Director, Community Engagement

Director, Community Engagement Job Title: Director, Community Engagement; Agency: Texas A&M University System Offices; Department: Chief Information Officer; Proposed Minimum Salary: Commensurate; Job Location: College Station, Texas; Job Type: Staff. The System Offices is one of several system members within the Texas A&M University System representing one of the largest systems of higher education in the nation, with a network of 12 universities, a comprehensive health science center, eight state agencies, Texas A&M – Fort Worth and the Texas A&M - RELLIS Campus. The Texas A&M University System mission is to provide education, conduct research, commercialize technology, offer training, and deliver services for the people of Texas and beyond. The System Offices, within the Texas A&M University System, provides an outstanding benefits package including, but not limited to: competitive health benefits; paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays; a defined benefit retirement plan to include an employer contribution through Teachers Retirement System of Texas (TRS); if applicable, a defined contribution retirement plan to include an employer contribution through an approved ORP vendor: additional voluntary tax deferred annuity (TDA) options; tuition assistance; and wellness programs to promote work/life balance. Salary: Commensurate with experience. Job Description Summary The Director, Community Engagement serves as a key member of the Office of Information Technology (OIT) leadership team, reporting directly to the Chief Information Officer of the Texas A&M University System. This position is responsible for planning and executing OIT's digital and face-to-face engagement strategy with all A&M System members and the broader CIO and IT leadership community. The Director leads the planning and coordination of system-wide IT conferences and events, coordinates the CIO's on-site engagements with member institutions, assists with the coordination and planning of internal and external grant programs led by the CIO, and collaborates on OIT's change management strategies and community of practice building in emerging technology areas, connecting IT professionals, researchers, faculty, and staff across the Texas A&M System. The Director collaborates closely with OIT's three main delivery units to provide community engagement and change management support for their projects and service initiatives, and partners with the System Offices marketing and communications team on OIT's marketing presence and social media strategy. This role requires exceptional communication, event management, and relationship-building skills, combined with a strong understanding of higher education IT environments and emerging technology trends. The Director ensures that OIT is viewed as a collaborative, transparent, and engaged partner by A&M System members, and that technology changes are adopted successfully through well-planned communication and change management. Responsibilities System-Wide IT Conference Planning and Execution Plan, organize, and execute system-wide IT conferences, summits, and professional development events that bring together CIOs, IT leaders, technical staff, and stakeholders from across the A&M System's 12 universities, health science center, and state agencies. Work with a third party who may handle much of the event execution details. Develop conference agendas, themes, and programming in close consultation with the CIO, ensuring alignment with OIT strategic priorities, emerging technology trends, and the professional development needs of the A&M System IT community. CIO Member Engagement Coordination Plan and coordinate the Cio's on-site engagement visits to A&M System member institutions, working with member CIOs, presidents' offices, and administrative staff to develop visit agendas, briefing materials, and logistics. Prepare background research, institutional technology profiles, and discussion guides for each member visit, ensuring the CIO is informed about member-specific IT priorities, challenges, projects, and governance structures. Coordinate follow-up activities after each member visit, including tracking action items, documenting commitments, preparing summary reports, and ensuring timely communication back to member stakeholders. Internal and external grant programs Assist with the coordination and planning of internal and external grant programs led by the CIO, including project management support and coordination of the large communities involved with these programs. Support the production of progress reports to government agencies and internal stakeholders regarding internal and external grant projects led by the CIO. Ensure follow-up with community engagement and other tasks involved in these internal and external grant programs. Change Management Planning and Execution Work with the Director, IT Business Operations with OIT's organizational change management needs, establishing frameworks, methodologies, and toolkits that support the successful adoption of new systems, processes, and technologies across the A&M System. Create change management plans for major OIT initiatives, including stakeholder analysis, change impact assessments, communication strategies, training plans, resistance management approaches, and adoption measurement frameworks. Communities of Practice in Emerging Technologies Establish, facilitate, and sustain communities of practice (CoPs) in emerging technology areas-with an initial and primary focus on artificial intelligence-that connect IT professionals, researchers, faculty, and staff across the A&M System. Design community of practice structures including governance, membership models, meeting cadences, communication channels, and knowledge-sharing platforms that encourage active participation and peer learning. Curate and organize community programming such as speaker series, demonstrations, hands‑on workshops, use case showcases, journal clubs, and collaborative problem‑solving sessions focused on Al adoption, responsible Al practices, and emerging technology applications in higher education. OIT Delivery Unit Community Engagement and Project Communications Support Partner with each of OIT's three main delivery units to develop and execute community engagement and communications strategies for their major projects, service rollouts, and system upgrades, ensuring consistent messaging and professional presentation. Coordinate the development of project-specific communications including announcements, status updates, user‑facing documentation, video tutorials, webinars, and go‑live readiness materials for enterprise applications (Workday, FAMIS, SSO, Enterprise Data Warehouse, TrainTraq, and others). Marketing, Social Media, and External Communications Work with the OIT senior leadership team on OIT's digital presence in social media, especially as it relates to system-wide community engagement activities and with internal and external grant programs. Develop a content strategy for OIT's digital presence, including the OIT website (it.tamus.edu), social media channels, and internal collaboration platforms, ensuring that content is current, engaging, and aligned with OIT's mission and the CIO's messaging priorities. Staff Supervision and Organizational Development Directly supervise assigned professional and administrative staff within the OIT community engagement function, including setting performance expectations, conducting annual evaluations in Workday, and providing regular coaching and feedback. Recruit, develop, and retain talented staff with competencies in event management, communications, change management, and community facilitation. Additional Responsibilities Serve as a representative of OIT at System Offices functions, member institution events, and external engagements as directed by the CIO. Support the CIO in preparing for Board of Regents presentations, Chancellor's Cabinet briefings, and legislative engagements by developing talking points, presentation materials, and supporting documentation. Coordinate with the Director, IT Business Operations on cross‑cutting OIT initiatives that span both business operations and community engagement, including strategic planning, continuous improvement, and stakeholder satisfaction assessment. Contribute to the development and execution of OIT's strategic plan, with particular focus on engagement, adoption, and communication objectives. Perform other duties as assigned by the CIO to support the mission, visibility, and effectiveness of the Office of Information Technology. Education and Experience Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and experience. Twelve (12) years of related experience. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Knowledge of higher education IT environments, including the structure and operations of university system offices, shared services models, and IT governance frameworks. Knowledge of event planning and conference management best practices, including logistics, budgeting, speaker coordination, vendor management, and virtual/hybrid event delivery. Knowledge of emerging technology trends in higher education, with particular depth in artificial intelligence, generative Al, responsible Al practices, and their applications in teaching, research, and administration. Knowledge of marketing and communications principles, including content strategy, social media management, brand management, and digital communications for institutional audiences. Knowledge of community of practice design principles, facilitation techniques, and strategies for sustaining professional learning communities across distributed organizations. Knowledge of project management techniques and methods. May be required to work occasional hours outside the normal office schedule to meet project milestones, support go-live/cutover events or coordinate with stakeholders across locations. Occasional travel may be required to attend meetings, coordinate with cross‑department or external stakeholders, or attend professional development events. Must adhere to internal controls established for the department. Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer. Occasional lifting of items weighing up to 15-25 pounds (e.g., laptops, files, or office supplies). Ability to multi-task and work cooperatively with others in a cross‑functional capacity. Preferred Qualifications Bachelor's degree in Communications, Marketing, Public Administration, Information Technology, Business Administration, or a related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience. Twelve (12) years of progressively responsible experience in community engagement, change management, event planning, IT communications, or a related field, including at least two (2) years in a supervisory or management capacity. Other Requirements This is a security-sensitive position and is restricted to U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents only. Only complete applications will be considered for employment at The Texas A&M System Offices. Incomplete job application data could result in your application being rejected without an option to reapply. A cover letter and resume may be required in addition to a completed employment application. All positions are security-sensitive. Applicants are subject to a criminal history investigation, and employment is contingent upon the institution’s verification of credentials and/or other information required by the institution’s procedures, including the completion of the criminal history check. May be required to work occasional hours outside the normal office schedule to meet project milestones, support go‑live/cutover events or coordinate with stakeholders across locations. Occasional travel may be required to attend meetings, coordinate with cross‑department or external stakeholders, or attend professional development events. Must adhere to internal controls established for the department. Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer. Occasional lifting of items weighing up to 15-25 pounds (e.g., laptops, files, or office supplies). Ability to multi‑task and work cooperatively with others in a cross‑functional capacity. Equal Opportunity/Veterans/Disability Employer. If you have questions, please contact us at View phone number on click.appcast.io or email View email address on click.appcast.io. The Texas A&M System is an Equal Opportunity/ Veterans/ Disability Employer. #J-18808-Ljbffr Texas A&M University