Chief Information Officer (CIO)

Chief Information Officer

Provides leadership, strategic direction, and operational oversight for the City's information technology and audiovisual (A/V) environments, ensuring secure, reliable, and user-centered technology services aligned with the organization's values and mission. Leads the delivery of technology services spanning infrastructure, applications, data, and cybersecurity risk management to enable efficient municipal operations and exceptional service delivery. Uses technology as a continuous improvement tool to modernize business processes, strengthen resilience, expand digital capability, and enhance collaboration and efficiencies across the organization. Directs digital services, infrastructure, application platforms, broadband services, and cybersecurity for municipal operations, including cloud modernization, business continuity/disaster recovery, and responsible use of automation and AI.

Supervision Exercised and Received: Position works under the general supervision of the Administrative Services Director. Exercises direct supervision over IT leadership and technical staff, which may include the IT Deputy Director, Network/Application Administrators, Cybersecurity Administrator, Applications Manager, and other assigned positions.

Essential Job Functions:

Department Leadership & Management • Provides department leadership, direction, and accountability for the Information Technology Department, including staffing, performance management, coaching, and succession planning to meet City objectives and service expectations. • Partners with City leadership and departments to identify business needs and prioritizes technology investments; evaluates feasibility, total cost, risk, change impact, and benefits realization; and provides recommendations on strategy, roadmaps, and implementation priorities within shared-approval decision structures. • Sets enterprise architecture direction for networks, fiber, data centers, cloud services, endpoint platforms, identity, and collaboration tools. • Builds and leads high-performing teams; defines roles and service expectations; promotes a culture of customer service, accountability, and continuous improvement. • Develops and maintains IT governance practices, policies, standards, and operating procedures. • Oversees enterprise digital platforms and services in partnership with departments (e.g., intranet, website, collaboration/telework tools), ensuring accessibility, security, uptime, and a positive user experience.

Technology Strategy, Governance, Implementation & Operations • Establishes standards and procedures for the design, implementation, and operation of enterprise technology services (network, cloud, endpoint, identity, telecom/unified communications, and A/V); ensures secure configuration baselines, lifecycle management, and effective support processes. • Develops, maintains, and reports on IT strategy, multi-year roadmaps, and an IT governance framework in alignment with the city's strategic plan. • Directs project and portfolio management for major initiatives, including RFP development/evaluation. • Ensures mature IT service management (ITSM) practices for incident, request, problem, change, and configuration management; defines service levels and customer experience measures, collects dashboard analytics; leads escalations for critical incidents. • Oversees application management practices and governance, including application ownership of cost-effective systems city-wide, vendor relationships, procurement review, licensing, integration strategy, data flows, user adoption, training, and ensures application security reviews. • Provides audiovisual (A/V) management for City facilities, including standards, room design, vendor management, preventative maintenance, and support models. Oversees meeting room and conference room technology and ensures consistent user experience and reliability. Coordinates and supports City Council meetings and other critical public meetings as assigned, including meeting-room readiness, hybrid/remote participation tools, recording/streaming coordination, and rapid issue resolution during live sessions. • Leads enterprise lifecycle management for hardware, software, and applications (including ERP and SaaS), including asset inventory, patching and upgrades, renewals, decommissioning, and replacement planning. Maintains technology asset standards and refresh cycles for meeting spaces, including council chambers and conference rooms, and oversees A/V asset inventory, supportability standards, and planned upgrades to ensure reliability for daily operations and public meetings.

Financial, Vendor & Risk Management • Develops and manages the Information Technology Internal Service Fund and overall IT operating and capital budgets; supports governance review of priorities; and tracks investments to measurable outcomes. • Directs long-range technology planning and multi-year capital programming, including lifecycle replacement, cybersecurity initiatives, resilience investments, and facility technology (including A/V) modernization. • Advises department leadership on technology funding needs; forecasts staffing and service costs; monitors and approves expenditures within delegated authority; and oversees procurement, contracts, and vendor performance consistent with City purchasing rules. • Leads cybersecurity threat detection, incident response, and regulatory compliance while safeguarding critical systems and data across the organization. Oversees city-wide security awareness training, reducing vulnerabilities, and strengthening overall cyber resilience. People Leadership & Organizational Development • Leads and coordinates teams providing customer support, enterprise applications, A/V, cybersecurity, and network/cloud infrastructure services. • Monitors and evaluates team and individual performance; identifies opportunities for improvement; supports training and professional certifications.

Customer Experience, Service Delivery & Support • Oversees service desk and field/desktop support, work order system, end-user devices, and A/V support models. Ensures reliable technology tools for hybrid workers, including secure access, multi-factor authentication, identity and device management (MDM), endpoint security, collaboration and meeting platforms, remote support tools, and user training/adoption. • Oversees on-call/after-hours support policies and procedures to address urgent technology needs, including escalation paths for critical systems, public safety, and facility operations. Continuous Improvement, Data & Innovation • Uses technology as a continuous improvement tool by partnering with departments to streamline workflows and improve service delivery. • Collaborates with departments to improve end-to-end customer experience by simplifying workflows, expanding self-service and website enhancements, improving response times, and ensuring consistent, accessible service delivery. • Establishes data governance practices in collaboration with stakeholders and enables reporting/analytics to support operational decision-making. • Evaluates and pilots emerging technologies (including responsible AI/automation) using clear success criteria, security/privacy review, and sustainability considerations; scales solutions that demonstrate measurable value. • Promotes accessibility, usability, and inclusive design principles across digital services to ensure technology serves employees and the community effectively.

City Organizational Values • Supports and models the City of Aspen organizational values: Service, Partnership, Stewardship, and Innovation. Organizational values are shared principles that guide behavior across the organization. This position is responsible for upholding and applying these values while performing daily work functions.

Other duties as assigned.

Core Competencies: Displays the following key competencies and behaviors in the overall job performance to include knowledge, skills and abilities:

• Service: Provides service with excellence, humility, integrity, and respect in daily work, builds trust by listening, treats people with respect, acknowledges opportunities for improvement, and follows through with commitments. • Partnership: Actively creates strong, supportive internal and external relationships to attain a common goal and achieve greater impact together. • Stewardship: Balances social, environmental, and financial responsibilities, evaluating the impact of decision making on a thriving future for all. • Innovation: Develops technical expertise to pursue new ideas and creative outcomes, grounded in Aspen's unique culture, opportunities and challenges. • Communication: Knowledge of effective and appropriate communication. Ability to use knowledge effectively in various contexts which may require oral, written, visual, and non-verbal communication. • Interpersonal: Works to develop strength in interpersonal skills. Has the ability to work well with diverse groups of people, both inside and outside the organization. • Technology: Demonstrates technology skills sufficient for the nature and level of position. Demonstrates a willingness to learn new technologies and transition job duties accordingly to support technological advances and innovation. • Policies and Regulations: Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems. • Team Building: Works to build and maintain high performing teams to include appreciating differences and reinforcing a sense of belonging. • Accountability & Trust: Follows through on commitments, takes responsibility for outcomes, and values relationships. • Strategic Thinking: Works to bring a strategic focus to daily work, anticipates problems and considers solutions. • Business Acumen: Demonstrates understanding of business processes, objectives, and goals.

Minimum Qualifications:

Education: Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in computer science, information systems or a related field.

Experience: Seven (7) years of progressive information technology experience, including leadership of enterprise operations and major initiatives, with at least three years in a supervisory/management capacity. Experience with the fiscal structure and environment of government agencies, preferably at the local government level, including procurement and vendor/contract management.

Technical Knowledge: Must be proficient in modern enterprise IT concepts, including cybersecurity principles, cloud and SaaS platforms, networking, endpoint management, backup and disaster recovery, IT service management practices, and enterprise application lifecycle management (including ERP). Familiarity with audiovisual (A/V) standards is required.

Licenses & Certifications: Must possess a valid Colorado Driver's License or be able to obtain one within 30 days of start date.

NOTE : Any combination of experience and education that would likely provide the required abilities, knowledge and skills as determined by the City of Aspen may be substituted for the requirements above.

Preferred Candidate: Has experience with technologies currently utilized by the City; demonstrated success leading modernization and governance programs; and holds relevant professional certifications (e.g., Microsoft, Cisco, ITIL, security certifications) and/or a Master's degree in computer science, management information systems, public administration,