Executive Director of Information Technology, Cockrell School of Engineering

Job Posting Title: Executive Director of Information Technology, Cockrell School of Engineering ---- Hiring Department: Cockrell School of Engineering ---- Position Open To: All Applicants ---- Weekly Scheduled Hours: 40 ---- FLSA Status: Exempt from FLSA ---- Earliest Start Date: Immediately ---- Position Duration: Expected to Continue ---- Location: UT MAIN CAMPUS ---- Job Details: General Notes As a top-10 engineering school with the No. 1 program in Texas, the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) has been a global leader in technology innovation and engineering education for over a century. With 11 undergraduate and 13 graduate programs, over 20 research centers and a faculty community that boasts one of the highest number of National Academy of Engineering members among U.S. universities, Texas Engineering has launched some of the nation’s most accomplished leaders and pioneered world-changing solutions in virtually every industry, from space exploration to energy to health care. Situated in the heart of Austin — named “America’s Coolest City” by Expedia and “The Best Place to Live in the U.S.” by U.S. News and World Report — the Cockrell School embodies the city’s innovative spirit. Major companies with Austin campuses, such as Dell, National Instruments, Apple, IBM, Samsung, Google and many others, continue to recruit Cockrell School students at a remarkable rate, launching thousands of successful careers and developing Texas Engineers into industry leaders. UT Austin, recognized by Forbes as one of America’s Best Large Employers, provides outstanding employee benefits and total rewards packages that include: Competitive health benefits (employee premiums covered at 100%, family premiums at 50%) Voluntary Vision, Dental, Life, and Disability insurance options Generous paid vacation, sick time, and holidays Teachers Retirement System of Texas, a defined benefit retirement plan, with 8.25% employer matching funds Additional Voluntary Retirement Programs: Tax Sheltered Annuity 403(b) and a Deferred Compensation program 457(b) Flexible spending account options for medical and childcare expenses Robust free training access through LinkedIn Learning plus professional conference opportunities Tuition assistance Expansive employee discount program including athletic tickets Free access to UT Austin's libraries and museums with staff ID card Free rides on all UT Shuttle and Austin CapMetro buses with staff ID card Purpose The Executive Director of Information Technology directs the Cockrell School of Engineering (CSE) Information Technology Group (ITG) to bring vision, structure, coordination, and alignment to meet customer IT needs throughout the CSE at large and as a liaison to campus, system, and industry to partner and leverage respective strengths toward the benefit of the School. Responsibilities In collaboration with Cockrell School of Engineering (CSE) Leadership Team and others, define the vision, goals, and multi-year roadmap for Information Technology (IT) to support its research and teaching missions, including technology modernization, digital transformation, and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence. Develop a School-wide perspective of IT needs regarding hardware, software, and associated IT needs of the engineering departments and research units. Coordinate with managers of other IT units within CSE. Oversee all aspects of IT operations, including system administration for the full spectrum of IT services from networking infrastructure and desktops to servers, directly or in partnership with distributed IT partners. Coordinate the work of IT personnel; maintain awareness of operations through observations, analysis, and reports; set and align work with priorities; recruit and develop staff and conduct annual evaluations of the Information Technology Group (ITG) staff. Manage the ITG budget and ensure budget compliance. Oversee vendor management, contracting, and procurement of IT infrastructure for the Dean’s Office complex and CSE operations at-large. Provide leadership on ensuring that the CSE IT infrastructure meets UT security standards, including cybersecurity risk management, business continuity, and data governance. Advise the dean on all matters related to IT and represent CSE on important University IT committees and other associated organizations. Meet periodically with heads of Dean’s Office complex units to identify IT needs, recommend solutions, and confirm progress. Oversee A/V technology systems in all CSE classrooms and centrally managed conference rooms. Provide IT operational support to departments and organized research units, as requested, on a cost recovery basis. Work with departments, Organized Research Units (ORUs), and the central administration to ensure that UT’s IT infrastructure is adequate to meet the current and the anticipated needs of the CSE researchers. Establish and lead IT governance and project prioritization processes across CSE. Oversee annual IT inventory and compliance reporting. Perform other relevant functions as assigned. Required Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Cybersecurity, Engineering or a related field. At least ten (10) years of progressive information technology leadership experience, including significant responsibility for technology strategy, major technology initiatives, staff, budgeting, and vendor management. Demonstrated experience leading a broad technology organization or portfolio spanning several areas such as application development, data and analytics, infrastructure, end-user services, cybersecurity, cloud services, or technology planning. Experience developing and executing technology strategy, including leading significant modernization, digital transformation, systems implementation, or organizational change initiatives. Demonstrated experience managing technology professionals and leaders, including staff development, performance management, and organizational planning. Knowledge of cybersecurity, technology risk management, business continuity, data management, and IT governance. Demonstrated ability to advise senior executives, communicate complex technology issues to nontechnical audiences, and lead through influence across varied stakeholders in a complex organization. Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate. Preferred Qualifications Master's degree in Information Technology, Cybersecurity, Engineering or a related field. Fifteen (15) or more years of progressive information technology leadership experience. Experience serving as a CIO, CTO, senior technology executive, or in a comparable enterprise technology leadership role. Experience leading technology in higher education, government, another public institution, or a similarly complex, mission-driven organization, particularly within Texas. Experience working within a federated or decentralized technology environment. Experience with enterprise architecture, system integration, and project portfolio management. Demonstrated experience modernizing legacy applications, including retiring legacy systems or measurably reducing technical debt. Experience establishing enterprise project prioritization and portfolio decision processes. Experience developing organizational approaches to artificial intelligence or other emerging technologies. Experience supporting technology requirements for academic instruction or research. Experience with University of Texas policies, procedures, and administrative systems or experience in higher education or an academic environment. CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional), CISM (Certified Information Security Manager), CRISC (Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control) or CISA (Certified Information Systems Auditor). Salary Range OPEN Working Conditions Work is performed in a standard office environment. Repetitive use of keyboard at workstation. The position may be required to travel. Some evening and weekend hours may be required for system incidents, critical deadlines, and school or industry events. Applicants must be legally authorized to work for any employer in the United States. This position is not eligible for sponsorship of work visas. Position is based in Austin, Texas Work Shift Standard business hours are Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. Work outside of normal business hours may be required on an occasional basis during peak times. Required Materials Resume/CV Letter of interest 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume in the first step of the online job application process. Then, any additional Required Materials will be uploaded in the My Experience section; you can multi-select the additional files or click the Upload button for each file. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded. Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes. Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find Jobs. Before you apply though, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left-hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile. This information will be pulled into your application. The application is one page, and you will need to click the Upload button multiple times in order to attach your Resume, References and any additional Required Materials noted above. ---- Employment Eligibility: Regular staff who have been employed in their current position for the last six continuous months are eligible for openings being recruited for through University-Wide or Open Recruiting, to include both promotional opportunities and lateral transfers. Staff who are promotion/transfer eligible may apply for positions without supervisor approval. ---- Retirement Plan Eligibility: The retirement plan for this position is Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS), subject to the position being at least 20 hours per week and at least 135 days in length. This position has the option to elect the Optional Retirement Program (ORP) instead of TRS, subject to the position being 40 hours per week and at least 135 days in length. ---- Background Checks: A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position. ---- Equal Opportunity Employer: The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions. ---- Pay Transparency: The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor’s legal duty to furnish information. ---- Employment Eligibility Verification: If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form. You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States. Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment. Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university. ---- E-Verify: The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university’s company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following: E-Verify Poster (English and Spanish) [PDF] Right to Work Poster (English) [PDF] Right to Work Poster (Spanish) [PDF] ---- Compliance: Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031. The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701. Start Here, Change the World At The University of Texas at Austin, tradition meets innovation in the heart of a city that frequents lists of the best places to live and work. Named by Forbes as one of America's Best Large Employers for the sixth year in a row in 2025, UT offers both a dynamic work environment and a gateway to vibrant local culture. Whether you're at the forefront of the student experience, conducting world-changing research or supporting the engine that drives Texas’ flagship university, working at UT means making a lasting impact on our city, our state and our world. Our more than 20,000 faculty and staff empower 55,000+ students to challenge ideas, pursue passions and shape their futures. Joining UT, you’ll become part of a community dedicated to making a meaningful impact on campus and throughout the world. Looking for a student job? Please see our Student Employment site. Comments and Inquiries: Email comments to hrsc@austin.utexas.edu. For questions or concerns regarding equal opportunity only, contact Equal Opportunity Services. Additional information for applicants can be found on the Human Resources web page: Applying for Employment. For more job information, call the Human Resource Service Center at (512) 471-4772, or toll-free at (800) 687-4178. UT Austin is a Tobacco-free Campus