"IT Business Planning Lead"

A cover letter and resume are important submissions for the hiring team to get a sense of your experience. In the cover letter, in one page or less, please let us know how this role aligns with your career aspirations and skills. Submit both a cover letter and resume as one file.

Competitive salary available based on qualifications, experience, and education of the selected candidate.

This role serves as a leader in guiding and directing ITS Infrastructure's service life cycle-the set of phases throughout which a service is developed, brought into production, and eventually retired from use. This job requires a strong technology background paired with significant business skills.

Successful candidates for this position will be expected to develop strategies to ensure that ITS Infrastructure's products and services consistently meet and exceed campus users' needs and expectations. In this role, candidates will be expected to:

• Build and maintain high levels of campus engagement to ensure the effective adoption and use of ITS Infrastructure's products and services.
• Develop and implement strategies for providing high-quality services and outstanding user experience.
• Help to guide and direct efforts to optimize the technology environment and provide cost effective solutions.
• Direct the management team on the execution of strategies to achieve ITS goals.
• Effectively utilize leadership and strategic thinking skills to set strategic direction and collaborate across multiple U-M units/departments, including ITS technical teams.
• Effectively combine management, consulting, technical, and financial responsibilities.
• Follow ITS's established processes for service development and governance.

• Report to and receive assignments from Executive Director of ITS Infrastructure and Director of Business Services.
• Envision and develop technology services; write and edit reports, proposals, and business plans.
• Lead and direct ITS Infrastructure product development teams.
• Serve as a primary contact and liaison for other ITS groups responsible for product strategy, design, implementation, and ongoing operation.
• Perform project management, including prioritization, resource and time estimates.
• Participate in strategic planning and setting of technical direction for services. Recommend strategies that impact technical strategy, operations and customer support.
• Work independently, requiring limited direction.
• Prepare financial reports both in the development of new services and during the active phase of a service's lifetime.
• Collaborate with IT business leaders, vendors and stakeholders across and outside of U-M to understand, develop and recommend strategic priorities. Develop business cases and advocate for recommendations in the context of the larger picture of ITS and U-M goals and strategy.
• Perform product analysis and make recommendations on solutions. Identify the benefits and develop the qualitative and quantitative analyses to help assess charging/funding structures, and evaluate profitability or revenue contributions to support ITS business plans.
• Research and develop a comprehensive technical understanding of assigned products; determine rationale for solutions depending on platform, dependencies, integrations, and variables. Assist with planning and evaluation efforts to determine appropriate technologies, hardware, systems management software and architecture. Evaluate and recommend new products; maintain knowledge of emerging technologies for business applications within units/departments.
• Stay current with relevant advances in technologies. This can include on--the-job training, attending technical courses or conferences, reading, research, and testing.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in a related information technology or business field and/or equivalent combination of education, certification and experience.
• 2-3 years of experience in systems analysis, design, and presentation. Experience in strategic Business Administration alignment.
• 15-20 years of leadership experience and responsibility for the strategic technical planning and oversight of multiple and diverse communications technologies or services, including project management, budget and expense management activities, goal setting, and resource planning for the technical infrastructure environment.
• Considerable knowledge of voice, video and data network technologies as well as other information technologies and its application to the University of Michigan. Experience demonstrating technical or business expertise, resolution of complex technical or business issues, and the development of technology business cases and funding proposals.
• Considerable knowledge of teaching, learning, research and administrative processes and how to analyze and innovate processes. Considerable ability to negotiate successful resolutions to problems, or customer requests that require ITS response (e.g., request for customized service).
• Demonstrated ability to understand technical information and communicate it to others using clear, concise, and user-friendly language. Ability to translate technical requirements and capabilities to diverse customer audiences, and to translate customer requirements to technical staff.
• Proven ability to lead project teams to develop and deploy products and services which exceed customer expectations and enable high customer satisfaction.
• Demonstrated understanding of and skills in client/customer relationship management, team building, process/service improvement, and strategic planning.
• Strong emphasis will be placed on demonstrated ability to lead large-scale technology initiatives successfully with data-driven results.
• Excellent problem-solving, analytical and decision-making skills; strong collaboration, negotiation and facilitation skills which are necessary for effective consultation; documentation and presentation skills along with good oral and written communication skills are a must.
• Considerable experience with or knowledge of University practices and processes