Director, Technical Services

Here at Ellucian, we are motivated by a mission ~ the power of education to transform lives and change the world. We are the global market leader in EdTech for Higher Education, serving more than 2,700 customers and reaching over 26 million students in 50+ countries. We are dedicated to helping Higher Ed thrive by transforming their institutions to agile, digitally connected campuses that enable student success.

About the opportunity

As the Director of Technical Services, you will direct and coordinate activities of workers engaged in supporting networking and systems administration operations for a managed services client college. In this role you will support the CIO or other leadership by directly managing internal and/or client employees at the client location to appropriately set expectations and meet deliverables. You will be responsible for supervising the client's IT departmental budgets and the overall operations of these areas.

Where you will make an impact

• Work directly with the CIO to maintain strategic direction of computer operations and focus on customer satisfaction
• Oversee day-to-day production issues, act as escalation point to resolve urgent and/or complex client issues, and manage client expectations.
• Provide leadership and employee management, including skill evaluation and remediation planning.
• Coordinate tasks and staff assignments based on established priorities to promote efficient operation.
• Collaborate with the Applications Director to plan and maintain maximum availability of the College's ERP system.
• Meet with subordinates and supervisors to discuss progress of work, resolve problems and maintain that standards and quality of work are met.
• Develop practices and procedures, based on industry best practices, necessary to carry out day-to-day technical operations to enhance business continuity at the client location.
• Assist in developing high-level annual and/or multi-year tactical plans.
• Provide input to college committees as required.
• Oversee all phases of technology design and implementation in construction projects including but not limited to planning, attending regularly scheduled progress meetings, and directing onsite staff and/or contractors with the installation of all technology.
• Provide project implementation oversight to maintain standards for quality and quantity of work are met.
• Establish change management processes, as needed, for coordinating technology upgrade and maintenance activities with all business units.
• Evaluate data security profile and make recommendations for improvement.
• Evaluate new software or hardware requests and make cost-effective recommendations based on industry standards, cost/benefit analysis, and compatibility with existing environment, software, or hardware.
• Provide overall operational direction and management in regards to the network, Microsoft Active Directory, Microsoft Exchange, Mobile Technology, telephony, and server support services to the institution.
• Adjust hours of work, priorities and staff assignments to maintain efficient operations based on workload.
• Consult with software and hardware vendors and other personnel to solve problems impeding effective operations
• Direct and coordinate activities in the area of Disaster Recovery.
• Manage budget and procurement for networking and system administration area of IT

What you will bring

• 7-9 years of experience in the Information Technology field; or equivalent combination of education and experience leading IT technology initiatives in a college or university environment.
• 5+ years in Management of a Technical Services department
• Excellent Communication and presentation skills - written and oral.
• Strong planning and organizational skills.
• Proficient decision-making and time management skills.
• Strong leadership abilities with a collaborative approach to problem-solving, including use of remote teams/staff.
• Technical staff management and team-building experience - staff of 3 or more
• Ability to participate on non-technical committees and represent the status of technical projects in language that academic and administrative staff can easily understand.
• Experience with Cisco networking equipment; vendor certifications desirable
• Experience with VoIP system changes desirable
• Project management experience - complex implementations or upgrades involving coordination of multiple vendors or departments, with a project budget greater than $100,000. Able to take initiative and responsibility for projects; promote teamwork and collaboration between Client and Ellucian staff.
• Experience in maintaining multiple IT budgets
• Experience with enterprise-level server and network support products and management of a large 3,000 + node network
• Experience with managing Microsoft Active Directory, DNS, SCCM, and Office 365
• Stress-management skills
• Ability to establish rapport and build client trust quickly

Desired Skills/Knowledge/Experience:

• Formal Project Management training and/or certification
• Formal ITIL or other standards-based training and/or certification
• Report Development - ability to pull statistics out of various monitoring tools and appliances and create high-level client-facing reports on system status
• Experience in a leadership role that included: staff mentoring, directing staff professional development, conflict resolution, and hiring.

What makes #Ellucianlife

• Comprehensive health coverage: medical, dental, and vision
• Flexible time off
• 401k & Bright Plan - to help you save for the future
• Thrive Flex Program that allows you to contribute towards your health, financial or learning interests
• 5 charitable days to support the community that supports us
• Diversity and inclusion programs that promote employee resource groups such as: Women in Technology, Pride and Go Green to name a few.
• Parental leave
• Employee referral bonuses to encourage the addition of great new people to the team
  • We Foster a learning culture with:Tuition Reimbursement Assistance
  • Professional development opportunities

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