Brown University seeks a collaborative leader with experience helping organizations build the capabilities necessary to develop and implement strategies to serve as its Assistant CIO for Governance, Planning and Strategy (ACIO). This is an opportune time to join Brown’s IT leadership team and this position offers substantial opportunity for challenge and professional growth. Brown is renewing its technology strategies and maturing its IT governance and IT management practices. The ACIO will be a key contributor to these changes and will partner with IT leaders and campus stakeholders to build many of the foundational capabilities to turn strategic ideas into implemented capabilities.

Under the broad direction of the Vice President for Information Technology and CIO and as a member of the IT leadership team, the ACIO is responsible for business and vendor relationship management, enterprise architecture design, IT governance, project management and outreach and communications for the Office of Information Technology. The ACIO oversees the aspects of the IT organization that ensure the success of the Office of Information Technology (OIT) in its ability to effectively serve Brown University and include the governance of technology acquisition across Brown, IT communications, IT finance, IT policy, vendor relationship management, and IT workforce development, planning, recruitment and retention. The ACIO enables the implementation of the University’s technology strategic plan (IT Roadmap) and maintains that plan’s alignment with Brown’s strategic priorities.

Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion

Brown is a place where staff, faculty and students demonstrate, on a daily basis, their respect for each individual's unique attributes. It is a workplace that values diversity and inclusion requiring us to understand and respect the beliefs, values, and ethics of others while demonstrating our ability to effectively work with, communicate with, and service a diverse community of individuals. We interact and serve others with mutual respect while observing the highest standards of conduct.  Learn more about the University’s programs to further diversity, equity and inclusion here.

Leadership Agenda

Brown’s new IT strategic plan will enable the University strategic and operational priorities including growth in research, sustained academic excellence, improved constituent digital experiences and enabling data informed decisions. The ACIO will work with the IT leadership team and campus partners to build the governance processes, financial plans and workforce strategies to enable implementation of the IT plan.  Key priorities for the ACIO include:

• Completing the design of IT governance and facilitating its implementation and continual improvement.
• Oversee the creation, ongoing effective operations, and annual implementation priorities of a collaborative and enterprise IT governance strategy to ensure progress on the University’s IT roadmap.
• Oversee the establishment and effective implementation of a technology acquisition process across the University, including a workflow for critical reviews such as data flow, enterprise integration, export control, privacy, and security considerations.
• Working in alignment with OIT’s customer service and support teams, establish and grow a business relationship capacity within OIT that fosters departmental communication and collaboration in support of the University’s goals.
• Construct methods of regular outreach to Brown divisions, faculty, students, and staff to understand emerging technology needs, gather feedback on performance of IT services, and seek input and ideas from all stakeholders.
• Institute strategies and practices to promote the successful recruitment, development, retention, and the well-being of IT staff.

Position Responsibilities

In collaboration with the Vice President and CIO, the Assistant CIO works with other members of the OIT senior leadership team to establish technology roadmaps, build long-range financial plans, ensure appropriate partnerships within Brown, and implement initiatives to apply technology in support of Brown’s strategic priorities. The Assistant CIO serves as the primary liaison and coordinates staff support for IT governance and advisory committees. The Assistant CIO manages a team that includes the Director of Project Management, OIT’s Enterprise Architect, IT Finance Director, HR Director, and the IT Communications Officer. Critical to the success of OIT will be the Assistant CIO’s collaboration with partner units beyond OIT such as Finance, Human Resources, Real Estate & Strategic Initiatives, and University Communications.

IT Governance

• Communicate and collaborate with the university strategic advisory committee for IT governance to acquire recommendations for the effective utilization of Brown’s information technology services and systems, as well as to recommend policies that relate to the governance of these services and systems. Lead IT governance meetings.
• Provide IT governance and related advisory groups with information and analysis to enable the recommendation of IT priorities that align with institutional priorities and to support efficient and transparent decisions.
• Align IT governance to university budget processes seeking to ensure that all requests for significant and/or new technology investments be reviewed, first, through IT governance processes and structures.
• Ensure that all technology projects are submitted, planned and tracked through a common process and portfolio.
• Manage the successful deployment of large strategic projects, incubate new services, and oversee the status of IT project portfolio, intervening as necessary to address risks and issues.
• Ensure that proposed projects--whether a core service or as a specialized service—undergo business analysis, indicating full needs and associated costs to ensure both project and operational success, to include resources need by the unit served.
• Work with appropriate Brown units to modify procurement processes to support OIT and IT governance reviews of all technology purchases.

Enterprise Architecture and Strategic Technology Planning

• Ensure that the University's technology operations and infrastructure are documented.
• Work across OIT to plan the future of Brown’s technology infrastructure and IT service delivery capabilities.
• Partner with the OIT leadership team, institutional partners, and external technology partners to create roadmaps for institutional technology that address life-cycle replacement needs and technology shifts, supported by long-range financial planning.

Business and Vendor Relationship Management

• Ensure that OIT’s business relationship managers are regarded as trusted points of contact within the Brown community
• Ensure that business relationship managers comprehensively understand the activities, objectives, communities, and key technology needs and capabilities of Brown groups, as well as understand how customer needs can be met by OIT services or used to inform strategic decisions about future offerings.
• Ensure that strategic communication plans and initiatives are developed in support of defined IT priorities and goals.
• Ensure that day to day communications from OIT are meeting the needs of the relevant service unit, as well as OIT’s customers.
• Ensure that technical writing, graphic design and print production, digital and multimedia production, messaging, alerts, and documentation are developed as required for internal and external audiences.
• Regularly inform the Brown community on planned or significant unplanned outages.
• Acts as final approver of most internal and external communications from OIT.

IT Finance and Human Resources Planning

• Manage the financial, administrative services, and HR teams within OIT.
• Foster professional development within IT by providing opportunities for training in technical skills, leadership, project management and creative problem solving.
• Establish and implement short and long-range goals, objectives, strategic plans, policies related to OIT’s financial forecasting and IT expenditures.

Required Qualifications and Experiences

 Requirements:

• Bachelor’s Degree
• Minimum of 10 years of management experience in an information technology organization serving multiple stakeholders with diverse technology needs.
• Minimum of five (5) years of experience successfully overseeing technology budgets with multiple sources and uses of funds, negotiating, and overseeing vendor partnerships, and developing staffing plans.
• Experience managing a significant IT function in terms of staff oversight and resources managed.
• Experience successfully managing the implementation of complex projects requiring technology and organizational change.
• Demonstrated experience managing elements of an IT governance capability.
• Understand workflow processes with the ability to identify weaknesses and implement process improvements.
• Demonstrated contributions to advancing diversity, equity, inclusion, and access goals in an organization.

Leadership Skills

Successful candidates will also demonstrate the following leadership capabilities:

• Effective written and verbal communication skills, with experience preparing and presenting information clearly and concisely to a wide range of internal, external and customer constituents, including technical and non-technical executives.
• Exceptional analytical skills.
• Ability to motivate and develop staff, and to build and sustain effective teams.
• Ability to build relationships with and influence external and internal partners and stakeholders of all levels.
• Highly motivated and capable of responding quickly to changing priorities.
• Ability to educate and influence decision makers and stakeholders.
• Working knowledge of financial management and human resources principles and practices.
• Experience using project management skills in an information technology environment.
• Strong organizational, supervisory, and interpersonal skills needed to work effectively with a wide variety of internal and external resources.
• Strong decision-making skills, ability to rely on data for informing decisions.

Preferred Experience

• Master’s Degree or relevant experience.
• Higher education information technology experience.

Applications and Nominations

Brown has retained Next Generation Leadership Partners to assist with this search. Inquiries and nominations may be made in confidence by contacting Next Generation’s Phil Goldstein phil@nextgenpartnersllc.com. Applicants should email a resume and cover letter to BrownACIO@nextgenpartnersllc.com.  For full consideration, applications should be received by November 3^rd .

Location and Benefits

This position qualifies for a hybrid work arrangement of four days per month on-site and flexibility to work from anywhere on other days.  Brown also offers a comprehensive set of employee benefits.

EEO Statement:

Brown University is an E-Verify Employer. As an EEO/AA employer , Brown University provides equal opportunity and prohibits discrimination, harassment and retaliation based upon a person’s race, color, religion, sex, age, national or ethnic origin, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or any other characteristic protected under applicable law, and caste, which is protected by our University policies.