Associate CIO / Executive Director of IT Services

Job Description

Job Description

The Associate CIO provides onsite leadership and oversight at a single higher education client campus within a Managed Services delivery model.  Working directly with our client’s Chief Information Officer (CIO), this role serves as the client's Executive Director of Enterprise Applications providing hands-on operational leadership, coordination, and operational oversight of enterprise applications and infrastructure services, with a particular emphasis on Enterprise Applications and Ellucian Colleague™ ERP environments.  

This position functions as both a strategic partner and an active, day-to-day operational leader, serving as the primary Managed Services leader on campus. The Associate CIO ensures technology services are aligned with institutional priorities, while also providing direct leadership, direction, and escalation support to enterprise applications teams, particularly those supporting Colleague, and actively interfacing with the CampusWorks Centers of Excellence and Client Success teams and broader campus community.   

The ideal candidate is a collaborative and service-oriented IT leader with strong Enterprise Applications leadership experience, deep knowledge of Ellucian Colleague™ ERP, and the ability to lead by doing in a complex higher education technology and managed services provider environments.  

Client Relationship & Operational Leadership 

• Serve as the primary Managed Services leader embedded on campus, operating as a visible, trusted, and engaged technology partner. This is a hands-on Executive Director role, combining executive presence, operational ownership, and direct involvement in day-to-day technology leadership. Operate as the primary on-site leader and escalation point for Managed Services, balancing strategic oversight with active operational participation. 

• Build and maintain strong relationships with campus leadership, departmental stakeholders, faculty, and staff. 

• Partner closely with the client CIO to support institutional priorities and operational technology planning. 

• Translate institutional objectives into actionable operational technology initiatives and support plans. 

• Participate in institutional governance, operational planning, and leadership meetings as appropriate. 

• Communicate operational risks, service impacts, project updates, and technology recommendations effectively to both technical and non-technical stakeholders. 

• Ensure alignment between Managed Services delivery standards and client expectations. 

• Promote a culture of accountability, responsiveness, collaboration, and customer service excellence. 

Enterprise Applications Leadership 

• Provide primary operational and functional for enterprise applications and institutional systems.

• Coordinate support activities related to: 

• • ERP/SIS platforms 

• • Enterprise integrations and middleware 

• • SaaS platforms 

• • Database environments 

• • Reporting and analytics platforms 

• • Application lifecycle and release management 

• Partner with institutional stakeholders to prioritize operational support needs, enhancements, and system improvements. 

• Coordinate vendor relationships and support escalations related to enterprise applications. 

• Support enterprise system modernization and optimization initiatives. 

• Serve as the on-site Executive sponsor and day-to-day leader for the Colleague ERP environment.  

• Provide hands-on leadership and strategic direction to Enterprise Applications teams supporting Colleague and related systems.  

• Act as the primary bridge between functional campus stakeholders and enterprise application technical teams, ensuring solutions align with institutional needs.  

• Guide enterprise application roadmap discussions in partnership with campus leadership and Managed Services Centers of Excellence.  

• Support application team growth, maturity, and operational excellence, balancing oversight with direct engagement. 

Infrastructure Services Leadership 

• Provide leadership and operational oversight for institutional infrastructure services and technology operations.   

• Ensure availability, performance, reliability, and operational stability of core technology systems and services. 

• Coordinate operational support and planning for: 

• • Network infrastructure 

• • Server and storage environments 

• • Cloud infrastructure and hosted services 

• • Microsoft 365 and collaboration platforms 

• • Identity and access management 

• • Endpoint management solutions 

• • Backup and disaster recovery systems 

• • Telecommunications and unified communications platforms 

• • Virtualization and infrastructure platforms 

• Lead infrastructure lifecycle planning, operational maintenance activities, and modernization initiatives. 

• Coordinate operational escalation and incident management activities.