Vice President for Digital Transformation and Chief Information Officer (CIO)

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas invites applications for Vice President for Digital Transformation and Chief Information Officer (CIO) [R0130754]

PROFILE of the UNIVERSITY

Founded in 1957, UNLV is a doctoral-degree-granting institution comprised of approximately 30,000 students and more than 3,600 faculty and staff. To date, UNLV has conferred more than 152,000 degrees, producing more than 130,000 alumni around the world. UNLV is classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as an R1 research university with very high research activity. The university is committed to recruiting and retaining top students and faculty, educating the region's diversifying population and workforce, driving economic activity through increased research and community partnerships, and creating an academic health center for Southern Nevada that includes the launch of a new UNLV School of Medicine.  UNLV is located on a 332-acre main campus and two satellite campuses in Southern Nevada.

Here at UNLV, we have come together and created one of the most affirmative and dynamic academic environments in the country. UNLV sits in the top spot in U.S. News & World Report’s annual listing of the nation’s most diverse universities for undergraduates. The university has ranked in the top ten since the rankings debuted more than a decade ago. We continue to show our commitment to serving our wonderfully diverse population and building the future for Las Vegas and Nevada.

For more information, visit us on line at:  http://www.unlv.edu

COMMITMENT to DIVERSITY

The successful candidate will demonstrate support for diversity, equity and inclusiveness as well as participate in maintaining a respectful, positive work environment.

BENEFITS

The University of Nevada Las Vegas offers a generous annual and sick leave package, medical and dental benefits, supplemental voluntary benefits, tuition assistance, and wellness programs. Visit our benefits page for a full listing.

ROLE of the POSITION

The Vice President for Digital Transformation (VPDT) will serve as the Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the university.  The Vice President for Digital Transformation must have a deep understanding of present technology and a sophisticated grasp of the future of information technology in higher education. The individual in this position must have a full appreciation of the transformational impacts of technological innovation, especially on teaching and research, and must show a strong commitment to providing customer-centric experiences.

As a minority-serving institution rich with diversity and committed to equity, UNLV strives to improve the lives of our students and transform our communities. In this context, the VPDT must be capable of anticipating evolutionary pathways of new technology and identifying new uses of information and technology that will enable UNLV faculty, students, and administrators to fully capitalize on technological advances in fulfillment of the institution’s vision, mission, and strategic goals. Additionally, the VPDT must be able to clearly communicate the implications of technological trends to university leadership, faculty and staff. 

The VPDT is responsible for providing strong and collaborative leadership, guiding the management of current and future technology systems and services across the institution, and fostering innovation. The VPDT oversees the continuous evolution of an IT environment consisting of both a central IT organization and distributed IT units that collaboratively support the needs of the university, and are accountable for effectively and efficiently serving a broad range of university stakeholders. The VPDT also provides leadership for central IT services, including ultimate responsibility for staff and unit operations in the Office of Information Technology (OIT). Currently, OIT has approximately 150 employees and an annual operating budget of approximately $25 million.

The VPDT reports to the Executive Vice President and Provost (EVP&P) and serves on his leadership team.  The position has a dotted reporting line to the President, including serving on the President’s Cabinet. The VPDT is involved in institution-wide strategic planning; provides fiscal leadership regarding information technology and cyber security initiatives and activities; shepherds the approval and enforcement of campus policies pertaining to information technology; and coordinates and integrates institutional technology matters. The VPDT also serves as the university's senior spokesperson on information technology matters and UNLV’s technology liaison for the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE), local and state government, and key regional constituencies.

The following are primary responsibilities of the position:

Executive Leadership & Strategic Planning

The VPDT provides executive leadership and a strategic vision that supports institutional innovation, risk taking, and growth. Working collaboratively with the university senior leadership team, faculty administrative leadership, students, and other campus constituencies, the VPDT defines the vision and leads the implementation of information technology activities that are consistent with national best practices in support of UNLV’s vision, mission, and strategic goals.

The VPDT leads the university's efforts to advance strategies, oversee policies, and prioritize resources that support and refine a customer-centric, accessible, integrated, and secure information technology environment. Additionally, the VPDT reviews, contributes to, prioritizes, and implements key initiatives from the campus Top Tier 2.0 strategic plan and is responsible for creating and sustaining the technology foundation needed to keep pace with the university’s evolving, interactive, student-centered, and collaborative learning and research environment. 

Specific duties include:

• Participating actively as a member of the university’s senior leadership teams, facilitating open and collaborative discussion of university IT plans and policies at all levels of university administration.
• Collaborating with administration, staff, faculty, students, and other stakeholders to develop technology strategy and to identify opportunities to leverage information technology from across the campus to support the goals of the university.
• Communicating to the campus and the university IT community on matters involving technology services, strategic technology direction, and progress of initiatives that relate to/or are supported by information technology.

Administration & Governance

The VPDT provides and oversees a full range of information technology services, including learning technologies, network infrastructure and services, technology outreach, enterprise systems, enterprise applications, research computing, and security of information systems. The VPDT works across a large and increasingly complex organization to design, establish, and maintain the organizational structures and staffing required to optimize the central, distributed, and outsourced IT resource environment at UNLV. Innovation in administrative structure and operational leadership is expected.

Additionally, the VPDT leads an IT governance structure responsible for decision-making and goal setting for UNLV’s information technology investment. The VPDT is also a key executive partner in the governance structure responsible for the development of a business intelligence and analytics framework that informs university decision-making and management.

Specific duties include:

• Leading prioritization of IT systems and projects from across the campus, gathering input and sharing outcomes broadly across the organization to ensure alignment, agreement, and awareness of how time and resources are allocated.
• Developing and managing the annual operating and project budgets for IT in a manner consistent with university strategic directions and established financial guidelines.
• Working collaboratively and effectively in a shared governance environment with staff and faculty members from a range of disciplinary backgrounds.
• Nurturing the growing IT community at the university and works collaboratively to optimize central, distributed, and outsourced IT resources.
• Overseeing and continuing to develop the university’s IT governance efforts.
• Sustaining an ongoing information technology strategic planning process.

Technology Innovation

The VPDT maintains currency with new and emerging technologies to position the university adapt to changing needs. The VPDT also identifies opportunities for cost-effective investment of fiscal and human capital resources in technology services and systems.

The VPDT partners with senior administrative and technology leaders to both support and transform student information, learning management, human capital management, financial management, and research administrative systems. The VPDT also works with students, faculty, and staff to establish robust, state-of-the art computational and data services to support a variety of educational, research, and administrative computing infrastructure needs.

Specific duties include:

• Leading technology initiatives and efforts related to information technology, learning technologies, network infrastructure and services, technology outreach, enterprise systems, research computing, security of information systems and other areas.
• Continuously evaluating opportunities to leverage UNLV’s buying power and information technology resources to achieve cost savings, improve the quality of services, and meet university-wide initiatives toward sustainability and conscious energy usage.
• Providing senior leadership and essential coordination in the support for, maintenance of, integrations between, and enhancements to major enterprise campus systems (e.g., student information, human resource management, financial management, learning management) and other campus information systems, as appropriate.
• Promoting continuous improvement and professional development of IT staff and encourages student employment/internships in IT efforts.

Information Security Stewardship

The VPDT, in close partnership with the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), provides long-term strategic vision, leadership, and resource management to ensure the university’s technology infrastructure is secure, sensitive data and critical information assets are protected, and privacy is maintained. Additionally, the VPDT must stay abreast of information security issues and regulatory changes affecting higher education at the system, state, and national levels and communicate to UNLV leadership and the campus on a regular basis about these topics.

The VPDT also fosters collaborative relationships with both campus and NSHE technology leaders to secure institutional and system information assets and technology infrastructures and to enable cutting-edge research and innovation by leveraging cross-organizational resources.

VACCINATION MANDATE POLICY

Per the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) Emergency COVID-19 Employee Vaccination Policy, all NSHE employees must be vaccinated against COVID-19 or have an approved medical or religious waiver request.  All candidates for employment must have this information on file with Human Resources prior to their start date. Information about how the policy applies to new hires is now available on the COVID-19 Employee Vaccine Mandate webpage.  

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

This position requires a Master’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university and experience in a higher education environment, with 10 or more years of experience in the field, including 10 or more years of supervisory and management experience.  Credentials must be obtained prior to the start of employment.  Additional required knowledge, skills, and abilities are as follows:

Knowledge:

• Comprehensive technical knowledge.
• Comprehensive knowledge of the academic and administrative operations as well as the evolving strategic information technology requirements of a top tier research university.
• Knowledge of current trends and developments in information technology in general.
• Knowledge to help support research technology and high-performance computing initiatives.
• Knowledge about fostering and advancing a diverse workforce.
• Knowledge of analytical methodologies and techniques to assess and improve financial and business processes.
• Knowledge of secure computing practices.
• Knowledge concerning information security threats, risks, and trends.
• Knowledge of information and personal privacy issues including federal mandates related to educational records.

Skills:

• Demonstrative skill in setting and implementing a strategic long-range vision.
• Keen business acumen, senior leadership experience, and strong management skills.
• Experience leading organizational change and continuous improvement.
• A leadership style that inspires confidence, engenders trust, and cultivates a positive work environment.
• A track record of successful project management for large-scale and multi-year projects.
• Excellent documentation, writing, and communication skills, including the ability to develop reports, summarize complex issues, and exercise professional judgment in the communication of audience-relevant responses in an appropriate and sensitive manner.
• Experience in evaluating, selecting, implementing, and promoting a wide range of technology systems, solutions, and services.
• Experience interpreting regulatory requirements (e.g., Payment Card Industry (PCI), Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) to enhance compliance through the development of appropriate university policies and procedures.
• Experience fostering relationships with senior business and technology leaders.

Abilities:

• Thrive in an environment with the complexity of a Carnegie R1 ("Very High Research”) university.
• Work across a large organization to optimize central, distributed, and outsourced IT resources.
• Manage complex budgets and financial plans, balancing fiscal responsibility and optimization of available resources effectively.
• Develop requests and evaluate proposals for leading-edge information technology solutions and services.
• Identify and secure a variety of funding/revenue sources.
• Provide strategic guidance and counsel in the assessment, procurement, development, improvement, implementation, and/or decommissioning of new and existing technology solutions.
• Effectively present technical information to individuals with varying levels of technical knowledge.
• Influence, motivate, enable, and empower employees for individual and team success.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

A doctorate or JD from an accredited college or university is preferred with degrees in Information Technology, Computer Science, Business Administration, Management Information Sciences, or relevant technology fields.

SALARY RANGE

Salary competitive with those at similarly situated institutions. Position is contingent upon funding. 

APPLICATION DETAILS

Submit a letter of interest, a detailed resume listing qualifications and experience, and the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of at least three professional references who may be contacted. References will not be contacted until the search chair notifies you in advance.

Applicants should fully describe their qualifications and experience, with specific reference to each of the minimum and preferred qualifications because this is the information on which the initial review of materials will be based.

Although this position will remain open until filled, review of candidates’ materials will begin on June 13, 2022. Materials should be addressed to Dr. Kyle Kaalberg, Search Committee Chair, and must be submitted through Workday, as we do not accept emailed materials. For assistance with the application process, please contact UNLV Human Resources at (702) 895-3504 or UNLVJobs@unlv.edu.

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR INTERNAL NSHE CANDIDATES

UNLV employees or employees within the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) MUST use the “Find Jobs” process within Workday to find and apply for jobs at UNLV and other NSHE Institutions. Once you log into Workday, type "Find Jobs" in the search box which will navigate to the internal job posting site. Locate this specific job posting by typing the job requisition number, “R0130754" in the search box.

If you complete an application outside of the internal application process, your application will be returned and you will have to reapply as an internal applicant which may delay your application.

SAFETY AND SECURITY STATEMENT

UNLV is committed to assisting all members of the UNLV community in providing for their own safety and security. The Annual Security Report and Annual Fire Safety Report compliance document is available online.

EEO/AA STATEMENT

The University of Nevada - Las Vegas (UNLV) is committed to providing a place of work and learning free of discrimination on the basis of a person’s age (40 or older), disability, whether actual or perceived by others (including service-connected disabilities), gender (including pregnancy related conditions), military status or military obligations, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, national origin, race (including hair texture and protected hairstyles such as natural hairstyles, afros, bantu knots, curls, braids, locks and twists), color, or religion (protected classes). Discrimination on the basis of a protected class, including unlawful harassment, which is a form of discrimination, is illegal under federal and state law. Where unlawful discrimination is found to have occurred, UNLV will act to stop the unlawful discrimination, to prevent its recurrence, to remedy its effects, and to discipline those responsible. 

TITLE IX STATEMENT

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas, does not discriminate on the basis of sex in any education program or activity that it operates.  Non-discrimination on the basis of sex is mandated by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (20 U.S.C. §§ 1681 et seq.) and the corresponding implementation regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106).  The University’s commitment to nondiscrimination in its education programs and activities extends to applicants for admission and employment.  Inquiries concerning the application of these provisions may be referred to:  Michelle Sposito, J.D., Title IX Coordinator, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway, Box 451062, Las Vegas, NV 89154-1062, Frank and Estella Beam Hall (BEH) Room 553, Telephone: (702) 895-4055; Email: titleixcoordinator@unlv.edu, or to The Assistant Secretary of the United States Department of Education, U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C. 20202-1100; Telephone: 1-800-421-3481 FAX: 202-453-6012; TDD: 1-800-877-8339; Email: OCR@ed.gov; or to both.  

Information pertaining to the University’s grievance procedures and grievance process, including how to report or file a complaint of sex discrimination, how to report or file a formal complaint of sexual harassment, and how the University will respond can be found online at the Office of Equal Employment & Title IX webpage.