Associate Director of UL Tech 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

Pay Band: 05

Salary: Salary range starting mid $80k; 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 (UL). We seek to build collaborative relationships with our customers and to deliver complete business solutions that streamline processes, eliminate redundancies, and foster growth. UL Technology Services offers a variety of technical services that support and advance both divisional and university-wide goals. 

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:
  • Plans and manages IT projects, including documentation, project plans, schedules, and resource requirements;
  • Communicates and coordinates with stakeholders, vendors, subcontractors, and university partners on all aspects of projects;
  • Detects, monitors, and troubleshoots project issues, change requests, and other aspects of the IT project lifecycle;
  • Develops and maintains standard operating procedures (SOPs) for functional business processes related to applications and their workflows;
  • Develops SOPs and policies around the security and management of systems;
  • Ensures timely and accurate responses to auditing requests;
  • Collaborates with business process owners in process development as subject matter experts on divisional software and associated technologies;
  • Directs the creation of business cases by understanding enterprise applications and departmental processes;
  • Ensures documentation of processes and procedures for enterprise system planning;
  • Ensures that continuity plans and system documentation exist for all University Life applications; and
  • Leads IT team in development and practice of documentation standards for documenting applications, systems, and procedures.
• Staff Supervision:
  • Serves as a leader of the UL Technology Services (ULTS) team, participating in core team meetings, strategic planning sessions, and leading ULTS team meetings in the Director’s absence;
  • Ensures that ULTS staff are trained on ULTS and institutional computing policies;
  • Develops and maintains University Life policies that follow industry best practices and adhere to institutional, state, and federal regulations;
  • Delegates project leads and manages work teams as required;
  • Ensures that team members are assigned appropriately and productively;
  • Ensures that projects remain on schedule and communicates out status reports appropriately;
  • Manages the performance of direct reports and provides regular feedback regarding individual and overall team performance; and
  • Works with employees to identify both individual and departmental needs for training and professional development.
• System Integrations and Approvals:
  • Enforces university computing policies and ULTS policies concerning the acquisition and use of technology devices and systems;
  • Participates in requirements gathering and in decision-making concerning the acquisition of new applications and systems;
  • Collaborates with UL departments to identify business needs that could be met using technology, and assists with software approval processes;
  • Works with central IT and external vendors to develop system integrations;
  • Ensures integration processes are secure and follows industry best practices;
  • Performs scheduled reviews of integrated processes and makes enhancements where possible; and
  • Develops methods for transfer of data to and from systems utilizing APIs/SDKs and/or developing scripts.
• Administration:
  • Participates in divisional committees and initiatives, acting as a technical resource and SME as required;
  • Coordinates with central IT on projects, maintenance, upgrades, and emergency work that may impact operations;
  • Participates in leadership and planning activities in support of assigned departmental and divisional goals; and
  • Serves the technology needs of University Life while adhering to industry best practices and maintaining compliance with institutional, state, and federal regulations.

Required Qualifications:

• High school diploma or equivalent;
• Experience typically obtained in five years of full-time professional experience supporting software systems;
• Demonstrated experience leading technology projects and supervising full-time technical staff;
• Demonstrated experience of successful support for customers and processes;
• Demonstrated verbal skills, skilled presenter and technical writer;
• Demonstrated problem-solving skills and attention to detail;
• Proven ability to manage time effectively;
• Ability to exercise independent judgment and initiative;
• Ability to work collaboratively in a team oriented environment and lead technology teams; and
• Ability to translate technical terminology to non-technical audiences.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in related field or equivalent combination of education and experience;
• Demonstrated experience in IT project management, system requirements analysis, software implementation, and vendor management;
• Experience developing and executing test scenarios and documenting related use cases and test plans;
• Experience using programming and scripting languages such as Python, SQL, PowerShell, JavaScript, XML, HTML, etc.;
• Professional higher education experience;
• Knowledge of data management and security principles;
• Demonstrated project management skills for technology implementations; and
• Ability to develop system requirements for both new systems and system upgrades.

This position is not eligible for international visa sponsorship. 

Instructions to Applicants: 

For full consideration, applicants must apply for Associate Director of UL Tech Services at https://jobs.gmu.edu/. Complete and submit the online application to include three professional references with contact information, and provide a cover letter and resume for review.

Posting Open Date:  May 1, 2025

For Full Consideration, Apply by:  May 15, 2025

Open Until Filled:  Yes