Associate Director, UL Technology Services

Department: University Life

Classification: Info Technology Spec 2

Job Category: Classified Staff

Job Type: Full-Time

Work Schedule: Full-time (1.0 FTE, 40 hrs/wk)

Location: Fairfax, VA

Workplace Type: Hybrid Eligible

Sponsorship Eligibility: Not eligible for visa sponsorship

Pay Band: 05

Salary: Salary range starting in the upper $80k's; commensurate with education and experience

Criminal Background Check: Yes

About The Department: University Life Technology Services provides technology support, guidance, and training to the division of University Life. We seek to build collaborative relationships with our customers and to deliver complete business solutions that streamline processes, eliminate redundancies, and foster growth. Technology Services offers a variety of technical services that support and advance both divisional and university-wide goals. University Life Technology Services identifies technology to improve business processes, provides guidance for hardware purchases, identifies software solutions, supports event spaces, and provides insight and information concerning the latest IT trends.

About The Position:

The Associate Director serves as both a team member and a leader within the University Life Technology Services department. This position provides supervision, training, and professional development opportunities for direct reports and has oversight for departmental enterprise software systems and their related integrations. The Associate Director also serves as a point of contact for new systems, conducting reviews and interfacing with central IT for approvals. This position is responsible for planning and executing projects, producing continual service and procedural enhancements, ensuring that technology meets divisional business needs, and protecting the confidentiality and security of all University information through compliance with institutional, state, and federal regulations.

Responsibilities:

Project/Process Management and Documentation:

• Provides strategic and operational leadership for IT projects, translating divisional priorities into project plans, timelines, resource allocations, risk mitigation strategies, and budget forecasts;
• Oversees the full IT project lifecycle, ensuring adherence to best practices for documentation, governance, communication, and change management;
• Serves as a primary liaison to stakeholders, central IT, vendors, and university partners, ensuring alignment of expectations, deliverables, and timelines;
• Identifies, monitors, and resolves project risks, change requests, and escalations in the IT project lifecycle;
• Develops and maintains standard operating procedures (SOPs) for functional business processes related to applications and their workflows;
• Collaborates with business process owners in process development as subject matter experts on divisional software and associated technologies;
• Leads IT team in development of standards for documenting applications, systems, and procedures.

Staff Supervision:

• Serves as a leader of the University Life Technology Services team, participating in core team meetings and strategic planning sessions and leading team meetings in the Director’s absence;
• Fosters a collaborative and supportive work environment that promotes employee well-being, engagement, and retention;
• Responsible for setting department and/or unit goals for performance and deadlines in ways that comply with the university's plans and vision and communicates them effectively to subordinates;
• Encourages and supports ongoing professional development opportunities for all staff ensuring they have the tools and training needed to succeed in their roles;
• Organizes workflows and ensures that employees understand their duties or delegated tasks;
• Sets clear performance expectations, goals and deadlines aligned with unit, divisional, and university strategic plans;
• Communicates expectations effectively, monitors employee productivity and development, and provides continuous feedback and coaching to support staff growth and accountability;
• Prepares and conducts timely performance evaluations, and maintains accurate records of employee performance, feedback, and disciplinary actions, ensuring adherence to legal and university policies and procedures;
• Collaborates with UL divisional partners/stakeholders to address performance concerns;
• Develops, maintains and enforces departmental policies that follow industry best practices and adhere to institutional, state and federal regulations;
• Effectively hires, onboards, and trains new employees.

System Management and Compliance:

• Enforces university computing policies and University Life Technology Services policies concerning the acquisition and use of technology devices and systems;
• Participates in requirements-gathering and decision-making concerning the acquisition of new applications and systems;
• Advises University Life departments on technology solutions that support business needs and institutional priorities, and guides software approval processes;
• Works in partnership with central IT and external vendors to design, implement, and maintain system integrations following industry best practice;
• Monitors vendor performance to ensure contractual obligations, service quality, and data protection requirements are met;
• Monitors compliance with federal, state, and institutional regulations and ensures timely and accurate responses to audit requests.

Departmental/Divisional Duties:

• Coordinates with central ITS on projects, maintenance and upgrades that may impact operations;
• Supports event attendance tracking for critical, large-scale events, working occasional evening hours on a seasonal basis;
• Supports divisional planning initiatives and other special projects as assigned, acting as a technical resource and SME as required;
• Actively participates in UL divisional meetings, initiatives, and in-person events to stay connected with divisional and institutional priorities, and to foster a cross-unit collaboration;
• Participates in professional development workshops and training sessions for staff across the division to promote continuous learning and skill enhancement;
• Stays informed about best practices, research, and emerging trends in higher education and student support services to ensure University Life Technology Services remains innovative and responsive to the evolving needs of the student body;
• Other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

• High school diploma or GED equivalent;
• Experience managing staff;
• Experience utilizing an IT Service Management system;
• Demonstrated experience supporting enterprise technology systems;
• Experience in technology vendor management;
• Experience working with data security principles and compliance standards;
• Knowledge of computing support requirements and IT security management principles;
• Ability to work collaboratively and lead successful technology teams;
• Ability to exercise independent judgment, take initiative and produce results;
• Ability to provide effective customer service;
• Demonstrated ability to communicate technical concepts to non-technical audiences;
• Demonstrated problem-solving skills and attention to detail.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in related field;
• Experience working with technology in support of higher education;
• Windows or Linux systems administration experience;
• Experience in software or database administration;
• Knowledge of project management principles for technology implementations;
• Knowledge of data management and security principles;
• Ability to develop system requirements for technology implementations;
• Knowledge of scripting languages such as Python, SQL, Powershell, JavaScript, XML, HTML, etc.

Equity Statement:

George Mason University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, committed to promoting inclusion and equity in its community. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability or veteran status, or any characteristic protected by law.