor relationships and contract negotiations to ensure alignment with institutional priorities, cost-effectiveness, service quality, compliance, and long-term value
6. Responsible for developing multi-year budgetary plans and strategies to ensure appropriate technological investments, prioritization, and resource allocation
7. Develops, tracks, and analyzes key performance metrics to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of services provided
8. Ensures that appropriate and effective governance frameworks, policies, procedures, and accountability are in place to ensure the most effective and efficient delivery of services
9. Ensures compliance with applicable laws, policy, and governance
10. Works in partnership with infrastructure and cybersecurity leadership to develop strategies for ensuring the quality and security of the data and services provided
11. Promotes a culture of transparency, collaboration, customer service, continuous improvement, and professional growth

Required Qualifications

Educational Requirements
Bachelor's degree in a technology or business field of study from an accredited institution of higher education.

Other Required Qualifications
Current, valid, and unrestricted driver's license

Required Experience
Ten (10) years of related IT experience demonstrating a progression of increasing responsibility including at least five (5) years of related management and/or supervisory skills.

Preferred Qualifications

Preferred Educational Qualifications
An advanced degree from an accredited institution of higher education in technology or business or related field

Preferred Experience
Previous experience in a higher education setting

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

ABILITIES
Able to build relationships, elicit and understand customer needs, analyze, understand, and document business processes
Able to translate between technical and functional teams
Able to function with autonomy, making sound and timely decisions as appropriate, and using good judgement to determine which decisions should be escalated
Able to anticipate problems and proactively develop appropriate solutions
Able to appropriately assess and communicate risks, benefits, and alternatives
Able to work well within a team environment
Able to prioritize, attention to detail, time management, and organizational skills
Able to handle multiple tasks or projects at one time meeting assigned deadlines

KNOWLEDGE
Extensive knowledge of IT applications, planning, operations, and lifecycle management
Must be well versed in current and emerging technologies, technological trends, and industry best practices for their areas of responsibility, including but not limited to ITIL, Agile, software engineering, low-code/no-code platforms, cloud platforms, software-as-a-service (SaaS), platform-as-a-service (PaaS), integration tools, and enterprise data platforms
Experience overseeing large-scale and complex software implementation projects, such as ERP systems and CRM platforms
Experience with governance and portfolio management practices in IT
Must be capable of leveraging enterprise data to inform strategic decisions, optimize application strategy, and build persuasive narratives that influence executive stakeholders and align technology initiatives with business goals
Knowledgeable of relevant compliance obligations (e.g., FERPA, GDPR) and cybersecurity best practices for their areas of responsibility
Experience analyzing business processes and supporting implementations from a technical perspective based on the business requirements

SKILLS
Strong leadership and technical background, with extensive experience executing IT strategy, and coordinating and providing support for large-scale, distributed enterprise technologies, solutions, and services
Strong communication (verbal and written) and interpersonal skills with a focus on customer service and the ability to communicate technical concepts to non-technology staff
Excellent initiative, teamwork, problem solving, independent judgment, organization, project management, and presentation skills
Proficient with computer applications and programs associated with the position (i.e., Microsoft Office suite)
Strong phone and e-mail etiquette

Other Information

This is a supervisory position.
This position does not have any financial responsibilities.
This position will not be required to drive.
This role is considered a position of trust.
This position does not require a purchasing card (P-Card).
This position may travel 1% - 24% of the time.

Background Check

Standard Enhanced + Education & DMV

Per the University System of Georgia background check policy, all final candidates will be required to consent to a criminal background investigation. Final candidates may be asked to disclose criminal record history during the initial screening process and prior to a conditional offer of employment. Applicants for positions of trust with screening results which confirm a disqualifying criminal history will be immediately disqualified from employment eligibility.

All applicants are required to include professional references as part of their application process. Some positions may require additional job-based screenings such as motor vehicle report, credit check, pre-employment drug screening and/or verification of academic credentials.