Director of Information Technology (IT)

Job Description:

The Director of Information Technology (IT) provides leadership, planning, and management of IT services and infrastructure across the College of Sciences and Engineering. The director ensures the effective and secure operation of all technology systems, supports faculty and student technology needs, and aligns IT initiatives with the college’s academic and research missions. This role is responsible for supervising IT personnel, managing budgets and resources, and leading innovative projects to advance the college’s teaching, research, and outreach efforts. Key responsibilities will include to develop and implement a comprehensive IT strategy aligned with the college’s goals, oversee the maintenance and support of computing facilities, research labs, classrooms, and specialized systems, collaborate with faculty and staff to integrate emerging technologies into teaching and research, ensure data security, compliance with university IT policies, and business continuity planning, prepare and manage the IT budget and procure hardware/software resources, and serve as a liaison to the university’s central IT services. The minimum qualifications include a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, or related field (Master’s preferred), a minimum of 5 years of progressive IT leadership experience, preferably in higher education, a strong knowledge of academic computing environments, cybersecurity, and infrastructure management, and excellent communication, team leadership, and project management skills.

• Develop, maintain, and execute a comprehensive IT strategy aligned with the college’s academic, research, and outreach goals.
• Advise the Dean, Associate Deans, and department chairs on technology trends and strategic investments.
• Create multi-year roadmaps for infrastructure, academic computing, classroom technology, and research IT services.
• Oversee design, deployment, and maintenance of core infrastructure (networks, servers, virtualization, storage, backup).
• Manage computing facilities, data centers, classroom AV systems, and specialized laboratory computing environments.
• Ensure high availability, performance tuning, and lifecycle replacement planning for hardware and software.
• Implement and enforce cybersecurity best practices, vulnerability management, and incident response processes.
• Ensure compliance with university IT policies, applicable laws/regulations, and data governance requirements.
• Develop and maintain business continuity and disaster recovery plans for critical services.
• Direct user support models for faculty, staff, researchers, and students (helpdesk, desktop/lab support, classroom support).
• Partner with academic units to identify pedagogical or research technology needs and provide solutions and training.
• Oversee service-level agreements (SLAs) and continuous improvement of user experience.
• Prepare and manage IT budgets, capital planning, and cost allocation models.
• Oversee procurement of hardware, software licenses, cloud services, and contractual/vendor agreements.
• Monitor expenses, pursue cost optimizations, and justify technology investments with ROI analysis.
• Recruit, hire, supervise, evaluate, and mentor IT staff (system administrators, network engineers, helpdesk personnel, AV specialists).
• Establish team goals, training programs, career development plans, and succession planning.
• Promote a collaborative and inclusive workplace culture.
• Work with faculty and research teams to evaluate and integrate emerging technologies (high-performance computing, data platforms, research instruments) into teaching and projects.
• Support grant proposals where IT infrastructure or services are required, help estimate costs and deliverables.
• Serve as the primary liaison to central university IT services, committees, and shared-service initiatives.
• Represent the college on IT governance bodies and coordinate with campus-wide programs and standards.
• Produce regular reports on IT performance, security posture, and project status for college leadership.
• Lead major IT projects (classroom renovations, lab builds, system migrations) using sound project management practices.
• Pilot and evaluate innovative technologies and recommend scalable adoption where appropriate.

Qualifications:

• PMP, PRINCE2, CISSP, CISM, ITIL, AWS/Azure/GCP certifications
• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, or a closely related field
• Minimum 5 years of progressive IT leadership or management experience, preferably in a higher-education environment
• Demonstrated experience in infrastructure management, cybersecurity, budget oversight, staff supervision, and user support in an academic setting
• Strong interpersonal, written, and oral communication skills
• Master’s degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Educational Technology, Business Administration, or related field
• 7+ years of combined leadership and technical experience in higher education or complex research environments
• Experience supporting research computing, specialized lab systems, and grant-funded technology projects

 How to Apply:

Interested applicants must complete a Southern University employment Application. External applicants can apply here.

Current Southern University employees should apply here.