Chief Information Officer

Founded in 1873, Bennett College is a historically Black liberal arts college for women located in Greensboro, North Carolina. For more than 150 years, Bennett has empowered women through transformative education grounded in leadership, social justice, innovation, and service. As one of only two historically Black colleges for women in the United States, Bennett College prepares students to become intellectually engaged, globally aware, and socially responsible leaders who positively impact their communities and professions. Bennett College fosters an inclusive and collaborative campus culture that values academic excellence, student success, technological innovation, and continuous institutional improvement. Employees are expected to support the College's mission while contributing to an environment of integrity, accountability, and excellence.

GENERAL SUMMARY

The Chief Information Officer (CIO) serves as the College's senior technology executive and provides visionary leadership for the strategic planning, implementation, management, security, and continuous improvement of the institution's information technology infrastructure, enterprise systems, digital transformation initiatives, and cybersecurity programs. Reporting directly to the President and serving as a member of the President's Executive Leadership Team, the CIO partners with academic and administrative leaders to develop innovative technology strategies that advance teaching and learning, student success, institutional effectiveness, operational excellence, and long-term organizational sustainability. The CIO provides executive oversight for all Information Technology functions, including enterprise applications, infrastructure, cybersecurity, networking, cloud technologies, telecommunications, instructional technology, user support services, data governance, and emerging technologies. The position provides leadership and direction to Information Technology staff, including directors, managers, systems administrators, network engineers, information security personnel, help desk staff, database administrators, technology support specialists, and other departmental personnel. The CIO is responsible for establishing a comprehensive technology roadmap aligned with the College's strategic priorities while ensuring secure, reliable, and efficient technology services across the institution. As a strategic advisor to the President, Cabinet, and Board of Trustees, the CIO champions innovation, responsible technology governance, and data-informed decision-making to support Bennett College's mission and long-term success.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

Strategic Technology Leadership Develop and execute a comprehensive institutional technology strategy aligned with Bennett College’s mission and Strategic Plan. Serve as the principal advisor to the President and Executive Leadership Team on technology trends, risks, investments, and innovation. Provide executive leadership in digital transformation initiatives that enhance institutional effectiveness and operational efficiency. Develop short- and long-range technology plans supporting academic excellence, enrollment growth, student engagement, and administrative effectiveness. Lead institution-wide technology governance and strategic prioritization of technology initiatives. Leadership of a formal Technology Governance Committee. Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement throughout the Information Technology division. Information Technology Operations Direct all aspects of the College’s technology infrastructure including servers, storage, cloud platforms, wireless networks, telecommunications, and enterprise applications. Ensure high availability, reliability, and performance of all institutional technology services. Oversee implementation, maintenance, and lifecycle management of enterprise technology systems. Ensure technology services effectively support classroom instruction, hybrid learning, online education, research, and administrative operations. Establish service delivery standards and continuously improve customer service across campus. Strengthen institutional data strategy, analytics, and business intelligence responsibilities. Cybersecurity, Risk Management & Compliance Develop and maintain a comprehensive institutional cybersecurity strategy. Lead cybersecurity governance, threat detection, vulnerability management, and incident response planning. Ensure compliance with applicable federal and state regulations including FERPA, GLBA, PCI-DSS, HIPAA (where applicable), and other information security standards. Oversee disaster recovery, business continuity, backup strategies, and emergency technology preparedness. Conduct regular institutional technology risk assessments and recommend mitigation strategies. Promote cybersecurity awareness through ongoing education and training initiatives. Regular reporting of technology risk, cybersecurity posture, and strategic initiatives to the Board of Trustees. Enterprise Systems & Digital Transformation Provide executive oversight for the College’s ERP, CRM, learning management systems, financial systems, HRIS, and student information systems. Partner with campus stakeholders to optimize enterprise technology solutions that improve institutional effectiveness. Lead technology modernization efforts through automation, cloud adoption, systems integration, artificial intelligence, and emerging technologies. Champion data-driven decision-making through effective business intelligence, analytics, and reporting capabilities. Academic Technology & Student Success Collaborate with Academic Affairs to enhance instructional technology and innovative teaching practices. Ensure technology resources effectively support faculty, students, researchers, and staff. Promote equitable access to technology resources that improve student engagement and academic achievement. Support technology initiatives that enhance student recruitment, retention, persistence, and graduation outcomes. Data Governance & Institutional Effectiveness Establish institutional standards for data governance, integrity, accessibility, privacy, and security. Collaborate with Institutional Effectiveness and Enrollment Management to improve reporting, analytics, and decision support. Promote responsible data stewardship across all divisions. Ensure enterprise data supports strategic planning, accreditation, compliance reporting, and operational excellence. Responsible for institutional AI strategy, governance, and responsible use of emerging technologies. Budget & Resource Management Develop, administer, and monitor the Information Technology operating and capital budgets. Identify cost-effective technology investments while maximizing institutional resources. Lead technology procurement, contract negotiations, vendor management, and software licensing. Monitor return on investment for technology initiatives. Pursue external funding opportunities and technology partnerships when appropriate. Leadership & Personnel Management Recruit, develop, mentor, and evaluate Information Technology personnel. Establish performance expectations that promote accountability and exceptional customer service. Foster professional development and succession planning within the division. Promote collaboration across departments while building strong partnerships with faculty, staff, and students. Lead organizational change management efforts related to major technology initiatives. Institutional Leadership Participate in institutional strategic planning and executive decision-making. Serve on institutional committees and advisory councils. Present technology recommendations and reports to the President, Cabinet, and Board of Trustees as requested. Represent the College with technology partners, governmental agencies, higher education associations, and community organizations. Perform other duties as assigned in support of Bennett College's mission.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

The successful candidate will demonstrate: Visionary leadership and strategic planning abilities. Exceptional executive communication and interpersonal skills. Strong financial management and budget planning expertise. Extensive knowledge of enterprise technology architecture. Advanced understanding of cybersecurity principles and risk management. Experience leading digital transformation initiatives. Knowledge of cloud computing, artificial intelligence, automation, and emerging technologies. Accountability for technology performance metrics, service levels, and cybersecurity KPIs. Excellent project and portfolio management skills. Ability to communicate technical concepts to non-technical audiences. Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving abilities. Commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and student-centered service. Ability to build collaborative relationships across academic and administrative units. Support for accreditation, compliance reporting, and institutional effectiveness initiatives.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

Required Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Information Systems, Business Administration, or a closely related field from an accredited institution. Minimum of ten (10) years of progressively responsible Information Technology leadership experience. Minimum of five (5) years of senior leadership experience managing complex technology operations. Demonstrated success leading enterprise technology strategy within higher education or similarly complex organizations. Experience managing multi-million-dollar technology budgets and vendor relationships. Strong knowledge of cybersecurity frameworks, enterprise infrastructure, cloud technologies, and digital transformation initiatives. Preferred Master's degree in Information Systems, Computer Science, Information Technology, Business Administration, Higher Education Administration, or related discipline. Executive leadership experience within higher education. Experience supporting ERP implementations and enterprise systems modernization. Professional certifications such as: Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) Project Management Professional (PMP) ITIL Certification Certified Chief Information Officer (CCIO) Microsoft, Cisco, AWS, or other relevant technology certifications Experience with accreditation reporting, institutional research partnerships, and higher education compliance. #J-18808-Ljbffr Bennett College