Director of Research Computing & Cyberinfrastructure

Project Overview

The Division of IT requires an experienced leader to provide immediate organizational stabilization and transformational leadership during a period of significant departmental change. The department is facing organizational, operational, and cultural challenges that require decisive leadership, objective assessment, and rapid implementation of corrective actions before recruiting a permanent Director. This 9–12-month interim assignment will focus on rebuilding organizational culture, aligning resources with institutional priorities, improving operational effectiveness, and establishing sustainable management practices. The Interim Director will be empowered to make organizational decisions necessary to position the department for long-term success while maintaining continuity of critical IT services and customer engagement.

The Interim Director will conduct a comprehensive assessment of research technology infrastructure, services, operational procedures, active and anticipated projects, and budget requirements. Responsibilities include aligning operational procedures with divisional standards, leveraging service desk ticketing systems for support requests, client communications, project tracking, and reporting analytics, and establishing effective governance, communication, and decision-making processes. The role also involves documenting organizational recommendations, strategic priorities, lifecycle budgets, professional development needs, and transition plans for permanent leadership, while recruiting, mentoring, and preparing team members for long-term success. Success will be measured by improvements in organizational culture, employee accountability, operational performance, customer satisfaction, governance maturity, and departmental readiness for permanent executive leadership.

Duties/Responsibilities:

• Provide leadership for all departmental operations, research technology infrastructure, and related services.
  
• Supervise managers, professional staff, and student staff.
  
• Establish performance expectations and monitor organizational outcomes.
  
• Make timely operational and resource allocation decisions.
  
• Lead organizational change initiatives and culture transformation efforts.
  
• Evaluate organizational effectiveness and recommend structural improvements.
  
• Develop and monitor departmental priorities and performance metrics in collaboration with executive leadership.
  
• Coordinate departmental budgets and strategic resource allocation in collaboration with executive leadership.
  
• Ensure compliance with university policies, security standards, audit requirements, and regulatory obligations.
  
• Remove organizational obstacles that inhibit productivity, innovation, and collaboration.
  
• Provide executive-level reports and recommendations to executive leadership.
  
• Develop succession planning and transition documentation for permanent leadership.
  

Requirements

Education and Certifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree In Computer Science or a closely related discipline
  
• Master’s degree in science, technology, or a related field.
  

Required Skills:

• 8+ years of experience leading organizational transformation, change management, and service delivery optimization
  
• 8+ years of experience leading large, complex technology projects
  
• 8+ years of experience with personnel management, coaching, and performance accountability
  

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with research cyberinfrastructure, high-performance computing, high-speed storage, and networking technologies.
  
• Experience implementing governance and operational maturity frameworks.
  
• Experience managing organizational change in higher education.
  
• Knowledge of ITIL frameworks and IT service management best practices.
  
• Experience with cloud infrastructure and services, including AWS and Microsoft Azure.
  
• Familiarity with AI infrastructure and cloud-based AI technologies across AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP).
  
• Experience as a Carpentries Instructor, delivering technical training and supporting skill development.
  
• Training or hands-on experience with High-Performance Computing (HPC) technologies, including Slurm workload management and InfiniBand networking.
  

Benefits