Director, Academic Technology Services

Director of Academic Technology Services,

Information Services,

Northeastern University

 

The Director of Academic Technology Services (ATS), reports directly to the Vice President, Information Services (IS), the central information technology division at Northeastern University (www.northeastern.edu), Boston, MA, and is a member of the IS Leadership Team. Northeastern IS includes over 130 full-time professionals with a multi million dollar annual budget. Northeastern IS (www.infoservices.neu.edu) provides all central IT services and support through a ‘blended’ centralized/decentralized model emphasizing partnerships with the college and unit-based specialized IT providers.

 

The ATS Director has two major responsibilities.  He or she is the principal IS partner with the academic community to ensure, IS is delivering up to date technology and support which meets the needs of the university’s academic units across all services including teaching and learning enablement and assessment. These units include, but are not limited to, the Deans and colleges, the Office of the Provost, University Libraries, the Faculty Senate, the academic unit technical collaborative group known as the IT Providers, the educational technology centers, and administrative departments who serve the academic community, including research administration and grants management. From time to time, the Director also works with student government and interest groups, especially the growing graduate student population.  .

 

The second, and growing, role is working with increasing numbers of Northeastern’s research centers and research intensive faculty to ensure that their IT needs are met. This includes core services such as networking and software delivery, specialized services such as high performance computing and storage, and individual services such as hosting and database administration assistance. In addition to creating and managing the research enablement services portfolio, the ATS Director works with Deans and other senior executives to support the recruitment of researchers to cultivate the research commitments in the Academic Initiative (www.northeastern.edu/planning)

 

 

The Director’s Leadership role includes:

 Responsibility for assuring the information technology dependencies within the Northeastern Academic Initiative are met.With academic, administrative, and IT leaders within the academic units, development of a blended academic IT service catalog including cross-university computational and cyberinfrastructure strategies and plans.Working with several units involved in teaching and learning initiatives including further development of distance delivery, e-portfolios, assessment, and experiential learning.Overseeing the software licensing and management function for the university as a whole.Expanding the On Demand initiative (www.infoservices.neu.edu/ondemand).With the Vice President and other members of the senior IS Leadership Team, establishing a university-wide IS Community Advisory Committee and the pending Northeastern IS Strategic Direction and Context

 

The Director’s Research role will include:

 Expansion of  IS research enablement capabilities, service offerings, and staff Development and implementation of, in conjunction with the Office of the Provost and others, of an IS research support free/fee costing modelEngagement in national and worldwide Cyberinfrastructure and other high performance/grid computing projects and with governmental agenciesWorking closely with the university’s sponsored grants department toward greater information technology infrastructure efficiency and administrative supportUnderstanding of the security and other requirements in high performance computing and networking

 

 

Qualifications:

 

The Director of Academic Technology Services must have:

 A thorough understanding of the organizational structure of higher education; must have a background in information technology and have worked within an academic environment.

 High performance research computing and networking experience in either a hands-on or senior administrative position.

 A proven track record of excellence in:CommunicationConflict resolutionRelationship building both within an IT team and across disparate organizational units and university communitiesProgram management including budgetary responsibilityInvestment prioritization and expectation management

 Clear understanding of the use of technology in an academic environment including networking, applications, and software licensing and delivery

 Success as a member of a senior leadership team with a ‘can do’ attitude and an excellent sense of humor

 Advanced degree preferred